Eyesight issues

[tulip]

I have only one good eye, and I'm very, very careful about protecting the vision that I have.

Is there a good reason, other than vanity, that she cannot wear glasses? If vision is at stake, there is no reason to risk further damage by wearing contacts.

I go to the Duke Eye Center, but I used to go to the Wilmer Eye Center at Johns Hopkins. Both are the best in the country, if not the world. Duke is closer to me now, so that's why I switched.

I wear glasses. I do not wear contacts because I just cannot risk injury to my good eye. I have six pairs of really cool glasses, including two pairs of prescription sunglasses. By all accounts, I am no less cool or beautiful because I wear glasses . In fact, I think I give the impression of being smarter (as well as gorgeous) with my glasses on . I even have some titanium rimless glasses that I call my glamour glasses for events that call for glamour. Not so many such events, but still, they are nice to have.

I lost vision in my eye when I was a senior in high school, so I've been dealing with this for a while.

Please, Silvers, consider glasses. If Silver Daughter's eyes are at risk of being injured, glasses are really the only alternative, and they are a good alternative. They also protect they eyes from things like bouncing pebbles and stray branches.

[Grog]

Is there a good reason, other than vanity, that she cannot wear glasses? If vision is at stake, there is no reason to risk further damage by wearing contacts.

I'm with you in really wanting to protect my eyes (although I still have both).

I don't know what your prescription is. Mine is pretty bad, but not quite as bad as Silver Daughter (mine is more like -7.5). However, unless I wear really big glasses, my field of vision is really impaired if I wear glasses compared to wearing contact lenses. I need to turn my head down all the time (to know what's on my plate when I eat, for example) and nearly trip on stairs many times. Maybe I'm a bit impaired in other ways And glasses that are big enough to cover more of my field of vision are quite heavy, even if they are of the "thin" type.

In fact, sometimes I'd like to wear my glasses - I also find that I look classy and smart in them - but it's not worth the risk (tripping) for me.

I can understand that she'd hope for a solution to her contact problem... (Hopefully the others' advice will help here.)

[Mr. Bloom]

Is there a good reason, other than vanity, that she cannot wear glasses? If vision is at stake, there is no reason to risk further damage by wearing contacts.

In my opinion, while there may be other factors, it's mostly vanity. She's a -10...and that's bullet proof glass in thickness!

But then, I've never been an 18 year old girl...so I can't fully understand her perspective.

I can't wear contacts due to allergies and dry eyes...and I never saw clearly with them. I refuse surgery because I'm corrected to 20/15...and unless surgery could get me there...I'd be worse off.

[soprano]

I'm a lurker, but thought I'd weigh in since it sounds like your daughter and I share similar vision. My current prescription is -10 in my left eye, and -11.5 in the right eye, with a fun prismatic correction (for double vision/diplopia) that really boggles my friends when they look through my lenses So yep, I've got the dorky "coke-bottle" lenses.

I wore contacts for many years and really liked them. However, last year I developed double vision, accompanied by serious headaches, so I needed to switch to glasses. (According to my optometrist, you cannot correct for diplopia with contacts.) My headaches cleared up instantly and I was amazed at how sharp my vision suddenly was. I'm slowly making peace with my glasses. I hate having them on my face, I hate the amount of distortion I have to deal with, and the loss of peripheral vision was scary at first, particularly because I ride through some heavy traffic areas on a daily basis. My mirror was suddenly useless, which was particularly troublesome. After about 8 or 10 weeks, however, I somehow got better at making things out through the lens distortion and even outside of my lenses, and I feel much safer both on my bike and when I need to drive. I'm back to relying on my mirror, and my overall depth perception has greatly improved (with contacts my depth perception was generally unreliable).

A -10 correction really isn't all that severe and to my knowledge is not in the low-vision range. I have never, ever needed to ask for help at school. If she's having lots of trouble with schoolwork, definitely get her a second opinion and see about some better lenses, because improperly made lenses are hell. I have zero trouble reading the computer screen or seeing projection images, and believe it or not I make lace as a hobby. My husband and I purchased a larger TV a few years ago with my vision in mind, but at 32" it's still smaller than what most of our friends have. I *need* good light for reading, lacemaking and other close work, but that's nothing that a really good task lamp couldn't fix. (BTW I do much better with halogen than Ott-Lites or other "full-spectrum" compact florescents. It's a really individual thing.)

I second the recommendation for the IU optometry school; my husband used to go there. Be prepared to shell out for some good glasses lenses, because you will get what you pay for. My current lens prescription ran me $220 *without* new frames. This year I want some new, more fashionable frames (mine are a bit outdated, but cash was short last summer) and plan to spend between $400-$600. Every optometrist and optician I've ever been to has automatically put me in high-index lenses (the thinnest ones) which cut down on the weight and coke-bottle effect, but it's good to check. Even though it's more expensive, get the lenses at the eye doctor's office and not the mall store. The folks who grind the lenses for the mall shops aren't used to dealing with high-strength prescriptions and can really screw it up.

You've probably already done it and I don't want to scare you, but just to make sure that you're aware: Severe myopia can be a "red flag" for other medical conditions, even if it has developed very slowly and the eyes are otherwise healthy. Make sure that her regular doctor knows about it.