I don't see very well with one eye

[Meatpie]

Two weeks ago during a routine eye exam I was told I have astigmatism and need to wear glasses. Quite a shocker but this was just the beggining....

I got a pair of prescription glasses but when I got home and put them on I felt like an alien, blurry text everywhere...so I returned them.

Since then I have been going to an eye doctor every day of the week, on one occassion I had three appointments in one afternoon and all doctors gave me totally different prescriptions.



I changed several pairs of glasses and still don't see very well with one eye, I am going again tomorrow.




While waiting for the appointments I met with other people who have the same problem and some said they have seen more than a dozen specialists and still can't get the right pair of glasses.

Is this normal?

I am on the verge of suicide, I can't sleep I just sit and wait for the fucking appointment don't know what to expect.

 

[metalmachine]

Oops!!

I hope you find a remedy soon

 

[PiercedChest]

From your account, you didn´t notice impaired vision yourself before the ´routine exam´.
If so, do you really need glasses?
Astigmatism is very common (one in three persons have it), and it's not very serious. I'm sure you've found that on the Internet already.
Strange that glasses don't seem to help, but again, do you really need them? If not, don't let it upset you.

If there was a sudden change in vision however, make sure they find out what caused it, and treat it properly.

 

[Meatpie]

and it's not very serious. I'm sure you've found that on the Internet already.

Actually all credible sources on the internet recommend wearing glasses and I don't mind but in my case I fail to notice a big difference.

 

[farbendc]

Don't freak! You'll be fine. I've worn glasses for over 30 years and as time goes on they add more and more options as my eyesight changes. My eyes started at 20/60 (at the age of 16) and is now 20/400 in one eye and 20/325 in the other. I also wear bifocals, have corrections for astigmatism and a prism in both lenses (because I was beaten during a robbery--shattered my suborbital bone--and one eye is now 1 mm higher than the other causing double vision). Believe it or not, I see better with my glasses than a lot of people without eye issues! I can read street signs much sooner than a lot of people. So... keep the faith, you'll be okay.

 

[bindiboi]

About 5 or so years ago, I was in a store when the vision in my right eye went red. After going to an eye doctor I was told I has a bleed in the back of my eye called Diabetic Retinopathy. I had a couple of surgeries to take the blood out and repair the damage. I was left with a severe loss of vision in that eye. Even with my glasses everything remains blurry. The doctors have done the best possible. If whatever is wrong with your eye Meatpie stays that way, trust me when I tell you that you get used to it. I seems bad now, but after a bit you really do adjust to it. I hardly notice it anymore. The human brain is a phenomenal machine. It relearns how to see with your other eye to compensate for the reduction in vision. The only thing I have a difficulty with is seeing a 3D movie. That's it. No big loss.

Just try your best to remain calm, the stress can make things worse. PM me if you need to talk need more info about anything.

 

[lso]

They make contact lenses specifically for astigmatism (I have some) can you try that?

 

[mxboots888]

Somewhat unusual your eye docs have so much trouble getting the right Rx for you. It should be a fairly simple process, an there are "weighted" contact lenses and newer types of contacts that take care of that pretty well. I wear contacts myself. The problem is, as you get older you can't accomodate as well so you end up needing bifocals (they make those in contacts as well) to see closeups and far vision. Good luck!

 

[PiercedChest]

Actually all credible sources on the internet recommend wearing glasses and I don't mind but in my case I fail to notice a big difference.

So
A) You didn't feel you saw badly before the checkup
B) Glasses don't help much

Then either the opticians in Bulgaria are bunglars or you simply don't need glasses/lenses (wouldn't be the first time they try to sell a cure for a nonexistent disease).
If you have a mild case of astigmatism that doesn't really bother you, is it worth it to start wearing glasses/lenses that don't make much difference?
You'll be needing glasses soon enough! The eye lens becomes more rigid with age, and most people definitely notice this when they turn 40+ and need reading glasses.

There's another reason not to start wearing lenses too soon (glasses are no problem) if you don't need to: long term effects of the lenses on the eye do not seem to be favorable.

Only if you experience a sudden setback in vision do you need to worry at all (see Bindiboi's story), and then take measures fast.

 

[Meatpie]

Thanks guys for your all replies.

I went to another exam today and was told to come back tomorrow morning for a final "more thorough" exam where they will tell me if my astigmatism can be corrected with glasses or it's some other kind of permanent eye damage.



I am a tense ball of nerves, feeling like a dead young guy scheduled for autopsy.

Don't know what to think, what to expect.

It sucks really don't wish this on anyone.

 

[tobor98]

Meatpie,

I also have astigmatism and it took a few tries to get the glasses right. I only wear them for computer work and reading at the moment, but they do improve things a great deal. Have patience and keep trying, it will be worth it.

 

[Meatpie]

Thanks man, appreciate the support. How did you find out you had astigmatism?

 

[deaddirty]

Piercedchest is right - slight astigmatism is common, and if it's not causing you any problems in practice it may not be worth treating - if it is causing problems, or if your eyesight has suddenly changed, that's a different matter. I'm very short-sighted, and now slightly long-sighted as well (that's not a contradiction, the mechanisms are quite different!), so nowadays I wear vari-focals. tehnically I'm also very slightly astigmatic, but while I just wore 'normal' short-sighted lenses I didn't have any correctio for that, and didn't need one. Since varifocal lenses are a complex piece of computer design anyway, they may include a slight adjustment for the astigmatism - I've never asked.
My exprience of UK opticians is that normally they are very good - they get it right first time, and don't normally try to sel you stuff you don't need (but that can happen - I'm careful to find good opticians who don't do it). I've oly once had a bad experience - when I was about 30, I went to a new optician (an expensive private one) who told me my eyes were slightly out of alignment and I needed a prism in my lenses to correct it. As soon as I started wearing the new glasses I started getting splitting headaches, and when they didn't stop after a week I went to a different optician. He told me that althtouigh technically I did have a very slight misalignment, that's actually quite common, my brain had been adapting to it perfectly well for my whole life, and there was no way I should be wearing prism lenses. so I went back to my old glasses while he got a new pair withut the prisms, the headaches stopped, and I've never had any problems like that since.
Good luck Meatpie - from what you've said I suspect you don't have any major problem except a greedy or incompetent optician, but if you have I do hope you get it sorted soon.

 

[tobor98]

I was diagnosed by my eye doctor. Once they got the glasses right, it made a big difference in seeing to read and use the computer.

 

[Meatpie]

From what you've said I suspect you don't have any major problem except a greedy or incompetent optician, but if you have I do hope you get it sorted soon.

Thanks for your replies guys.

All the exams are free of charge I got a new prescription today and I get the lens free.

Still I don't wish this on anyone.

With glasses I was able to see 20/20 even read the 20/10 print doc was surprised.

At the same time unknown to me my sister's ugly boyfriend was also prescribed glasses and told to go to another exam next week, he is younger than me and doesn't see very well with both eyes.

 

[mxboots888]

Congrats on getting something that works for your eye. Even though your lenses are free, your eye docs may be milking the government for multiple visit fees

 

[farbendc]

Good to hear that you can now see well. I'm happy that your persistence paid off. Good for you! Are you as sexy with glasses as without?

 

[Meatpie]

Congrats on getting something that works for your eye. Even though your lenses are free, your eye docs may be milking the government for multiple visit fees

Thanks guys.

The doc is head of the ophthalmology unit in the local hospital but he has a private clinic in the centre of town, a friend of my gran recommended him.

I met him there and paid $10 first visit he later said I can come back every day until I can see all the fucking digits.

I failed the test the first time, I admit it was an awful experience he used some kind of a computer.

He later apologized and said that sometimes computers make mistakes, he kept changing the lenses until I was finally able to see all the fucking digits on the 20/20 line and below.

I went home and put my old glasses and when my sister saw me she was rolling on the floor laughing.

 

[mxboots888]

Well, sisters are meant to be mean! Ignore her You can also consider getting contacts. You see much better peripheral vision with those

 

[bindiboi]

I'm glad everything turned out well for you. Now you can breath a little easier.