Do you wear glasses / contact lenses?

[Ian]

I guess most other people on here are also frequent computer user, so I thought it may be interesting to see how many people here wear glasses or contact lenses. I don't know many people that use a computer for several hours a day (or more) and don't need any vision correction!

I normally wear contact lenses, but they've been a bit uncomfortable for the past few weeks, so I'm taking a break and wearing glasses for a little while. :stoned:

 

[Fire cat]

Well, I've worn glasses since I was 11. I wear contacts when I go fencing - but other than that I wear awesome stylish Ray Bans.

Unlike many people, my screen is about 50cm away from me when I'm typing, on my netbook and about 1m when I'm on my PC.

By the way - uncomfortable contacts is often caused by your eyes being too dry - or not the right correction any more.

 

[yodap]

Glasses - bifocals.

I'm not a good candidate for contacts. Too much scarring on my eyeballs.

 

[sdmnysimon]

Ive worn glasses since i was 13 and contacts as well. i cannot wear contacts anymore due to eyes changing over the years

 

[Fire cat]

Actualy, I might get laser eye surgery when I become 18. Good results from what I heard.

 

[davehc]

Well. I am old. I wore glasses for many years, mainly, I think, brought on by my occupation (Looking at a lot of radar). They suddenly began to get worse, to the point where new lenses were becoming a poor alternative. I was doagnosed with severe cataracts, and had lense replacement surgery. The immediate results, in color perception and sight, were staggering. I threw away all my glasses some years ago. Recently I have started to use a very weak prescription, purely for computer work, as, due to age, the muscles are a becoming a little weak..

 

[Nibiru2012]

I had worn glasses for the last 17 years. Quit wearing soft contacts when my job as a material estimator required looking at blueprints. The problem was the developer that's used for blueprints; it's ammonia-based and very irritating to the eyes since ammonia has a high affinity for water.

Just a few months ago I needed new glasses badly. I normally wear bifocals (Varilux - No line). My eyes had actually gotten a little better according to my doctor. I then went to a registered and board-certified optician.

He fitted me with RGP Contacts (Rigid Gas Permeable) that are multi-focal! No need for reading glasses now at all and my vision is much sharper and clearer than before. I can wear these RGPs for about 14-16 hours a day with not much discomfort at all. Plus they're breath better than soft contacts!

I love 'em... highly recommend them!

 

[catilley1092]

I've worn glasses since I was 13 years old, due to extreme nearsightedness. Without glasses, my left eye is 20/220, my right 20/240. I wouldn't dare get behind the wheel of an auto w/o wearing them. In fact, I can't drive anyway, due to other issues.

It's probably getting time for new ones, I have a 18.5 inch screen, and when I've been on here a while, my eyes gets tired, and I have to hold my face is within 6 inches of the screen to view clearly. It's probably not a good thing to do, but the wording starts to "swim" on me, and moving my face closer helps.

Cat

 

[Fire cat]

Well - 6" is kinda close...

My eyesight is -6, 0 being good.

 

[Ian]

So far, that's 7/7 for glasses/contact lenses at some point!

I'm getting used to wearing glasses now that I've had them on for a few days, but I still prefer contact lenses (when they were actually comfortable) for day to day stuff.

 

[andsome]

Specs. Varifocals

 

[Fire cat]

I'm confused now :/ What's with all these thing-focals?

 

[TrainableMan]

FC, Bifocals and trifocals have different magnifications for near (bottom of the frame just below the eye-line) and far, plus trifocals add a row in the middle for computer screen/newspaper distance. The other mentioned was a brand name for "no-line bifocals".

I am near-sighted and do not need glasses to see up close but my eyes can no longer adjust through my corrective lenses (just in the last 3 years) so I either need bifocals with non-corrective bottoms. I did try bifocals the last time but they could not make them so that the line was straight for me, it angles upwards in a V-shape from my nose so that I would catch a blur if I looked to the right or left; I couldn't deal with it so I returned them and just bought single vision. For eating I take my glasses off and I keep my monitor at about 3 ft to 6 ft (1-2m) away so that I can see it with my glasses on.

Since I use the Christopher Columbus method of typing, I find it and land on it , I either have to keep my keyboard at a distance or lift my glasses for *, #, $ etc. The letter keys I usually hit by touch 95+% of the time, but sometimes I'm off by one key. I utilize Firefox's spell checker and I bought a backlit keyboard; these things help a lot.

 

[Nibiru2012]

I'm confused now :/ What's with all these thing-focals?

Well FC, as you get older (and you will) the ability for the eyes to focus on near objects and print becomes more difficult. It's called presbyopia. I didn't require bifocals glasses until I was about 45 years old. Some people need them sooner, a few later in life. It happens to everyone as the elasticity of the lens get stiffer. That's why older people with perfect far vision need "reading glasses" to see near objects. Even people who have Lasik or laser surgery on their eyes usually always need reading glasses.

Now my RGP contact lenses are a special "multi-focal lenses" which give me that ability to see near and far objects with equal ability and not having to use reading glasses. They're a god-send for me and I absolutely recommend them to those who can wear them. Just be sure to find an excellent caring optician or opthamologist to fit them correctly.

 

[Nibiru2012]

So far, that's 7/7 for glasses/contact lenses at some point!

I'm getting used to wearing glasses now that I've had them on for a few days, but I still prefer contact lenses (when they were actually comfortable) for day to day stuff.

Ian - were you wearing soft contacts or the RGP contacts? What issues were you having?

Just curious.

 

[draceena]

Yet another glasses wearer, started back in grade 10 and having issues reading books and seeing the blackboard. Nearsighted in both eyes and they are almost identical in how far off they are from perfect. I started with plastic frames, the work of the devil as they pinched my nose and gave me headaches.

Moved to Contact Lenses which I loved but working in a computer mainframe environment, they'd dry out on me all the time so I moved back to glasses.

I'm still not in the bi-focals as of yet but I "cheat" and look at small print and such from under my glasses so I think that may be coming soon.

 

[DallasDad]

I've worn glasses a lot longer than I've had computers. Bifocals. But for my computer I use a special pair of glasses without the bifocals. They're set for the distance to my monitor, sort of like reading glasses. Lot more comfortable than bifocals for the computer.

 

[andsome]

Is varifocals a term used only in the UK? I used to use bi locals, but it got that the reading segment at the bottom was too close for reading if set far enough away for the computer. Varifocals have no lines or margins, the focal length varies from the top of the lens to the bottom. They take a few days to get used to, but now I automatically adjust immediately according to what I am looking at.

On Wikepedia they are called progressive lenses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_lens

 

[Nibiru2012]

Varifocals is another term for the trademark name "Varilux" which invented the "no-line' bifocal lens. Same thing a progressive lenses.

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Started on PC's about 14 years ago. About 8 years ago I got prescription reading glasses which "snapped" the screen into focus.

Now I can't read the screen without glasses on. This isn't down to PC usage though. My job entails staring at things from about 8 - 12" away. That's what buggered my eyes up.

Nothing wrong with my long sight though (I can see the moon, how far do you want me to look?).