glasses question

[luvmyfam444]

I have had glasses probably for about 20yrs now - only for night driving. I have not kept up with going to the doc regualry or anything - didn't seem like my eyes were changing or anything.

I went last week - 1st time in 2yrs. My eyes changed just a little (like one notch worse) but the doc said I could use bifocals! I told her noway 'cause I'm not OLD yet! Actually I said cause one has to be 50+ for bifocals! so she said I could wait a couple more years 'cause my eyes weren't that bad yet...

She did suggest I start wearing my glasses all the time now - I picked them up 2night & I'm trying to get used to them.

Right now I can't stand that when I look out of them I can see the bottom rim of the glasses - will I ever get used to that?

DR said that wearing them all the time would make me more dependent on them....so now I'm hesitant to wear them all day. I can see better with them of course - but its a sharpness thing....like reading the guide on the tv I have to squint w/o them but with its no problem. Seeing anything lit up ( like fast food marquees) I have a problem with - day or night its the same. But the computer doesn't make me squint BUT I can tell a big difference in clarity.

I'd hate to make my eyes worse & I'm SOOOOO not used to having glasses on where anyone can see me (other than sunglasses - which of course don't bother me)

guess this will have to be my know self-confidence test @ 30 something getting used to glasses....

 

[SandrA9810]

Be careful with using your glasses with the computer. Most glasses are not designed to be used at such a short distance between you and the computer. Which is what causes most headaches. The glasses can make your eye sight too strong. My doctor recommended a second pair for computer, and it only costs 10$ co-pay with the insurance. But my eye sight is too bad for that. I need them no matter the distance.

I've had some frames bother the heck out of me with seeing the rim. But it gets easier with time. I've worn them since I was a little kid.
And I've heard your sight can get weaker the more you wear them. I put mine on in the morning, and take them off at night, that's it. So just wear them when you need to, but you might be finding that it happens a lot more during the day than you're used to. Wear them for several different things you do in your daily life, and determine when you believe you need them most. But I would keep them on at all times while driving. And when you renew, and take the eye exam, that will determine if you must by law wear the glasses while driving.

I wouldn't suggest contacts either as it's only a sporadic thing.

 

[tvguy]

Sorry, but most folks I know went into bifocals at 40 (or the progressive equivelant) and trifolcals (or the progressive equivelant) at 50.

 

[MIGrandma]

I got bi-focals in my 40's but they make them without lines now so nobody even knows. If your doctor said you should get them, you should get them.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Thanks for the help.

I'm in denial about getting old - at least until I'm 40!

I had no idea about not wearing glasses while on the computer.

I have daily headaches so I was thinking maybe wearing the glasses more often - like at the computer would help. Maybe I should just stay off the computer & that would solve the problem

 

[cabanafrau]

Be careful with using your glasses with the computer. Most glasses are not designed to be used at such a short distance between you and the computer. Which is what causes most headaches. The glasses can make your eye sight too strong. My doctor recommended a second pair for computer, and it only costs 10$ co-pay with the insurance. But my eye sight is too bad for that. I need them no matter the distance.

I've had some frames bother the heck out of me with seeing the rim. But it gets easier with time. I've worn them since I was a little kid.
And I've heard your sight can get weaker the more you wear them. I put mine on in the morning, and take them off at night, that's it. So just wear them when you need to, but you might be finding that it happens a lot more during the day than you're used to. Wear them for several different things you do in your daily life, and determine when you believe you need them most. But I would keep them on at all times while driving. And when you renew, and take the eye exam, that will determine if you must by law wear the glasses while driving.

I wouldn't suggest contacts either as it's only a sporadic thing.

I'd kill to have vision insurance that comprehensive! This year's visit for our family of 4 left us w/ $1000 out of pocket, after our vision plan picked up their portion. This is through DH's employee program at a Fortune 500 company. Whatever plan you're lucky enough to carry is quite generous.

 

[sbell111]

And I've heard your sight can get weaker the more you wear them.

That's actually a myth.

 

[FergieTCat]

The year I turned 40, I started wearing progressive lenses. I can't even wear contact lenses anymore because I can't see out of any of them without needing reading glasses (which is pointless because all I do all day at work is ... read).

The first thing the doctor asked me at my eye exam was "When was your 40th birthday?"

 

[Liberty Belle]

Squinting a lot will make you look older faster.

I wear glasses all the time. And, yes, you do get used to seeing the edges of your glasses.

My dr said I'll never need bi-focals because of my prescription (astigmatism, etc), but around two or three years ago (I'm 43), I noticed that I take my glasses off to read or read above or under them.

A friend of mine got tri-focals at 42. lol I guess we're just getting older. No denying it.

 

[tvguy]

I'd kill to have vision insurance that comprehensive! This year's visit for our family of 4 left us w/ $1000 out of pocket, after our vision plan picked up their portion. This is through DH's employee program at a Fortune 500 company. Whatever plan you're lucky enough to carry is quite generous.

Me too. Before vision insurance I paid $400 total out of pocket for my progressive glasses.
After vision insurance I pay a $400 deductable for my progressive glasses.
I love the show they put on, running down how my insurance is paying this much for the frames, this much for grinding the lenses, this much for the polycarbonate lens, this much for the anti-scratch coating, and suddenly glasses that were $400 last year, are now $800, less the $400 my insurance allegedly paid, so I haven't gained a penny.

 

[SandrA9810]

It was the insurance through Disney. 3$ a week for high vision, which includes new frames and lenses every year. $40 co pay for the glasses and the exam. Allowance up to 160$ on frames, after that, there's a 20% discount on the remaining balance. Which even includes Oakley frames. And then it's usually about 20$ out of pocket for the lenses with the poly carbonate, scratch resistant, UV coating, and everything else. Never got sunglasses, but it would be a bit more depending on the level of coatings.

The basic vision care is free, but they cover less, new frames every other year, lenses/exam once a year. And of course lower amount on the frames.

 

[dodukes]

Your situation sounds like mine. I wore glasses from young, but to read the board at school and such. When I started driving, I would onlly wear them at night and to read the board at school (college). I HATED wearing my glasses all the time. I swore I coudl see really good without them. (Which actually i'm not too blind so I could ge tby without them should the need ever arise)

Anyway one day before going on my first cruise I decided I wanted to get contacts becuase I just "didn't want my cruise pictures with glasses". (I have no idea where I became that shallow at that moment but I did.) Thank goodness it was the best decision I ever made.

I cannot believe how much I was "cheating" myself out of seeing clearly. I work in a tlal building and you can see a hospital from here, well I always thought I could see it fine, the first week with my contacts I was like WOW, its sharp!!!

Anyway what I'm trying to say is maybe you have an aversion to wearing something on yoru face. I know I hated it because I love my sunglasses, can't keep them off and if I wore my real glasses I couldnt wear my sun. So anyway what I'm trying to say is maybe consider contacts. I read just fine but need them to see far away. I also have astigmatism so it took a coupe of years of wearing non astigmatism contacts before I went for the astigmatistm contact because my first few months lets say I had a hard time putting them in.

 

[zoemurr]

look into contacts too. Pop them in in the am, take them out for bed. Takes a bit of getting used to, but you can see perfectly. I'm just a bit older than you and got glasses when I was 6 that I never wore. I had the same experience as PP. I got contacts and couldn't believe what the world really looked like.

Some people can adjust to having one contact for reading and one for distance. When the time comes I will probably try it.

When my DD was 8 she had an eye condition. The Dr. doubled her perscription and it was supposed to help. He told us that her eyes "probably" would not adjust to the new script but they did. About a year later she needed them to see. So not sure about the "myth" thing. But maybe it's different for kids.

If you're wearing contacts all the time it doesn't matter if you get dependant on them and your eyes are a bit worse. Everything will look beautiful. I hate hate hate my glasses, even sunglasses. I hate seeing the rims and how they feel when I'm hot.

 

[Liberty Belle]

It was the insurance through Disney. 3$ a week for high vision, which includes new frames and lenses every year. $40 co pay for the glasses and the exam. Allowance up to 160$ on frames, after that, there's a 20% discount on the remaining balance. Which even includes Oakley frames. And then it's usually about 20$ out of pocket for the lenses with the poly carbonate, scratch resistant, UV coating, and everything else. Never got sunglasses, but it would be a bit more depending on the level of coatings.

The basic vision care is free, but they cover less, new frames every other year, lenses/exam once a year. And of course lower amount on the frames.

Wow. That's wonderful.

 

[SandrA9810]

I don't know if it's the actual wearing of glasses, or your eyes just generally get weaker over time. But my prescription has always gotten stronger with each visit. Except from 2008-2009, when they gave me the stronger script, it was too much for my eyes to handle and remade mine in my old script.

I did contacts in high school, more for the look thing. And because my colorguard instructor told me it be better. I could never get used to them, and put strain on my eyes. Even from a young age, the eye doctors have always told me my vision was pretty bad for my age. Now I just can't image my looks without glasses on or even my crooked teeth.
I do have prescription Oakley sunglasses that cost about 300$ out of pocket, but those were purchased on a different insurance plan through Home Depot. I do love them though and take EXTREME care with them. If I wore contact now, I couldn't wear those.

There's lots of options to try. What's good for one person, isn't good for another. And there's lasik surgery too. My aunt and my grandmother had it done for medical reasons, and love it.

 

[Magix]

Wear your glasses. I wear mine all the time and I have not become more dependent on them. My eyesight has worsened at a totally normal rate over the years. The doctor keeps telling me I'll need bifocals at any moment, but I keep telling him I won't get them. I will, of course, when I actually need them, but thankfully that day hasn't come just yet.

Really, I've been wearing my glasses all day every day for quite some number of years now and the only reason I might be dependent on them is because I want to be able to see clearly. The glasses themselves do not worsen your vision. It's an old wives tale.

And mine work just fine while I sit here and stare at the computer all day. No headaches. You can get computer glasses, which just adjust your eyes more to your middle-distance vision, but by no means are they an absolute necessity.

Again... wear your glasses.

 

[luvmyfam444]

It was my dr that told me my eyes would get dependent on them if I wore them all the time.

I wore them most of the day yesterday - for the first day. They hurt my nose so bad! I had them adjusted too tight I guess.

I can't do contacts - until my eyes will allow my hands to come close to them - LOL the dr has a hard time getting the dilation drops in & the puff of air machine....my eyes clamp shut and I can't do anything about it...can't even get makeup done @ a dept store 'cause my eyes freak out.

 

[Augustheather97]

I got Progressive lenses a few years ago for reading.....and distance...Used to wear contacts all day but hated taking reading glasses everywhere so now I wear silohette brand so light and comfy....expensive but well worth the money

 

[sbell111]

I guess that it depends on how you define 'dependent'. I'm dependent on my glasses in that I prefer to see things clearly and not have headaches. However, my prescription hasn't changed in 13 years, so the act of wearing glasses is clearly not causing my eyes to change in any way.