Eye Sight/vision experience/challenge

[hpeer]

I can't tell if my Wife's vision has gone to hell, if I'm just picking up on it now that we are traveling more, or what. Her driving has gotten worse, she doesn't drive much but when she does she drifts left and then snaps the wheel to the right. When on the water she can't see for beans. I can make out a bouy number bare eyed long before she can with good 7x50 binoculars. She can't make out anything in the distance, so she steers by the plotter, totally heads down. No spatial orientation. Without the plotter she will easily drift 90° off course and not know. Terrifying.


It seems to have gotten worse since her last new pair of glasses. I convienced her to have a second eye exam, that showed her left eye to be 20/60 uncorrected, pretty much as before. However they say she is getting some small cataracts and her left lens is scratched. They recommended she have it laser planed. Frankly that stuff scares me.

Any (helpful) comments?

[Sea Dreaming]

There was a thread recently on laser lenses. Lots of good comments from all kinds regarding your question. Hth

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-173833.html

[DeepFrz]

I posted this on the other thread, but in case you missed it there;

hpeer, it sounds like something else going on with your wife's vision. I know what its like to have bad cataracts. I just had one lens replace and the other is scheduled for early January. The difference is really quite amazing, however, I'm suspicious that your wife's problem is strictly vision related. Perhaps a visit to a Neurologist might shed more light on the subject (no pun intended).

I wish you both the very best and I hope I'm wrong.

I'd just like to add that I became suspicious of my eyesight when on a road trip in the spring. I missed a couple of directional signs which was very unusual for me. My focus was fine but after my right lens was replaced I realized how dark everything had been. Like living at dusk all day long.

[Mirage35]

My advice: get another opinion.

Cataract surgery is standard and has wonderful results, but "small" cataracts won't cause this problem. And 20/60 in one eye is nothing (from a guy who has a correction of -13 diopters).

There's something else going on; you need to find out what it is.

[hpeer]

Thanks guys. It didn't feel right to me but I've always been 20/20 and am something of a vision snob. I've no basis for understanding what she is going through.

She has always been pretty near sighted. She used to make nativity scenes in walnut shells.

[jeepbluetj]

That's sounds to mesomething more than lenses. Of course, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. My knowledge is that I have a degenerative retinal disease (RP) - and it sure sounds like that or MD.

A visit to an ophthalmologist may be the next step.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by jeepbluetj

That's sounds to mesomething more than lenses. Of course, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. My knowledge is that I have a degenerative retinal disease (RP) - and it sure sounds like that or MD.

A visit to an ophthalmologist may be the next step.

Absolutely!!! I'm currently undergoing treatment for wet macular degeneration,
discovered during a routine visit to an optometrist. He sent me off posthaste to an ophthalmologist and before I could get my head around it, I was having my first intra-ocular injection. Major improvement now after three treatments, with more coming (and interfering with our cruising).

This is one of those maladies that should be treated ASAP. Please don't wait to get her evaluated by an appropriate doctor.

Jim

[hpeer]

Her second visit was to an opthomologist and they told her no macular degeneration. Hopefully they are correct.

Not always easy to get her to go to a Dr.

[Alan Mighty]

An Amsler grid is one quick way to check for macular degeneration.

In Australia, most optometrists and all ophthalmologists will give you on request an Amsler grid as a fridge magnet.


Or you can download an Amsler grid from any of several websites, including: https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/eyecen...msler_grid.pdf

[JPA Cate]

hpeer,

My best wishes to you and your wife. Do have her checked by a neurologist. The opthalmologist wouldn't have missed something visual: their checks are quite thorough. But something is going on, and until you find out what, you have no idea how to make it go away, if possible. Speed is of the essence, because most problems are best caught early. What you described to me does not sound like a scratched lens problem. However, I'm only a regular person, not even a nurse, so get a professional opinion. SOON. This time of year can be hard to get something set up, but maybe go through an emergency room. You and your wife need some diagnostics!

Ann

PS. She's in trouble, man!

[DeepFrz]

I'm suspicious that your wife's problem is strictly vision related. Perhaps a visit to a Neurologist might shed more light on the subject (no pun intended).

Wow, I meant to say "I'm suspicious that your wife's problem is NOT strictly vision related". Maybe better yet, not strictly eye sight related. Sorry about that.