Help.... VISION Question

[MNspiderman]

I have 20/10 vision, Thats a touch better than 20/20 for those who don't know. always had it. I can still read an ingredient list from across the table on a cereal box. So anyway. Last Summer I stuck my head under the steering column to see what fuze was blown and to my surprise, I couldn't read the lable. It was blurry. I tried to focus because my head was upside down. I panic'd, went home and went right to the internet with horrid thoughts of blindness approaching me. To my surprise I find out that when your 40ish this happens to everyone. I had no idea. Your eye muscle thing all the sudden can't flex as far anymore and you loose your ability to focus on close items. What a complete shock this was. I always seen people hold things at an arms length to read, but never really knew why, just figured they had bad eyes. So going from being able to read anything 6" from my eyes to 30" literally overnight was quite a shocker. Does anyone recall going through this vision trama? This happened when I was 42 and now i am 43 and still freaks me out a little bit.

[wengr]

Hello MNspiderman. my story is almost identical to yours. and I'm told it will only get gradually worse. working under the dash or even under the car can be frustrating as you cannot get far enough away from what you need to focus on.

[Spiddy]

Sorry mate, it gets worse. I didn't need glasses untill I was about 40. Now I need to wear varia-focus lenses most of the time. And working on the car, model railroad or painting is a real pain
Here's a tip: don't throw away your old glasses as your eyes get worse. My reading glasses from 15 years ago are now perfect for watching TV

[launieg]

I, at 58, wear bifocals, and I rely heavily on experience for driving a nail that is above me, turning a wrench or fitting a screwdriver into a slot that is near but above me, etc. I used to even have trouble looking at a computer monitor, but for a few years now, I've had a set of prescription glasses for the computer, designed for that specific distance. A great solution.

I've thought of getting another pair set at a distance for closeup work. Sure, it means swapping glasses, but better that than the frustration of not being able to see the work/tool. (Bifocals don't cut it, because it means you need to always look down through the lense at the work, and that is often not the case.) As it is, at times I even set my expensive bifocals on the bench or even the ground so I can peer (at a few inches distance) at whatever tiny thing I'm trying to fix (like the inside of dizzy).

Once nice thing about these various "work" glasses" is that single vision lenses are cheap. My prescription computer-work lenses cost $50 at Walmart and I used an old pair of frames. So you can buy one set for arm's length work, another pair for stuff you do a foot from your face, etc.

However, we get smarter as we get older don't we? Doesn't that make up for the failing vision?

[So Cal Mark]

welcome to the club, and it does get worse

[kilrwail]

Actually, there may be a ray of sunshine for some. I needed glasses for distance 25 years ago, especially trying to read slides on a screen at the far end of a boardroom. Then I started wearing them if I was driving at night in a strange place, especially in the rain. I used to wear them at night for rallying, for the same reason. But this year, my distance vision has improved! I had an eye test in May and the opthamologist told me that as one ages, it's not uncommon for the eyeball tissue to harden and contract, assuming its former shape. I no longer need the glasses for distance, period.

But I do keep a magnifying glass in the shop for the tiny printed Directions on chemical products and to work in very confined places. And I now use drugstore reading glasses in poor to average light. Some things do improve with age, while others don't

[mdrburchette]

LOL! Sorry for laughing but your post reminded me of this weekend when all of us over 40 crowd were sharing each others' glasses to read. Here's an article about a new procedure designed to help those of us that are over 40:

http://www.newsguide.us/health-medical/ ... s-Over-40/

[racydave]

I prescribe my own reading glasses at the local drugstore. Up to 175s now (54). And since Im upside-down workin on cars I can see out of the top, or bottom. We keep an old Bombadeer magnifier at work when you wanna see the no-seeums. At 40, I had a party, at 50, I visited an older friend...

[kilrwail]

Denise - save your money because at 60 you won't need Lasik - it will happen naturally!

[mdrburchette]

Peter, my distance vision seems to be good, it's the close up stuff that gets me. BTW Dave, you don't look that old close up and personal.