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Old Eyes

2K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  Merikanskimoosh 
#1 ·
Yup, its happened. My eyes have gotten "old." Well, in fairness, I guess I should mention that the rest of me has gotten old too. It had been more than a year since my last eye exam, and I was noticing that my distance vision, street sign reading, was beginning to suffer. So, I went in for an exam and new lenses. The good part is the optometrist said my eyes look healthy. The bad part is that my eyes are no longer correctable to 20/20. The best I can get is a "blurry" 20/20. I guess that means I can only read the 20/20 eye chart with a lot of hemming and hawing, and a few missed guesses. Darn! I don't like that a bit. I'm thinking this is one more sign that I should ride more conservatively, and avoid taking any kind of chances. Not that I do intentionally take chances, but the idea of riding without perfect vision is scary to me. I'm wondering what it's going to do to my situational awareness and ability to avoid trouble. I'm sure there are a lot of riders out there with worse vision than mine. But, I'm just not used to this problem. :nerd:
 
#4 ·
Fear not, O ye of failing eyesight. I'm 53 and a bifocal prescription I got a couple of years ago is already way past its useful stage, and I'm mostly wearing an older pair of single-visions that my eyes have came back to needing. As much as I am loathe to admit it, my 30 year old Army BCG's (Birth Control Glasses, for you civilians) are my go-to glasses now. I really need a new prescription; on their own my eyes focus about 3-4 inches away from my nose and anything beyond that is a bad impressionist painting.
 
#5 ·
I've been wearing glasses since I was 12. I now wear bifocals normally, and contacts with only my distance vision to ride. My "good" eye requires a -5.5 diopter correction. The left eye requires an -8.0.
 
#6 ·
It's the sad reality of aging. Sorry to hear that it's giving you a problem. Luckily you have one eye that's sharp. How does it affect your shooting? It would be a real drag to have relearn your routine on the range.

I have had glasses as long as I can remember. I got my first pair of bi-focals at 40 and tri-focals at 50. I'm 66 and still see alright but I'm pretty helpless without my glasses. What really bothers me is that as I get older my eyes are prone to watering and that's a problem while riding. Even a slight draft in my FF helmet causes salt crystals to form in the corners of my right eye, then all hell breaks loose when they get inside the eye lid. Gentleman Portrait White-collar worker
 
#7 ·
I got my first pair of glasses 15 years ago at age 48. I was in for a visit and I asked how much my prescription had changed since my first pair. Not at all! My eyes don't require much to get the vision right. Very modest prescription. It seems lately that about half the time the glasses make things worse. I actually see better without the glasses, like my vision has improved. I don't get it.
 
#9 ·
Been wearing glasses since forever. Graduated to no-line bifocals which was an adjustment. It looked like I was stepping into a hole for the first week or so. Now it's no biggie.

Brother Dear who's vision was at least as bad as mine had laser surgery and he really liked it only he had big problems about 6 months down the road with night vision. then he had bigger problems about 3 years down the road (went temporarily blind). Anyway he's all better now.

Anyway, my good ole bifocals work well for me.... even when riding.
 
#10 ·
I started wearing glasses for reading only in 1985 at age 38. My prescription would change very marginally every 3 or 4 years with me eventually going to bifocals in 1999. Since then the pattern of slight changes every 3 or 4 years continued until last years when my eyesight actually improved. Near sight stayed about the same but my far sight improved to the point where I can how actually go with no glasses. At its worst, my eyesight was not ever really bad but I had never expected my eyesight to improve as I got older.
 
#11 ·
For me, my biggest problem is how to use my white cane while riding! Been "blind as a bat" since a kid, so I've gotten used to contacts, etc.

The problem now is that I need READING glasses with my contacts.

Old age, not for wimps!!

And I'm just a well-worn 58. Hmmm...when does Medicare kick in? About the time I kick, knowing my luck. My wife actually asked our insurance agent if my policy pays out on suicide. I'm getting worried. She's Italian and has "Family" in Philly.....

Derswede
 
#13 ·
As my vision gets worse, I just increase the level of paranoia I employ when riding.

I've been trying to clean a smear off my glasses for months! Turns out I have a cataract!
 
#16 ·
Boy, you're telling my story! That's what the doc said, early signs of "cataract." If it were worse, I'd definitely get it fixed. But I'll be darned if I'm going to have anyone cutting into my eye to fix a 1/2 diopter problem. It just annoys me that I've lost that super sharp vision I used to have. In my youth I could hit a running rabbit at 100 yards over iron sights. Now, I have to walk half way down the grocery isle just to read the overhead sign at the end. Where the hell did they put the damn pickles, anyway!
 
#18 ·
Well guys, I'll be 70 here in a couple of weeks. I've worn no line bifocals for at least 30 years. I am noticing my left eye is beginning to deteriorate. I passed my driver's license w/ M/C endorsement last November. All it really amounted to was show up and take an eye test. The woman behind the counter at the DMV was trying to talk me in to giving up my M/C endorsement. Her only argument was "I'm getting old". Well, did you ever look in a mirror lady ? Meddling ol'bat ! When I can't past the eye test, I'll quit riding.
 
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