I am an Optometrist, Ask me anything (Part 2)

[Knut]

Old Thread: https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showth...ht=optometrist

I thought I would start a new thread for more Questions. It is cleaner than having to scroll back to 2012. Also, I very recently underwent a fresh start to my career, so I thought a fresh thread was appropriate. I am now working at Mayfair Eye Care (https://mayfaireyecare.ca/).

Here is your chance to ask me anything eye related or really any question you might have. Only question I will not answer is why I had to change my name on here.


Disclaimer: this does not replace seeing a health care provider.

[Knut]

Because i know it is coming.

Why did you change your name on here?

Sorry .. I can not get into that.

[Erick Estrada]

Eye floaters. I hate them. Is there any way to mitigate them?

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Eye floaters. I hate them. Is there any way to mitigate them?

Oh man. This is the reason I don’t read books. The main reason. Also why blue sky’s bother me a bit... just due to the added nuisance. So bad.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Eye floaters. I hate them. Is there any way to mitigate them?

First off, if you have not had them looked at by an eye doctor you should. Secondly, the only thing you can do to prevent them is to not grow old.

Floaters are more common with active people, older populations and those with higher prescriptions.

Once you have floaters there is no real safe way to remove them. Some specialists will do a Vitrectomy for floaters, but those are typically only in extreme cases. The surgery itself carries a high risk of causing a retinal tear/break/detachment. You will also see claims, out of the US, of clinics than can use a Laser to dissolve floaters. This is also dangerous and the laser can cause permanent vision loss.

Long story short, best thing you can do is ignore them as much as possible and let your brain "Photoshop" the floaters out of the image.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Oh man. This is the reason I don’t read books. The main reason. Also why blue sky’s bother me a bit... just due to the added nuisance. So bad.

Try white print on a black background.

[missdpuck]

Can astigmatism lessen or disappear completely?

[MoneyGuy]

Why did my reading vision go from excellent to crappy when I had cataract surgery (both eyes)?

Don’t get me wrong; it was worth it as my distance vision was corrected (and I had cataracts).

[81MC]

Is it common for someone to not know what ‘better’ is? I’ve had multiple different prescriptions lately, because I can’t seem to figure out when a natural ‘not straining’ feels like.

PS good thread! Thanks for your time.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

Can astigmatism lessen or disappear completely?

Yes.

Astigmatism is interesting in that it does not follow the general rules like Myopia or Hyperopia do. Generally, kids are born with Astigmatism that goes away as they approach grade school. Some forms are genetic in nature and others are structural in nature.

As we age astigmatism tends to change with only a few general rules. It generally goes from an Horizontal Axis to a Vertical Axis (the last number on your prescription is your axis of astigmatism).

Over 50 Astigmatism can improve and even disappear as the lens starts to thicken. However, it can get worse too.

Not sure if you have Astigmatism? What do headlights at night look like to you? The first picture below is normal vision (or corrected Astigmatism) while the second image is uncorrected astigmatism.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Knut

First off, if you have not had them looked at by an eye doctor you should. Secondly, the only thing you can do to prevent them is to not grow old.

Floaters are more common with active people, older populations and those with higher prescriptions.

Once you have floaters there is no real safe way to remove them. Some specialists will do a Vitrectomy for floaters, but those are typically only in extreme cases. The surgery itself carries a high risk of causing a retinal tear/break/detachment. You will also see claims, out of the US, of clinics than can use a Laser to dissolve floaters. This is also dangerous and the laser can cause permanent vision loss.

Long story short, best thing you can do is ignore them as much as possible and let your brain "Photoshop" the floaters out of the image.

That's pretty well what my eye doctor said. Always good to get a 2nd opinion though. Mine just came out of nowhere a couple of years ago so something I haven't have to live with until recently and I just find them super annoying. Thanks for answering.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Why did my reading vision go from excellent to crappy when I had cataract surgery (both eyes)?

Don’t get me wrong; it was worth it as my distance vision was corrected (and I had cataracts).

Were you nearsighted before ? Did you remove your glasses at near to read?

If you are under 60 you might have still had some accommodation (focus) in your natural lens. When you had the Lens removed you would have lost all your ability to focus on an object up close.

[Minnie]

I've a couple questions, not sure if you can answer or not, would assume you can.

Ivabridine - we know a side effect is blurry vision but will it become permanent or is it a "only while you're on it" type thing?

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - any particular suggestions regarding eye health & EDS?

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Knut

Were you nearsighted before ? Did you remove your glasses at near to read?

If you are under 60 you might have still had some accommodation (focus) in your natural lens. When you had the Lens removed you would have lost all your ability to focus on an object up close.

I was near-sighted and over 60. I love my distance vision now but hate the loss of my reading vision. All in all, good trade, however.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by 81MC

Is it common for someone to not know what ‘better’ is? I’ve had multiple different prescriptions lately, because I can’t seem to figure out when a natural ‘not straining’ feels like.

PS good thread! Thanks for your time.

There is some slight variation day to day in your prescription. It can also vary with the amount of digital usage.

If you feel your night vision is pretty good then you probably are close to the correct prescription. One issue is that clarity is not the only aspect to vision. There is "comfortable" vision to. That is a much more complex thing to figure out. Sometimes there are disorders in our binocular vision that are often overlooked. Also, at any age it is possible that someone may need a different prescription for near vision vs distance vision. There are products that provide this without being a bifocal or progressive lens (eg. Zeiss Digital).

If it seems like you never get a prescription that works you should book with a someone that specializes in Binocular vision (it will typically say on their website bio).

[Knut]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I was near-sighted and over 60. I love my distance vision now but hate the loss of my reading vision.

Distance and Near vision is a complete trade off at this point. Correct one fully and lose the other.

You may still like having a progressive lens, with a very minimal top RX in it, for those times you do both distance and near tasks at the same tine.

[troutman]

Do you ever say - "jeepers creepers, where did you get those peepers?"

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Minnie

I've a couple questions, not sure if you can answer or not, would assume you can.

Ivabridine - we know a side effect is blurry vision but will it become permanent or is it a "only while you're on it" type thing?

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - any particular suggestions regarding eye health & EDS?

Ivabridine is known to cause vision effects (halos on lights, blurry vision etc) but typically only in the first few months and it usually goes away if you stop.

EDS is a collagen disease and 80% of the eye is collagen. So it can be affected. The cornea is the place this happens most commonly. Some types (like Type VI Kyphoscoliosis) will affect it more. We watch for Keratonconus in EDS patients.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by troutman

Do you very say - "jeepers creepers, where did you get those peepers?"

I am only 38. So no.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Knut

Ivabridine is known to cause vision effects (halos on lights, blurry vision etc) but typically only in the first few months and it usually goes away if you stop.

EDS is a collagen disease and 80% of the eye is collagen. So it can be affected. The cornea is the place this happens most commonly. Some types (like Type VI Kyphoscoliosis) will affect it more. We watch for Keratonconus in EDS patients.

The kid says thank you. The EDS dx came just this past August (so almost a year) after finally seeing a geneticist - I think when she saw you initially, a few years back, they were talking some different forms of arthritis but now we know it's hEDS. Genetics is now also looking at a metabolic disorder, but she's still in the investigative stage of that. The Ivabridine is being used by her cardiologist to deal with POTS/IST (known EDS comorbidity). He upped her dosage a couple of months ago, so I think she's seeing an increase in the blurry vision due to that, though the blurriness has never really abated, even on the lower dose. She had an eye exam in August & got glasses but I believe the doc said she wasn't seeing any particular issues she was concerned about - the EDS dx had come just the day prior, so we made sure to mention it to the doc at the top of the appt.