Was blind but now I see

[dreamshark]

Well, not exactly BLIND, but those 7-year-old glasses clearly needed replacing a long time ago. The overall correction didn't seem that far off but I was having increasing difficulties focusing my eyes together at a distance, resulting in double vision when I looked a little to the left or right of center. Since "double vision" can be a sign of all kinds of terrible things I was concerned about this, but it wasn't progressing fast enough to be a brain tumor. I thought (and still think) that it was a combination of too much screen time and the prescriptions in my two eyes changing in opposite directions so my vision was increasingly unbalanced. In any case, the first thing I did after I got my first Moderna shot was make an appointment for an eye exam 6 weeks later.

I just got my new glasses today, and the improvement is greater than I dared to hope! Just having the vision balanced again between left and right eye felt instantly better. But the big innovation was a new addition to my prescription called "prism" that is supposed to address the long distance focusing problem. Dr. Marcie said it would probably help but not to expect it to be a complete fix and that it would take a few weeks to get used to, so I wasn't expecting what happened. I put on the new glasses and like magic I could see again! I looked out the window at a sign across the street, turned my head slowly left and right, and no double vision! I can even read with my glasses on. And I swear I can feel that lazy right eye snapping to attention and joining in again. It's especially noticeable up close, but also at a distance.

I'm so glad the glasses came in before our upcoming road trip. I think this is going to help immensely with driving at night, where I was getting more and more distracted by seeing double tail lights everywhere.

Comments

[quadong]

Huzzah!

[pameladean]

Wow, that sounds seriously distracting and unpleasant. I'm glad the glasses actually address the whole problem.

My prescription changed marginally in 2018 and I put off getting new glasses and then suddenly there was a pandemic. I have an eye appointment on May 13. I think the main problem is that these glasses are even older than yours and are very scratched up, but we'll see.

P.

[dreamshark]

Well, the other problem with these old ones was that I was heartily sick of the frames. And the lenses were not so much scratched as crazed at the edges, which is what happens to the scratch-resistant coating after a few years (so you really can't win). And the frames were metal. I HAVE to stop getting metal frames, because this always happens to me. The metal touches my cheeks when I smile, and the skin oils eventually corrode the metal which then irritates my skin. I have actually smoothed the frames with a nail file more than once. And I'm just sick of having grey frames. Ugh. The new ones are flashy multi-colored acrylic.

[pameladean]

Oh, those are marvellous!

My current frames are somewhat like the ones I had in my early twenties, which I thought in retrospect looked better than most of the ones I'd had since. But now I'm tempted by the flashy ones.

P.

[dreamshark]

Here's something to keep in mind. Once you have a recent prescription you can order additional frames online from places like Warby Parker for a fraction of the cost. But you must have a current and complete prescription and it must include pupillary distance, which they measure but do not necessarily list on the prescription printout unless you ask for it.

[bibliofile]

Congrats! On new glasses, on new glasses that fix the troublesome and worsening problems. On new glasses that sound like they look good and make a good change for you.

[laramie]

I'm glad to hear that your new glasses constitute such an improvement!

And you've reminded me that it's high time I get my own prescription updated. My left eye is noticeably weaker than the right.