About reading glasses…

[Mike t.]

Old age has hit my eyes hard a couple months ago cataracts, then retinal problems. Not all bad, I now blame all the wrong notes on my eye sight! But, I started using an iPad for my music about 6 months ago and it’s great overall, I’m still in the healing stage with my vision and have been buying cheap reading glasses to get by. When I go back to the doctor should I ask for anything special? Progressive, tinted, blue light blockers? Are there any older folk here that have bad eyes?Mike t.

 

[dak]

Well, you don't want (or need) multifocal if you can place the notes in a fixed distance. Assuming that the notes are the only thing you want to be looking at. If your eyes are equal and without cylindrical aberration, the cheap reading glasses will likely work (well, things like coatings against reflection are likely not the best with cheap glasses).

 

[Dingo40]

Are there any older folk here that have bad eyes?Mike t.

Welcome Mike!
I've been struggling to see my printed music for ages.
Went to see the optometrist recently: cataract in left eye and will be needing new glasses after recovery from the operation around march/April this year.

 

[Dingo40]

My mother in law ( now deceased) had cataracts in both eyes. After removal, she had glasses to correct her visual acuity. She was able to read the newspaper and engage in fabric crafts for her entire life (94).
Late in life she developed a wet macular degeneration for which she required regular injections from an ophthalmologist, but was able to retain her eyesight.
See here:

Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) develops when abnormal blood vessels grow into the macula. These leak blood or fluid which leads to scarring of the macula and rapid loss of central vision.

www.macularsociety.org

As they say:
Life is one damn thing after another and then you die!

 

[Ric46]

Old age has hit my eyes hard a couple months ago cataracts, then retinal problems. Not all bad, I now blame all the wrong notes on my eye sight! But, I started using an iPad for my music about 6 months ago and it’s great overall, I’m still in the healing stage with my vision and have been buying cheap reading glasses to get by. When I go back to the doctor should I ask for anything special? Progressive, tinted, blue light blockers? Are there any older folk here that have bad eyes?Mike t.

I am an optometrist. I think that there are different solutions. If you want you can send me a PM

 

[Tom]

I have to use multiple glasses. I use a pair that focuses closer for reading books and phone, and another pair for focusing on sheet music about arms distance away. Prescription and testing has gotten so expensive that I have largely gone to “cheaters” (reading glasses). Sorry Ric46.

 

[Ventura]

and don't forget to NOT use the glasses when you really don't need them
so your eyes get some exercise toward "normal" focusing

glasses can become a crutch i think, and contribute to muscle and focus decline,
but that is just an uneducated personal observation

 

[Tom]

and don't forget to NOT use the glasses when you really don't need them
so your eyes get some exercise toward "normal" focusing

glasses can become a crutch i think, and contribute to muscle and focus decline,
but that is just an uneducated personal observation

Good point Ventura. Unfortunately I can’t read the sheet music without them. Guess if I don’t stop I will go blind (as they say…). Eventually I’ll have to switch to “by ear” as long as they hold up….

 

[JeffJetton]

I use some reasonably-priced (Warby Parker) progressives for day-to-day stuff. Works great for close up and far away. Reading, driving, watching TV, etc.

But, while it technically works for that elusive middle distance (about arm's length), the "sweet spot" is pretty narrow. So when I'm on the computer or reading off a music stand, I usually switch to drugstore readers.

 

[Ric46]

and don't forget to NOT use the glasses when you really don't need them
so your eyes get some exercise toward "normal" focusing

glasses can become a crutch i think, and contribute to muscle and focus decline,
but that is just an uneducated personal observation

I am sorry but this is not true. Prebyopia it's not a muscle strength problem. Using glasses (the right one) do not contribute to focus decline

 

[debra]

About two months ago my wife and I both went to the optometrist (together) and had our eyes measured and then we had special reading glasses made with a 1.5 diopter difference form the measured properties. Normally reading glasses are 2.5 diopter different and are for reading at 30-40cm distance (just over one foot) and with the 1.5 diopter difference the glasses work best at about 70cm (just over arms length, and are actually pretty sharp between 60 and 80cm, which is not only where the sheet music is positioned but also where a computer monitor would be positioned. So glasses for working at the computer and for playing music are just the same. We are very happy now. These glasses allow us to see the notes sharply in focus. (No more excuse for playing mistakes by not being able to read the notes...)

 

[JKJ]

and don't forget to NOT use the glasses when you really don't need them
so your eyes get some exercise toward "normal" focusing

I am sorry but this is not true. Prebyopia it's not a muscle strength problem. Using glasses (the right one) do not contribute to focus decline

I’m no eye specialist and don’t know what is supposed to be true or not. All I have is my own experience. I’ve somehow taught my eyes to focus over a wide range.

I grew up badly nearsided, over 20/400 as an adult and with significant astigmatism. Vision was fine with correction, but I was became plagued with eyestrain and severe headaches from even minor frame/lens misalignment in any of five ways, requiring daily adjustment. (I got good at that!) During that time I started a program of eye focusing exercises of my own design, exercising multiple times every day.

When about 50 I had one the first lasik surgeries performed at a large eye center in the area. This corrected much of my myopia but I still needed reading glasses. I continued with daily eye focus exercises even though my eye dr said they would help nothing.

I can’t explain it but today (at 73) my vision is better than ever. Without glasses I can read the smallest text on my phone or on a pill bottle and still read road signs and pick out most of the seven sisters in the Pleiades. When I switch between close and distant vision I have to concentrate for a moment then I feel a distinct focal shift which sort of “locks in” until I switch again. For example, I’m looking at this on a small iPad maybe 12-15” from my eyes. When I look up and out the window to infinity everything at a distance is blurry until I make my eyes shift and “lock” into far vision. If I glance back down at the iPad I can’t read a word until I ”force” my eyes to shift and “lock” back into the near-focus. Until I force this switch my closest comfortable focus when moving from infinity is about arm’s length. (switching focal distance takes maybe 1/2 second) I tested just now and with effort I can switch focus to about 6”.

I can’t explain it and my eye doctor couldn’t either, said that shouldn’t happen. He’s retired now and I’m scheduled with a new, young, and energetic, eye dr/surgeon. I’ll ask him if he knows what’s going on.

All I know is what I know and I’m not about to quit my eye focus exercises. I’ve been doing these exercises for maybe 50 years now.

PS: I sometimes wear 1.00 reading glasses when reading for an extended time (hours) since it’s a tad bit more comfortable. And far-vision lenses with some correction help in dim light when the pupil is large and subject to more of my significant astigmatic corneal distortion. I mapped that out once and the shape and distribution of the distortion and significant differences between eyes was fascinating.

JKJ

 

[Ventura]

All I know is what I know and I’m not about to quit my eye focus exercises. I’ve been doing these exercises for maybe 50 years now.

JKJ

thanks ! that's what i meant but didn't know how to explain it..
i too spend some time deliberately focusing distant especially after a long session
looking intensely at something like accordionists info

 

[Mike t.]

I use some reasonably-priced (Warby Parker) progressives for day-to-day stuff. Works great for close up and far away. Reading, driving, watching TV, etc.

But, while it technically works for that elusive middle distance (about arm's length), the "sweet spot" is pretty narrow. So when I'm on the computer or reading off a music stand, I usually switch to drugstore readers.

That’s sort of what I was thinking, the end of my working was welding and machining and even then I told the weld inspectors I had to quit welding as I couldn’t see good enough. That was a good thing! Mike t.