Hi, I am a wearer of minus lenses, my prescription is -2.75 for each eye. My job requires that I use a computer for several hours per day, and my myopia is too great for me to use the computer without my glasses. How can I continue to do my job while preserving my eyesight? I believe I read somewhere, possibly on this forum, that wearing weaker minus lenses for close-up work could help preserve my vision, but I do not want to do this without getting some advice first, and I'm not sure how much weaker they should be. I tried wearing some +1.75 reading glasses on top of my regular glasses, and this seemed to greatly reduce the amount of stress on my eyes, but it isn't practical to wear 2 pairs of glasses all day, and I'm not sure if this is even a good idea. Also, I have read a little about pinhole glasses, but I'm not sure if I would be able to see the monitor clearly with them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Really? You just want to keep your vision at an imperfect level? Why not restore it to perfect?
Before you get advice about reduced prescription, are you sure you need any glasses? I interface with a computer sporadically but often all day at work without any glasses. I'm at about -4diopters. Sometimes I get awfully close to the screen but so what? Without glasses, I at least get more opportunities to see in a correct way. My advice (and Bates'), if you want to recover, don't be a wearer of glasses. I know your myopic brain will be scared but try it. Be a little blind at work. Risk people thinking you are odd. I bet you can get along a whole lot better than you think you can. You'll learn to recognize the blob that is your boss in no time. Why not give your eyes a chance? Give the Bates Method a serious go.
I am definitely willing to give it a go. I, like you, can see the monitor if I get very close to it, I'm talking hunched over the desk with my face no more than a foot away from away from it. Is that less damaging to my vision than using minus lenses at about 3 feet? I was under the impression that myopia is only worsened by minus lenses when frequent close-up work was involved. Also, I believe I read somewhere that using minus lenses half the time for tasks such as driving, and then taking them off while at work, can be more damaging to my eyes than leaving them on all the time. Is this true? I can't drive without my glasses, of that I'm certain.
timothygrant Wrote:I was under the impression that myopia is only worsened by minus lenses when frequent close-up work was involved. Also, I believe I read somewhere that using minus lenses half the time for tasks such as driving, and then taking them off while at work, can be more damaging to my eyes than leaving them on all the time.
Please, do yourself a huge favor and begin reading the advice that means something. Bates understood vision (perfect and defective) like no one before of after. His words are brushed aside or skimmed over at your eyes' peril. The final word on what is best for your eyes can be found here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.iblindness.org/books/">http://www.iblindness.org/books/</a><!-- m -->
And don't be foolish like me and wait to discard your glasses. Your reservations are likely just fear. The same anxiety that made you myopic in the first place. The sooner you deal with that anxiety the better.
(Why don't we have a stressed looking smiley with glasses?)
Sure. Go ahead. Get a -1.5 pair of specs. Wear them when you feel un-resourceful at work. Wear them when you need to watch your favorite TV show. Or when you have to drive to the grocery store for cat food in the middle of the night. Maybe you can carry them with you in your pocket all the time so when a friend points out something in the distance he thinks is really cool you can toss them on and have a look-see. Maybe, slowly, with lots of practice of the Bates techniques, you will have a clear flash or two, get motivated, and start to wear them them less and less often until finally you realize they are only hindering your progress and throw them away. That could be 3 months from now or maybe 2 years. God only knows for sure. You still may be at square one at that point with no permanent better vision. This has, more or less, been my experience and I started at -4 Diopters. After 2.5 weeks without glasses, I feel I'm just starting to see how much relaxation will be required for losing my strain and it's quite daunting. The strain is very hard to identify for a myope addicted to glasses and even harder to let go of. Anyways, you've been warned.
Vision recovery can be an amazing life changing life event. But it will not be without sacrifice.
Why not give your eyes a chance? Give the Bates Method a serious go.
