Eyesight =( How old were you when.....

[braumeister]

Glasses in first grade (couldn't read the blackboard from the first row, so teacher clued my parents in).

Bifocals starting at age 47.

Wore contacts (loved them) between ages 24-25, 29-31, 35-41.
Finally had to give them up permanently due to conjunctivitis.

Now I'm looking forward to the day when my cataracts develop to the point of needing removal. The replacement lens should give me the best vision of my life.

 

[donheff]

I started reading glasses in my early forties. When I was about fifty I discovered "monovision" - a single reading contact in one eye, nothing in the distance eye. That was like a miracle. It feels like having normal vision in both eyes. The brain reads from whichever eye has the appropriate vision for the task. Look out and the distance eye dominates, look at a page or anything close and the reading eye takes over all seamlessly. I have progressed over the years from a 2.0 reading contact to a 3.0. I also added a slight correction for my distance eye but recently stopped bothering with it since my distance vision is "good enough."

 

[ziggy29]

I had fantastic vision for most of my life -- 20/15 at least, maybe a little better. As soon as I turned 40 everyone warned me that my eyes were about to start going south. Sure enough, within a few months my vision was starting to deteriorate, and by 43 I was wearing glasses.

 

[RunningBum]

Early 40s. Had to read a map to get around a closed bridge on I-64 at night, and could only make out the red lines of another freeway and just guessed. Got the drugstore readers. A few years ago I got driving glasses since I was having a bit of trouble with reading road signs at night (apparently my LASIK wasn't done perfectly), and last year I got bifocals so I could both drive and see a map while driving. Unfortunately I don't like those glasses for driving, the lights seems to glare more even though they are supposed to be anti-glare.

 

[Walt34]

Nearsighted in only the right eye since about age 12, then one contact in that eye starting at about 30. Starting in the late 30's I couldn't read driver's licenses in dim light when writing traffic tickets and had to get reading glasses then. Bummer.

It wasn't long after that the left eye started to go nearsighted and I had to get a contact lens for that one too. But both are still correctable to 20/15 and I use drugstore reading glasses for close stuff. I get an annual eye exam, so far so good.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Donheff, I'm thinking about trying that.
I've worn glasses/contacts for distance since I was in high school but in the past 6 months or so I quit wearing the contacts because I can't see up close with them.
I really miss wearing them instead of glasses sometimes and wondered if the monovision thing would work for me.

 

[Midpack]

I was 20/15 when I was (much) younger. Age 44, started with +1.25 reading glasses. When the realization hit me, I was very surprised. Now 17 years later, I'm at +1.50 or +1.75. Fortunately all I need is drug store readers, though I assume my correction will continue to slide. DW's prescription is much more complicated and therefore expensive.

 

[easysurfer]

Got bifocals during my 40's also.

Still, just taking my glasses off and reading tiny print up close can't be beat. That's what I do for upclose reading. The only trouble comes when I work with tools that need eye protection. For that, I put on the bifocals and safety glasses and struggle to see clearly.

 

[freebird5825]

20/15 until age 38. Left eye started seeing things a bit blurry, right eye not so bad. I was getting slight headaches when reading large volumes of text. I did a lot of reading and long duration computer use when I was still w*rking. I used Dragon speech to text software when I developed carpal tunnel and tendinitis in both hands, so I needed to see the computer screen perfectly to be able to use that software.
I tried the drugstore cheaters, but they just made things worse. So I bit the bullet, and got the graded index lenses (no line bifocals), with the bottom view for reading smaller print and the straight ahead view optimized for the computer screen.
Post-FIRE, I do not wear my glasses unless I am reading a book or need to see finer print on labels. I turned up the font size on my web browser so I do not need them for casual computer use.
I have an eye exam scheduled for early January, so I will get a new optical Rx. My frames are still in perfect shape, so I will simply have the lenses replaced.

 

[Moemg]

I started reading glasses in my early forties. When I was about fifty I discovered "monovision" - a single reading contact in one eye, nothing in the distance eye. That was like a miracle. It feels like having normal vision in both eyes. The brain reads from whichever eye has the appropriate vision for the task. Look out and the distance eye dominates, look at a page or anything close and the reading eye takes over all seamlessly. I have progressed over the years from a 2.0 reading contact to a 3.0. I also added a slight correction for my distance eye but recently stopped bothering with it since my distance vision is "good enough."

If you do great with monovision contacts you'll do great with monovision cataract surgery . I had it and it is amazing . I had worn monovision contacts previously .

 

[JakeBrake]

I began wearing glasses for astigmatism/myopia at age 12. until about 20 years ago (I am now 66) I could see very well up close. Then I graduated to trifocals. Now I use progressive lenses and I will not go back to trifocals.

The megacorp I retired from had a program that furnished free computer glasses which had the far vision in the bifocal part at the bottom of the lenses and the near (computer) vision in the top part of lenses. Those things were awful! I gave up after 3 tries. However, I find the progessive lenses to be ideal for me.

I only wear glasses when I want to see. Many of my activities require safety glasses anyhow and my ever-present glasses have saved my eyes a number of times.

 

[ls99]

Eye glasses at 7, bifocals at 53 or so.

There are trifocals available for the truly insane. Near vision at bottom, distance at middle and intermediate at top. For say, auto mechanics working under car on a lift. They can only crane their necks so far.

Edit add: Cataract lenses implanted at 63. True joy, real colors and only a 1.25 el cheapos fro near vision.

 

[Texas Proud]

Started with glasses at about 5.... had bifocals at about 6...

Had them until I was in my mid 20s when I went to another doc.... he asked 'how long have you been wearing bifocals?'... I said since 6... he said 'you do not need them, do you want to keep wearing them?'.... HECK NO...

Now 54 and still not wearing them.... I NEED them, but I have tried the regular bifocals and the progressive and can not get used to either... I think I will have to break down and get them soon as the menu (as others have pointed out) is harder and harder to read....

 

[Andre1969]

I'm 41, and don't wear glasses of any sort yet, but I have a feeling it's going to happen pretty soon. I've noticed that I can't read some fine print the way I used to. And as I was rolling coins the other day, and came across a penny that looked really old. Tried to focus, but I couldn't read the year on it.

 

[Midpack]

I'm 41, and don't wear glasses of any sort yet, but I have a feeling it's going to happen pretty soon. I've noticed that I can't read some fine print the way I used to. And as I was rolling coins the other day, and came across a penny that looked really old. Tried to focus, but I couldn't read the year on it.

In time your arms will get too short...

 

[W2R]

I'm 41, and don't wear glasses of any sort yet, but I have a feeling it's going to happen pretty soon. I've noticed that I can't read some fine print the way I used to. And as I was rolling coins the other day, and came across a penny that looked really old. Tried to focus, but I couldn't read the year on it.

If you can't read the date on a penny, I think it's time to get your eyes checked.

 

[Mulligan]

Noticed my eyes started twitching this year at age 47. I decided to play doctor and did some reading on the internet and it said it was eye strain. Started wearing readers and twitching has not returned. After reading W2R' s comment about reading a penny date, I just tried it. Was able to read date with arm only half extended, so I still have a foot in length left in my arm before I must use readers or buy a longer arm. I imagine in 5 years, I will impersonate Bill Clinton, and just wear them on the end of my nose all the time.

 

[tryan]

Little bit interesting ...

20 years in megacorp in a 9x12 cube put me in glasses (near sighted). Fire'd in 2005, stopped wearing the glasses. This year I passed the drivers eye-exam WO the glasses!

 

[eytonxav]

My memory is not too good, but believe I was ~ 50 when I started with progressives.

 

[gettingthere]

I was in my early forties when I began needing reading glasses; in my early fifties when I needed distance correction.

I cannot adjust to bifocals, though, or progressive lenses. The only time I need distance correction is while driving, and while I'm driving I'm not reading.

I wasted too much money last time I tried progressive lenses and could not get used to them. After that I decided separate glasses would do fine for me.

 

[LauAnn]

Glasses for nearsightedness and astigmatism - age 10.

Daily eye drops to deal with high IOP and prevent glaucoma - age 40*.

Progressive lenses to deal with presby...(sp?) - age 44.

*I've since participated in two drug studies to 'test' new eye drops before they were made available to the general public. The last study lasted 6 months, required approximately 16 visits (4 visits on 4 different days) to the eye doc over that period. In return I got the drugs for free and was paid $620.