| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
I didn't want to pile on about contact lenses and hijack Two_seasons's post about heads up displays but do have a couple of questions. I have an astigmatism that can't be corrected with glasses. My ophthalmologist recommends hard contacts and end me to an optometrist for a fitting. Can anyone tell me about their experiences with bifocal contacts vs. split vision or anything else I should consider. Thanks in advance. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I also have astigmatism. I've tried bifocal in both soft and RGP. In the end, I went with split vision. Not everybody can adapt to the split vision. I only have issues when dealing with very low light or super close items. Otherwise I can't notice the difference unless I close one eye. | ||
| H0gwash |
I am using gas permeable (hard) bifocal lenses and I'm quite happy with them for daytime use. I've only had them for a month or so. I'm pretty sure that my lenses have different prescriptions tho, so maybe my optometrist gave me split prescription lenses meant to work like bifocal glasses might work. FWIW The optometrist did say "Don't use one eye for close up and the other for distance, they don't work like that, you're supposed to use both all the time" Night time use is not as good as single-focal contact lenses though. Distance in the dark is noticeably blurrier than single focal. Time for me to slow down at night, sigh. (Message edited by h0gwash on May 05, 2017) | ||
| Etennuly |
They developed a actual bifocal lens contac several years ago. I tried them. Put them in walked out of the office right into a door frame in front of me. I felt like I was looking into the small end of a glass Coke bottle. Those sucked. Then I went to close up lens in one eye. I was unimpressed at first. My distance vision has become 20/20 as I have aged. No lens needed for distance. My close up Rx has evolved to +2.5. When I started this it was +1.5 six or seven years ago. My ability to handle the split had to be compromised so that the step was not overwhelming. I started with + 1.0 when my Rx was at +1.5. Much better than nothing, not perfect but so much better than bifocal glasses. I kept a pair of reader glasses around. Mostly it was quite good the only detriments were the readers for close stuff and driving at night I had a blurry shadow on bright objects like reflective signs and street lights. It was like that for a couple of years. Split contac use is not legal with a CDL driver license. A few years later Rx at + 2.0 I went to +1.5. A few more years Rx is now at +2.5 I use a + 2.0 with good results. For me I don't even notice the split any more. The double vision shadow is not notable at night any more. Every time I have tried the actual Rx prescription the split is noticeable even in daylight. I still keep a cheap pair of readers around for help with fine print. It is a compromise to avoid bifocal glasses. If you expect perfect or exacting vision this is probably not the way to go. It took me a total of about four years of noticing the split to get "used" to how they work to where I no longer see it. | ||
| Etennuly |
I wear my soft lens 24 hours. They usually last three to four weeks. I keep a bottle of contac solution on my night stand, my desk, the motor home, and where ever I might focus hard for long periods or where I might take a nap. With this set up you always use both eyes. Your brain will adapt normally to it as if your eyes were actually of differing Rx numbers. | ||
| Etennuly |
If I am going to go fast in the Vette or on the bike I prefer to go without the contac for close up. It is easier to pick corner entry spots with that little bit clearer three dimensional focus. | ||
| Tootal |
Once upon a time I was blind as a bat! I could not read the big E on top of the chart! I wore glasses in high school but went to contacts during trade school. After losing both contacts during a canoe float I decided to have radial charatotomy, or however you spell it!? This gave me 20-40 vision in one eye. Good enough to get me home if I ever lost my contacts again. This worked until I hit my 50's then I lost my reading ability. My eye doctor said I had an astigmatism in my left eye but they make contacts that are weighted that will fix it and allow me to read. Well this has been working well as getting used to one distant and one reading has not been a problem. I too sleep with them and they last 3 to 4 weeks before replacing them. | ||
| Zane |
I also had Radial Keratotomy back in 85. It worked great for 10 years but now I'm wearing trifocals. I can't see close or far. The doctor had to recut my eye with left me with 16 cuts in my right eye. That is why I have an astigmatism now. With glasses the can only correct it to 20/60. Hence the contacts. I'm leaning toward getting lenses for distance and wearing cheaters for reading. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Never liked the idea of "intentionally putting a foreign object in my eye," so contacts are out. For the same reason I never considered keratotomy. I've worn glasses since I was 8, got bifocals when I hit 42. Had to say yes to eye surgery in 2010 as I developed cataracts. Hooked up with the VA in Cheyenne, WY and a tiny wisp of a surgeon and had them out. She, like everyone else I've met there, was top-notch. Aside from the world being a LOT bluer to me afterwards I also got much better vision. Before I had 20-80(R) and 20-110(L), after, 20-30(R) and 20-40(L). | ||
| Britchri10 |
I've been short-sighted from birth. My current scrip' for lenses is 5.25 R & 6.0 L. I'm pretty blind..... I wore 30 day vari-focal soft lenses for about 10 years. They worked well for me generally but I had near zero effective vision at dawn and dusk. I avoided riding at night. I tried bi-focal glasses and I cannot get on with them. I now wear mono-focal glasses backed up by mono-focal daily wear soft contacts and reader glasses. I'm thinking of going back to the vari-focal soft contact lenses. Oh, I'm 57..... Good luck Chris C |
