Eyesight and aging ...

[Anonymous]

I agree with 19:45. My doctor also said that most people will need cataract surgery after 60yo. Some studies have shown that the LASIK surgery may will negatively affect the cataract surgery.

[Anonymous]

Early 40s and -1.25 in each eye. Lately I seem to have to focus more to read smaller print. I am due for an eye exam. From what you PPs mention, it may be time for reading glasses although I feel way too young!

[Anonymous]

I'm 41 and can't believe how quickly some things have come on - like signs of perimenopause ... and bad eyesight! I can't read shampoo bottles or medicine containers at all now! I'm not sure the number to quote, but I've had glasses since the age of 5 and my prescription says Sphere +1.75 and +2.00 and Cylinder -2.00 for both.

The eye dr said I'll need bifocals sometime, but up to me when I decide I need it. Geez ... I thought I was young for my age ... !

[Anonymous]

I'm a -9 and -10, age 35 in one month. I go to the eye dr. every year, and he told me last time, when I was worried about my numbers, "you are nothing special. I see -18s all the time, and that is not near the end of the spectrum!"

So I wouldn't worry about it. Just control what you can control - take care of yourself, don't sleep in your contacts, replace them regularly and keep going to the eye dr. every year or so for check ups.

My mom at age 63 has early signs of cataracts and her dr. told her that is normal and common, and that she likely wouldn't have to even consider anything for at least ten years, and that there would likely be advancements by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a -9 and -10, age 35 in one month. I go to the eye dr. every year, and he told me last time, when I was worried about my numbers, "you are nothing special. I see -18s all the time, and that is not near the end of the spectrum!"

So I wouldn't worry about it. Just control what you can control - take care of yourself, don't sleep in your contacts, replace them regularly and keep going to the eye dr. every year or so for check ups.

My mom at age 63 has early signs of cataracts and her dr. told her that is normal and common, and that she likely wouldn't have to even consider anything for at least ten years, and that there would likely be advancements by then.

Why not sleep in contacts if you dispose of them at the end of the week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early 40s and -1.25 in each eye. Lately I seem to have to focus more to read smaller print. I am due for an eye exam. From what you PPs mention, it may be time for reading glasses although I feel way too young!

I am + .75 in one eye and - .75 in the other. I have had glasses since I was 9 and while my vision isn't bad I still had to get reading glasses this year. I'll be 35 next month and I wasn't too happy about getting them so early but realized that it's just part of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early 40s and -1.25 in each eye. Lately I seem to have to focus more to read smaller print. I am due for an eye exam. From what you PPs mention, it may be time for reading glasses although I feel way too young!

I'm 16:45, and I'll say that you're super lucky! You've got the perfect prescription. Just take your glasses off to read, you'll see perfectly! Or, if you do contacts, just wear one contact.

Still get that eye exam, but at least these suggestions can get you by for now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why not sleep in contacts if you dispose of them at the end of the week?

There can be an increased risk of infection if you sleep in your contacts. A week isn't horrible, but some people do it for weeks at a time. It's like wearing your underwear over and over without cleaning them. If you keep wearing you contacts and sleep in them night after night, they're never getting properly clean, and your eyes aren't having a chance to breathe.

[Anonymous]

PP again -

23:13, do a search for Extended Wear Contact Lens Risks

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/contact-lenses/WL00010

[Anonymous]

I am extremely myopic and am 47. I have found over time that the myopia did get better but I got farsighted at the same time.

now I have three pairs of glasses. One are graduated lenses with three vision fields: distance, middle (like computer screen) and reading. I have a pair of sunglasses like this too. Then I have computer/reading glasses that don't have the distance component, thereby creating a bigger field for the computer and reading parts. Before these, I found myself tilting my head back to look at the computer with the bottom part of my glasses, which hurt my neck. Plus, the reading area was so small it was hard to read.

This set-up works really well but is of course a huge pain and quite expensive when I need to change my prescription.

[Anonymous]

Hi all recent posters, thank you so much for writing! It's great to read about the various experiences people have had, and to learn that it's a possibility for those of us with more severe myopia that it may not necessarily get worse (though near vision likely will worsen). (I realize, of course, it depends on the individual ...)
16:45, I especially thank you for your very useful and informed response. I appreciated reading it very much.
-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a -9 and -10, age 35 in one month. I go to the eye dr. every year, and he told me last time, when I was worried about my numbers, "you are nothing special. I see -18s all the time, and that is not near the end of the spectrum!"

So I wouldn't worry about it. Just control what you can control - take care of yourself, don't sleep in your contacts, replace them regularly and keep going to the eye dr. every year or so for check ups.

My mom at age 63 has early signs of cataracts and her dr. told her that is normal and common, and that she likely wouldn't have to even consider anything for at least ten years, and that there would likely be advancements by then.

Why not sleep in contacts if you dispose of them at the end of the week?

This and the Mayo Clinic link someone provided. All I know is my eye dr. is pretty laid back but he really wanted me to stop sleeping in contacts. I never do it at night, but I do sometimes nap in them on the weekends (maybe once a month). The problem is if I plan to nap, take out my contacts, etc. then I never nap. Naps only happen if I think I won't nap! But I definitely wouldn't sleep in them overnight - not comfortable and they get dry.

[Anonymous]

Hi again from OP ... I just wanted to chime in about the extended wear contacts topic; it's off-topic in this thread, but I did want to say that the one time I had one of my contact lenses "roll up" higher into my eye was enough for me to not overdo wearing the contacts too much. I suspect it was from my eyes being too dry. In any case, mine are monthly (not the extended wear), and I only wear them until bedtime usually (not to bed).
Though, I do wish I could naps more comfortably with them in (essentially, similar to what PP said, naps get interrupted if you have to take the lenses out first).