I'm nearly 49 now. Presbyopia (the loss of ability to close-focus) came on strongly for me at about 46. It was almost like an overnight change. I've also lost significant acuity in low light, but that seemed to come on more slowly. I got my first bifocals last year. I got the "no line" variety and, so far, I hate them. The focal distances I need for reading, viewing my phone, and other close work are at the absolute…
Optical engineer here. This is what they don't tell you about continuous/transition/progressive bifocals: optically they don't work. The lens design is an overconstrained optimization problem and the solutions they come up with end up compromising a lot on everything, to the point that it is practically useless.
Aging and Eye Problems
31–40 of 89 posts
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#32I’ve had surprisingly positive results with these red light glasses: https://www.eye-power.co.uk/product/eyepower-red/ I don’t know who on Hackernews first mentioned these red light glasses but bought them for my mom in the hopes it could alleviate some vision problems she was having. After reading the precautions and fine print she was scared to try them, so I figured, why not see if there’s a difference for me. I d…
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#33I'm nearly 49 now. Presbyopia (the loss of ability to close-focus) came on strongly for me at about 46. It was almost like an overnight change. I've also lost significant acuity in low light, but that seemed to come on more slowly. I got my first bifocals last year. I got the "no line" variety and, so far, I hate them. The focal distances I need for reading, viewing my phone, and other close work are at the absolute…
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#34My eye sight got MUCH worse after a covid infection. I was 20/20 or better before covid, now everything is blurry outside of a very narrow distance range, and white anything can hurt. Granted I'm over 50, so I was expecting my eyes to go bad at some point.
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Optical engineer here. This is what they don't tell you about continuous/transition/progressive bifocals: optically they don't work. The lens design is an overconstrained optimization problem and the solutions they come up with end up compromising a lot on everything, to the point that it is practically useless.
Aren't the bifocals just a convenience over quality? It's inconvenient to wear two sets of glasses, but why would one wear bifocals while driving? This convenience can come at a high price!
Traditional bifocals and progressives are different beasts. The hard outline on traditional bifocals means you get essentially two different lenses, both able to function as intended. The soft blend on progressives means you get essentially one big blurry lens that does not have well defined properties anywhere.
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh so much. Progressives here. The very bottom irritates me to no end during the day. If I drive in the morning or walk around I feel absolutely horrible. Like I'm drunk. Sure, if I need to read something really really close on my phone in the evening, when the eyes have gone tired it's kinda OK. I do need to focus on the bottom of the glasses. But I still (after months) usually just look straight ahead (sometimes th…
I'm trying progressive lenses again after throwing them in the trash a few years ago. The distortion is the worst part for me. Moving my head around makes the world warped as it moves between zones. Maybe I'd get used to it if I forced myself to wear them all the time but I spend most of my day WFH and wearing a weak version of my distance prescription that lets me focus on my monitor yet see reasonably well around t…
If you wear them for a week, you will probably adapt and stop noticing the progressives, even walking around and going up/down stairs.
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
This. I hate dark mode because it’s difficult to read for me (myopia due to age) - the glowing letters on dark background get much blurrier for some reason. Most people who like dark mode use it so they can be in a dimly lit room and not have the display blast their eyes with light but I’ve found that under low ambient light my vision is far blurrier - a well lit room complemented by light mode (ie natural, default)…
Hear, hear. Back when I attempted to be an edgy college guy, I carried my Gentoo with green foreground on a black background. EVERYWHERE. My pcmanfm (yes, I was one of those) looked glorious in true matrix style (and I did have a matrix screensaver). I did it because it was "cool", not because I felt that dark mode was better. Then when I changed to MacOS, since there wasn't native dark mode, I don't think I ever _th…
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm trying progressive lenses again after throwing them in the trash a few years ago. The distortion is the worst part for me. Moving my head around makes the world warped as it moves between zones. Maybe I'd get used to it if I forced myself to wear them all the time but I spend most of my day WFH and wearing a weak version of my distance prescription that lets me focus on my monitor yet see reasonably well around t…
Knew a friend who was a doctor. Said your brain is very malleable and adaptive. If you wear them for a week, you will probably adapt and stop noticing the progressives, even walking around and going up/down stairs.
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#39> Instead of a single row of data on a spreadsheet, I saw two, one below the other I have keratoconus, where the cornea loses its shape and creates multiple focal points. I have several focal points in each eye. It got so bad I couldn't read. So many copies of every letter that text looked like nests of spiders. Not an exaggeration, you could give me a page and a week and I wouldn't be able to decode it. I also got h…
Fellow keratoconus sufferer here. Glad to hear about your successful treatment and spontaneous improvement. I definitely notice day-to-day differences in my acuity but nothing miraculous like that. Hope it remains good for you. I "missed" corneal collagen crosslinking w/ riboflavin (the treatment I assume you're eluding in your paragraph re: soaking your cornea and applying lasers). When I was initially diagnosed the…
> Now I'm just descending into presbyopia hell.
That is what I meant (as apposed to myopia). So, me too. I have finally got accustomed to constantly cycling half-circle readers on and off. I have thought about lens implants, but anything that could distrube my corneas seems like a terrible idea.
So I am waiting for complete lens/cornea replacements!
No, I didn't have any eye related allergies.
One of my cousins also got keratoconus, so I assume genetics are involved with mine.
Re: Aging and Eye Problems
#40I trained myself to not open my eyes when I wake up. I work them carefully until I feel safe. Sometimes it still happened a few blinks later.
Besides being excruciating, the abrasion mostly blinds me for a few hours. One eye is shot and the other is gushing water. It's a tough way to start the day and I can't recommend it.
For a few weeks afterward, I'll see a 25% halo just above a light source. Together they resemble a parasailer at a distance.