Newly old man question - vision correction and cameras

[wiltw]

I agree. I used contact lenses until I needed cataracts removed, then the implants gave me 20/20 vision unaided for the first time since I was 12 years old.

I assume you mean that you have 20/20 'distance vision'...how is your vision at 8-12" reading distance? Anticipating when my eyes need cataract removal.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Based on my experiences as late as my mid-40s, modern soft lenses are almost like nothing at all. I couldn't wear those, however, because they didn't correct my astigmatism, so I wore hard (for twenty-some years) or rigid gas permeable (for the remainder of the thirty years I wore contacts).

If you don't have much astigmatism, daily disposable or weekly disposable lenses are the way to go. You will want eye protection in the darkroom, however; a drop of chemical in the eye is a much bigger deal with soft contacts than with glasses or no correction (and bad enough even then).

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'll probably need cataract surgery within the next ten years, but I plan to ask them to leave my refraction as is -- I actually find my "microscopic vision" useful and I've been wearing glasses (or contacts, until I gave them up twenty years or so ago) for so long (second grade) I'd feel naked without them. Not to mention I don't have complete trust in Lasik, which is how they usually achieve the excellent vision after cataract surgery.

Since cataract surgery removes the lens, the implants are used to replace the lens. The optical surgeon orders the implant and you can request what type of vision you desire, near sighted, far sighted, 20/20 with or without the ability to include the reading range.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Does anyone here have experience of using contacts for the first time late in life (eg 60+)?

I had one lens replaced at 73 and the second at 78. Now I have 20/20 vision and can read most things without reading glasses. It is great to wake up in the morning as see without glasses or contact lenses for the first time since I was 12 years old.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I assume you mean that you have 20/20 'distance vision'...how is your vision at 8-12" reading distance? Anticipating when my eyes need cataract removal.

I usually do not need reading glasses unless the print is really small, 8 points or less or the light is dim.

 

[guangong]

Does anyone here have experience of using contacts for the first time late in life (eg 60+)?

Age should not be a problem if your fingers are dexterous. As already explained, the function of my soft lenses is to smooth out my distorted cornea and do not correct vision, which is the task of my hard lenses.
Those who initially used hard lenses are usually dissatisfied with the vision quality of soft lenses. But those who begin with soft lenses are less picky. After a short period of adjustment, hard contacts will become vey normal. One big advantage, you will save a lot of time not trying to remember where you last put your spectacles.

 

[Donald Qualls]

you will save a lot of time not trying to remember where you last put your spectacles.

You may, however, (especially with hard lenses that fit very well) need to set an alarm on your smart phone to ensure you don't sleep with the lenses in...

 

[wiltw]

I usually do not need reading glasses unless the print is really small, 8 points or less or the light is dim.

Interesting!...given the muscles in the eye are responsible for altering the shape of the natural lens, so it adjusts for near vision, and this adjustment capacity diminishes as we age and the natural lens stiffens...one would not think that a replacement lens would have the ability to alter its shape, too.

 

[snusmumriken]

Age should not be a problem if your fingers are dexterous. As already explained, the function of my soft lenses is to smooth out my distorted cornea and do not correct vision, which is the task of my hard lenses.
Those who initially used hard lenses are usually dissatisfied with the vision quality of soft lenses. But those who begin with soft lenses are less picky. After a short period of adjustment, hard contacts will become vey normal. One big advantage, you will save a lot of time not trying to remember where you last put your spectacles.

My spectacles are always on my face unless I’m asleep. The one and only advantage of contacts for me would be to get my eye closer to the camera viewfinder. Especially so that I can see the 35mm frame lines!

 

[Donald Qualls]

Interesting!...given the muscles in the eye are responsible for altering the shape of the natural lens, so it adjusts for near vision, and this adjustment capacity diminishes as we age and the natural lens stiffens...one would not think that a replacement lens would have the ability to alter its shape, too.

Current technology lens implants go three ways on this. One method is to make the two eyes focus differently -- one at infinity, the other at reading distance (or computer distance), similar to what's often done with Lasik surgery for patients of bifocal age. A second is implant lenses that actually flex similarly to the way the natural lens does, and are attached to the same muscles. The third way (more common than the second, possibly because many cataract patients have weak or degenerated focusing muscles due to too many years with a hardened lens) is implant lenses with multiple focus -- like combining zones from three or four lenses into one. Apparently, after some acclimation time, the brain filters out (most of) the residual blur from the multiple focal lengths, just as it will filter a slight cross-eye or astigmatism (most of the time).

My own preference, and something I need to discuss with my ophthalmologist next visit, is eye drops that are officially sold as supplements that have been demonstrated to shrink cataracts over time (a year or so initially). There are approved drops that do this for dogs, but FDA has not yet approved the one for humans -- however, because it's a natural amino acid, it can be sold over the counter as a suppplement. Last I checked, it costs about $80 for a 90 day supply, which is WAY cheap compared to even the copay for cataract surgery...

 

[BobUK]

Sooner or later you will need glasses for slightly further distances, and eventually for distance too. My recommendation is to go for good quality (eg Zeiss) varifocals sooner rather than later. Wearing glasses all the time is a bore, but taking them on and off is worse

Varifocals do get a bit of getting used to.
When I got my first pair the optician asked me if I was a carpenter or similar occupation.
The reason is that straight lines appear curved. Not much good when trying to find a straight piece of wood.
My brother was a fireman, and he told me varifocals were not allowed in his job due to the lower area of the lenses being out of focus when looking straight ahead. A fireman new to varifocals had walked off a roof as he was not aware of where his feet were trading.
I wouldn't go back to readers and distance sets of glasses though, varifocals for me.

 

[Dan Fromm]

I wouldn't go back to readers and distance sets of glasses though, varifocals for me.

Why not bi- or trifocals?

 

[wiltw]

Current technology lens implants go three ways on this. One method is to make the two eyes focus differently -- one at infinity, the other at reading distance (or computer distance), similar to what's often done with Lasik surgery for patients of bifocal age. A second is implant lenses that actually flex similarly to the way the natural lens does, and are attached to the same muscles. The third way (more common than the second, possibly because many cataract patients have weak or degenerated focusing muscles due to too many years with a hardened lens) is implant lenses with multiple focus -- like combining zones from three or four lenses into one. Apparently, after some acclimation time, the brain filters out (most of) the residual blur from the multiple focal lengths, just as it will filter a slight cross-eye or astigmatism (most of the time).

My own preference, and something I need to discuss with my ophthalmologist next visit, is eye drops that are officially sold as supplements that have been demonstrated to shrink cataracts over time (a year or so initially). There are approved drops that do this for dogs, but FDA has not yet approved the one for humans -- however, because it's a natural amino acid, it can be sold over the counter as a suppplement. Last I checked, it costs about $80 for a 90 day supply, which is WAY cheap compared to even the copay for cataract surgery...

Thanks for listing the generic ways in which distance vs. near vision is handled in conjunction with cataract surgery. As I have been living with monovision (right eye far, left eye near) via soft contacts for almost 20 years without problem, that might be the best approach for me to take.

 

[guangong]

Interesting!...given the muscles in the eye are responsible for altering the shape of the natural lens, so it adjusts for near vision, and this adjustment capacity diminishes as we age and the natural lens stiffens...one would not think that a replacement lens would have the ability to alter its shape, too.

Although in my late 80s I find no difficulty with far distance viewing as well as close up wearing contact lenses. For example, while sitting at my front lawn yesterday I was able to follow birds perching in trees about a 100 feet away, and then immediately turn my eyes to consult a Chinese dictionary with fonts that closely resemble the warnings on prescription medication.

 

[cowanw]

Varifocals do get a bit of getting used to.
When I got my first pair the optician asked me if I was a carpenter or similar occupation.
The reason is that straight lines appear curved. Not much good when trying to find a straight piece of wood.
My brother was a fireman, and he told me varifocals were not allowed in his job due to the lower area of the lenses being out of focus when looking straight ahead. A fireman new to varifocals had walked off a roof as he was not aware of where his feet were trading.
I wouldn't go back to readers and distance sets of glasses though, varifocals for me.

On the other hand, assuming your straight ahead vision is infinity, you might actually want to see what you are stepping on and your feet might be, say, 5 feet away from your eyes.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Current technology lens implants go three ways on this. One method is to make the two eyes focus differently -- one at infinity, the other at reading distance (or computer distance), similar to what's often done with Lasik surgery for patients of bifocal age. A second is implant lenses that actually flex similarly to the way the natural lens does, and are attached to the same muscles. The third way (more common than the second, possibly because many cataract patients have weak or degenerated focusing muscles due to too many years with a hardened lens) is implant lenses with multiple focus -- like combining zones from three or four lenses into one. Apparently, after some acclimation time, the brain filters out (most of) the residual blur from the multiple focal lengths, just as it will filter a slight cross-eye or astigmatism (most of the time).

My own preference, and something I need to discuss with my ophthalmologist next visit, is eye drops that are officially sold as supplements that have been demonstrated to shrink cataracts over time (a year or so initially). There are approved drops that do this for dogs, but FDA has not yet approved the one for humans -- however, because it's a natural amino acid, it can be sold over the counter as a suppplement. Last I checked, it costs about $80 for a 90 day supply, which is WAY cheap compared to even the copay for cataract surgery...

I had one cataract removed and has two eyes focusing differently unless I put it a contact lens. I found that without the other eye being corrected have two different focal lengths was the worst of all worlds. All of the so called advantages were very annoying disadvantages and I would only recommend it only to my worst enemies and possibly not even then.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I had one cataract removed and has two eyes focusing differently unless I put it a contact lens. I found that without the other eye being corrected have two different focal lengths was the worst of all worlds. All of the so called advantages were very annoying disadvantages and I would only recommend it only to my worst enemies and possibly not even then.

Why didn't you do the other eye?

 

[skahde]

Adapting aging view to your camera is straighforward once you understood what's going on. If you adjust the finder-image to be virtually at infinity you shouldn't have any problems when you lost the ability to adapt for closer objects but still have a sharp view at far objects.

Every finder with a fixed arrangement presents its image at some virtual distance which is calculated as 1 divided by the dioptrien-value of the finder in meters. With Nikon the picture is virtually in a distance of 1 m (finder is -1 dioptrien 1/1 = 1) with later Bronicas it is 0,67 m (-1.5 diotprien, 1/1.5 = 0,67). If you buy a correction-lens it will indicate the resulting power of the whole finder, not its actual power as a single lens (exceptions may exist, I have yet to encounter them).

Example: If you have a correction-lens inscribed "-0,5", it will produce an image when used with the finder in a virtual distance of two meters 1/0.5 = 2.
(This will probably be a sufficient correction for most older guys, it certainly is for me.)
This lens alone will have an optical power of +8.5 dioptrien when measuerd if it's for a Bronica.
If you get yourself the common "0"-correction lens for Nikon it will produce a picture virtually at infinity with the finder (1/0 = error ), but the lens itself has a power of +1.

Now you also know how to use your prescription: Look up the dioptrien-value of your finder in the manual and counteract it with a prescription to get the finder-image "zeroed in" for an image at infinity.

 

[guangong]

The upshot of the contributions to this thread is to find and trust the judgement the best optometrist available. My own optometrist is considered by his peers to be one of the very best in NYC. I found him over 40 years ago after a series of optometrists were unable to properly correct my vision. He lives and breaths optometry.
In questions of health I have found that finding the best practitioner, no matter the cost, is in the long run, the best way to go. Life is a one way trip.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why didn't you do the other eye?

The second eye's cataract was not very developed at the time and it took five years until it needed to be removed.

 

[wiltw]

On the other hand, assuming your straight ahead vision is infinity, you might actually want to see what you are stepping on and your feet might be, say, 5 feet away from your eyes.

I presume you are arguing the point in favor of the use of varifocals. The problem I find with multifocal lenses of any type (varifocal, bi-, trifocal) is that when going down stairs it entails looking thru the lower area of the lenses (near vision), so you are seeing focused for 1-2' when your feet and stairs are 5-6' away. What works reasonably while driving (upper lens see far, lower lens sees dash) is not so great going downstairs. OTOH this poses no issues for my wife, who does wear blended bifocals.

 

[cowanw]

Yes, everybody's mileage varies, but a fireman walking off a roof because of bifocals may not be the best basis for a rule if in deed it is not a new urban myth.
I worked in a hospital that had a very long underground tunnel with a longwise pattern on the floor. When I first got multifocals the floor spread apart like two separating parabola. I instinctively knew to walk in the middle, eh!

 

[Donald Qualls]

a fireman walking off a roof because of bifocals

When I got my first pair of bifocals, I was strongly cautioned by the optician to use my old glasses to drive, until I'd worn the bifocals for a few days. I've never had trouble with stairs or drop-offs with either bifocals or my current progressives (same as varifocals?), though.

 

[Sirius Glass]

When I got my first pair of bifocals, I was strongly cautioned by the optician to use my old glasses to drive, until I'd worn the bifocals for a few days. I've never had trouble with stairs or drop-offs with either bifocals or my current progressives (same as varifocals?), though.

I started with varifocals and both stairs and the distortion when I looked left or right bothered me for a while.

 

[snusmumriken]

I used to run all stairs two steps at a time, up and down, a knack I learned at school, which became a matter of pride. Becoming dependent on varifocals really messed up my downstairs speed. I also developed vertigo, something I had never suffered with (eg I worked as a tree surgeon in my youth).