Is it a bad thing that I'm in my early thirties and have never seen an eye doctor before (save for a freak cornea injury that ended up in a referral to a specialist at Rockyview)? My vision has never been a problem (I believe it is 20/20 if not better) so I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it...
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Originally Posted by Hesla
It is myth that watching TV in the dark makes your eyes worse. It may give you a headache however. Genetics play the biggest role in determining your prescription. However, environment does have a role. If you spend most of your day doing stuff at near, then your eyes are going to try to make themselves better at near (ie. become nearsighted). If you are genetically pre-disposed to be nearsighted then that effect can be greater..
So does that mean my parents were right when they said not to sit so close to the TV? My toddler loves to sit up close (of course we limit the amount of time the TV is on) and it's a fight I'm getting tired of fighting
My dry eyes drive me nuts. I use Tears Natural II for relief. Is there a better product? Is there anything longer-lasting for night time use? I've tried gels, but I just seem to blink them out into my eyelashes one second after I put them in.
I bet if you stop smoking pot, your eyes wouldn't be so dry.
My lenses are supposed to be good for two weeks (I take them out each night). Is it bad if I wear them for three weeks? I've accidentally done this a couple of times lately, and while I haven't noticed any irregularities I just want to hear what the optometrist has to say.
Generally it is good idea to stay within the recommended wear time for contact lenses. After that two week period your chance of infection/inflammation, and other complications, increases. Occasionally, going over the recommended wear time is not the end of the world, but it does open you up to some potential issues down the road.
Do you ever get sick of saying:
"Tell me which one is clearer? This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one. This one or this one."
I mix it up with "one or twooo" sometimes. When i am feeling really rebellious i will mix in an "aaaa or Beee".
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Are you located near downtown? I'm running out of contacts quite soon and I'm pretty sure my prescription needs updating, and my usual guy is in the NW. I notice your location shows Garrison, not sure if that's your home though.
I live in Garrison and work out of Southcentre (Southcentre Optometry near the sportchek).
If it is inconvenient to come to my office i can make a recommendation for you.
Actually, I've also wondered if you guys ever try to "mess" with people when you do the above. Ever catch people selecting one of two options when all you've only shown them just one. Or if you guys ever get people that just randomly mash the "I win" button during the fuzzy line peripheral vision test thingy.
Sometimes it may seem like we are messing with you, but actually we are bracketing around the right prescription. When two options look the same it is likely very close to your prescription. Patients are funny as somtimes they are afraid of making a wrong answer and get real nervous and do poor on the test. I always make a point of saying "there are no wrong answers, and if things look the same tell me".
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Can wear the same daily contact lenses for more than one day?
It is not recommended. Daily lenses are thinner and softer and more likely to breakdown after one day. Wearing daily lenses for more than one day is actually worse for you than wearing a two week lens for three weeks. They are just not designed for use beyond one day.
If it is a matter of cost for you with dailies i would switch to a two week or a monthly lens.
Why does it seem that I see colours slightly different from one eye to another?
Is there anything that can improve night vision? I really don't like driving at night anymore as I feel I can't see well enough sometimes.
Color differences between the eyes can be congential or acquired. If it is sudden-onset you need to see an Optometrist right away as it could be an inflammation of the Optic nerve. If it has always been that way then it has to do with the ratio of your different cone cells in each eye. A lazy eye will also see color differently.
To see color we have three types of cones. The combination of these (plus brain processing) produce the colors we see.
Oh, and there needs to be more information about ocular migraines, the first time I had one I thought I was going blind or having an aneurysm or something. Freaked me right out.
It is a double-edged sword with this one. Ocular Migraines are a diagnosis of exclusion. Similar symptoms can be seen in strokes or retinal detachments/tears. If people were more aware of Ocular Migraines they may just assume their symptoms are that and not seek attention when it could be something more serious. Ocular Migraines are nothing to worry about.
Honestly, as a whole Optometry as profession does not do enough patient education. We are starting to do a better job of it though (think of the commerical with the orange peel).
Online contact lens sales certainly are fact of life now and Optometrists need to embrace the fact that it is out there and not going away.
The way to think of Online glasses/contacts is like an Outlet mall. You get discontinued or overstock glasses and the lenses are generally inferior to those you can get in a store. As for contact lenses, Online sales have lead to a decrease in contact prices across the board, and that is good for the consumer. In office contact lenses are often within $20 of online for a year supply now, however Optometry offices can offer "warranty" on the contact lenses. That is, if you rip a lens or drop one down the sink the office will provide you with a free replacement. Also, if you are on your last pair and want an extra set to hold you over before you exam, we will happily provide that for you. It is also convenient to get your contacts at the same time as your eye exam.
As for clearlycontacts.ca themselves they are trying to undermine eye care in Canada by lobbying governments to make it unecessary to have updated prescriptions every two years. In fact, in BC the health Minister and the CEO of clearly contacts are friends and it is not longer required for people in BC to have regular check ups. The CNIB, CMA, Ophthalmologoists, and the various colleges of Physicians and surgeons across the country have come out opposed to this. As of right now the Canadian Optometric Association is compiling a large list of patients who have been diagnosed with various eye conditions that would have been caught with routine exam. The hope is that we can get this overturned as it is a dangerous precident.
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Any thoughts on what it means when your prescription gets better? I went from -4.25 and -4.5 down to -3.75 and -4.25 over the course of a year. Is this a trend, or will they go back up or stay the same?
I know you're not an Opthamologist, but what are your thoughts on this procedure?
Honestly, this is the first I had heard of this. It is done by an Opthalmogolist in the States.
I am unable to find any information on side effects/third party information on this. When that is the case it is recommended that you proceed with caution. It is similar to the various refractive surgeries that have come out over the years. The early refractive surgeries (like Radial Keratotomy- look it up) have shown to have negative long term effects.
Personally, I would worry about the tear film quality post surgery, as well as increased friction with the eyelid. However, without longer term studies there is no way to know of any complications.
If you want to get it done, wait 5 years and see what happens. I would say it is never a good idea to be one of the first to get a new procedure done.
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Is it a bad thing that I'm in my early thirties and have never seen an eye doctor before (save for a freak cornea injury that ended up in a referral to a specialist at Rockyview)? My vision has never been a problem (I believe it is 20/20 if not better) so I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it...
So does that mean my parents were right when they said not to sit so close to the TV? My toddler loves to sit up close (of course we limit the amount of time the TV is on) and it's a fight I'm getting tired of fighting
It is a good idea to get a baseline health check done on the eyes. Similar to your physical exam you want to have something to compare things to if you start having problems. We would not fix anything if it does not need to be fixed.
Yes and No to the TV thing. If you are not genetically pre-disposed to be nearsighted it would likely not have an effect. Eye-strain and headaches are more of a concern.
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