Help! I'm going blind

[Nick Hope 151]

OK, I admit defeat. I can't focus on my u/w monitor anymore

 

"Presbyopia", I've heard. Now I don't know if that's a fancy term for excessive self-abuse or what but I can no longer tell if my focus is sharp or not.

 

I took this as an excuse to visit those ladies at Top Charoen Optical etc. and get a freebie test. In 30 mins I managed to rack up 4 different results at 4 different shops. +.5, +.75, +1.0 and +1.25. Perhaps the sight of those tailored uniforms was destroying my sight as I went along.

 

So what should I do about it? Contact lenses? Prescription lenses? Plastic things that stick to the mask? Laser surgery? Whopping great magnifier in front of the monitor???

 

Honestly I'm totally clueless about this as I never thought it would happen to me. All suggestions, serious or otherwise, welcome.

Edited April 24, 2009 by Nick Hope

[Aussiejosho 9]

Bugger! Sorry to hear your peepers are failing you Nick.

 

If lasers will work for you, take that option. I only have second-hand experience with it but it seems to be the perfect solution for those lucky enough to have a laser-fixable problem.

 

If not, get a whopping big screen, figure out a way to house it, and post the answer here for the rest of us.

 

Good luck mate

Josh

 

OK, I admit defeat. I can't focus on my u/w monitor anymore

 

"Presbyopia", I've heard. Now I don't know if that's a fancy term for excessive self-abuse or what but I can no longer tell if my focus is sharp or not.

 

I took this as an excuse to visit those ladies at Top Charoen Optical etc. and get a freebie test. In 30 mins I managed to rack up 4 different results at 4 different shops. +.5, +.75, +1.0 and +1.25. Perhaps the sight of those tailored uniforms was destroying my sight as I went along.

 

So what should I do about it? Contact lenses? Prescription lenses? Plastic things that stick to the mask? Laser surgery? Whopping great magnifier in front of the monitor???

 

Honestly I'm totally clueless about this as I never thought it would happen to me. All suggestions, serious or otherwise, welcome.

[Probie 0]

Ive heard that to much hand use causes blindness but am yet to suffer any problems

[jeremypayne 0]

If lasers will work for you, take that option. I only have second-hand experience with it but it seems to be the perfect solution for those lucky enough to have a laser-fixable problem.

I'm not there ... yet ... but I did have laser corrective surgery for myopia ... and it was AMAZING ... 3 years later and I am still testing out at almost 20/10.

 

My physician has been pioneering laser for presbyopia ... here's an article about it ... Sandra Belmont ... she's a leading expert. We may not have any nice diving in NYC, but we have good doctors ...

 

http://ophthalmologytimes.modernmedicine.c...e/detail/130091

[Guest cor]

Julie had laser surgery 5+ years ago. Still going strong. She had +3ish.

 

Cor

[Nick Hope 151]

Cheers folks.

 

OK, so while I'm in the queue for the laser surgery and saving up for the huge screen, what about the other options.

[DeanB 19]

Keep your hands off 'little Nick'...

 

 

I'd say laser... My ex had it done (she was a minus 9) and it was fantastic... Hmmmm 'thats why she left me'...

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

[MikeVeitch 0]

hehehe....

 

old git

 

you should be able to get some of those stick on lenses for the mask in the meantime?

[scorpio_fish 5]

Laser surgery to correct Presbyopia is not a solution unless you replace the whole lens, which is quite expensive and carries higher risks.

 

The prioritization of options depends on your normal vision. I won't waste space elaborating. The key question is what is your current distance vision? No correction, mild correction or strong correction.

[jeremypayne 0]

Laser surgery to correct Presbyopia is not a solution unless you replace the whole lens, which is quite expensive and carries higher risks.

 

The prioritization of options depends on your normal vision. I won't waste space elaborating. The key question is what is your current distance vision? No correction, mild correction or strong correction.

 

I'm not a doctor ... but as explained to me by my physician, this is pretty new stuff:

 

"The procedure involves use of an erbium:YAG laser (OptiVision, SurgiLight) to create eight radial incisions in the sclera. "

 

http://ophthalmologytimes.modernmedicine.c...e/detail/130091

 

Interested to hear your comments on this as I will be a candidate for this in a few years ... and she says when I'm ready, the procedure will be good to go ...

[Nick Hope 151]

...The key question is what is your current distance vision? No correction, mild correction or strong correction.

Distance vision is good

[bruceterrill 0]

Hi Nick,

Your reading vision must be really impaired coz this subject was covered extensively just a couple of weeks ago. . . .

Bruce...

[reubencahn 2]

I've also been told that state of the art at the moment is RLE, in which the the lense is removed and an artificial lense inserted. RLE is expensive, around $3k or more per eye. Reading is problematic for up to a month as you retrain your eye to focus the new lense. Also, even lasik produces problematic results for some people, not many, but some. Like you, my distance vision is fine, and having prescription gauge readers in my mask works well.

[jeremypayne 0]

I've also been told that state of the art at the moment is RLE, in which the the lense is removed and an artificial lense inserted. RLE is expensive, around $3k or more per eye. Reading is problematic for up to a month as you retrain your eye to focus the new lense. Also, even lasik produces problematic results for some people, not many, but some. Like you, my distance vision is fine, and having prescription gauge readers in my mask works well.

 

The new procedure will improve on those results:

"Patients were able to read immediately after surgery, and at 12 months, the group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in near UCVA, with 90% achieving J3 or better. In addition, 100% of eyes had>1 D increased amplitude of accommodation with a mean increase of 2.4 D. One patient with a poor 12-month near vision outcome had resumed spectacle wear. Safety was favorable with no changes in IOP or corneal topography."

[reubencahn 2]

The new procedure will improve on those results:

"Patients were able to read immediately after surgery, and at 12 months, the group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in near UCVA, with 90% achieving J3 or better. In addition, 100% of eyes had>1 D increased amplitude of accommodation with a mean increase of 2.4 D. One patient with a poor 12-month near vision outcome had resumed spectacle wear. Safety was favorable with no changes in IOP or corneal topography."

 

Jeremy, This is very interesting to me. My work involves a lot of reading so the potential one month of reading problems following RLE makes it a non-starter. But in looking at the article, I notice it is from 2004 and yet doctors are still recommending RLE. A quick google search didn't net any more info other than on an experimental surgery developed in Colombia. Is this currently available?

[Steve Douglas 16]

Almost everyone I know who has had laser surgery still has to have glasses for close up work. Then a few years later they all seem to need the surgery again. I had lenses put on my dive mask and they work great.

As for your palms, Gilette Fusion makes great blades for the hair that may be growing there.

Steve

[TheRealDrew 0]

One thing to keep in mind (as Steve mentioned) is that the eyes will change. I spoke to my doctor about laser surgery and was told not yet because my eyes are still changing and I would be back in a few years (2-3).

 

A prescription mask or those sticky things may be worth it. A good prescription mask may be the way to go.

[jeremypayne 0]

Jeremy, This is very interesting to me. My work involves a lot of reading so the potential one month of reading problems following RLE makes it a non-starter. But in looking at the article, I notice it is from 2004 and yet doctors are still recommending RLE. A quick google search didn't net any more info other than on an experimental surgery developed in Colombia. Is this currently available?

I recommend you call and speak with my doctor - she ran the clinical trials and I believe designed the procedure. I believe it may still be awaiting final FDA approval, but I haven't been keeping up as I don't need it yet. Last time we spoke about it, she said: "When you need it, the procedure will be ready."

 

Her name is Dr. Sandra Belmont ... here's her website:

 

http://www.belmonteyecenter.com/

 

and her number (listed on the site) ... +1 212-486-2020

 

Dr. Belmont is the Director of the Resident Refractive Surgical Education/Laser Vision Correction Program and a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine. She served as Director of the Cornea Service and Founding Director of the Laser Vision Correction Center at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University-New York Presbyterian Hospital from 1997 to 2007. She also has operating priviliges at the two prestigious eye surgery hospitals in the city: New York Eye And Ear Infirmary and Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital. As a renowned Manhattan LASIK and cataracts surgeon, she leads a Corneal Surgery Fellowship program, and during the academic year, she has a Fellow with her to train and observe.

Edited April 24, 2009 by jeremypayne

[KimInNB 0]

Bifocal lenses??? That's the path I took a couple of years ago and I'm very happy with it!!

GetWetStore.com has masks that you can get with full lens prescription OR bifocal lenses!!

[Mike L 0]

I wore glasses and contacts from the time I was 9...until I have Lasik done in 07...and it was the best thing Ive ever spent money on. Diving with Contacts is a PIA, but at least I could see. I went from 20/1000 vision (legally blind) to 20/15 within 15 minutes after my surgery..and 2 1/2 years later its still the same. Now mind you yes they did warn me that at a certain time in your life (I am only 26) you will find the need for reading glasses (usually around your mid 40s this starts).

 

In the meantime, its been amazing, and diving after Lasik is a whole new thing. Heck, even if I only get 5-10 years out of it before needing a "fix", its worth it!!

Edited April 25, 2009 by Mike L

[Roger Eve 0]

Nick,

 

Presbyopia is the form of long sight that develops with age (sorry mate). It means your arms aren't long enough!!! At 64 years of age I have had this since I was 40, and it gradually progresses. As others have said any surgery for this will not be permanent. "D" lenses in your mask really will work well, with good distance vision keep the upper part of your mask with plain glass. When I got my housing with a rear monitor I found I had to update my mask "D"s as my prescription had changed over the ten years since I had had that mask. Now all is in focus again You will soon get the hang of looking through the upper mask for distance and switching to the "D"s for close up viewing of your monitor and gauges etc.

 

My wife has a contact lens she uses in one eye and uses this for her near vision and the other eye she uses for distance. I gather the girls are better at this than us blokes

 

Cheers

 

Roger

[scorpio_fish 5]

While Hyperopia (far sightedness) and Presbyopia may be characterized the same way, the actual condition is quite different. Hyperopia can be reduced through refractive surgery whereas Presbyopia cannot, not withstanding Jeremy's reference to an ongoing FDA approval process.

 

Even if such a procedure were to be approved in a timely manner (not easy to predict with the FDA), the procedure will be new, costly and done by a limited number of surgeons. The other factor in any new procedure is the long term results, which can't be known from the clinical trial for quite some time. Also not known is what are the necessary pre-conditions for being a candidate for the procedure.

 

Lens replacement will correct the problem, but this procedure is well beyond current Lasik procedures in terms of difficulty, cost and possible negative outcomes. It is without a doubt the best option for those who develop cataracts or other conditions which damage the lens itself. Despite the universal success rates of LASIK, there are still some risks in the procedure. RLE entails even more risk.

 

The OP has Presbyopia, a condition that gets worse over time. He has normal vision otherwise. The course of action I would recommend is fairly simple. Add a stick-on diopter to his mask. It is then important to determine what setup works best, so you need to dive with it to determine 1) whether you prefer one or two and 2) how large an area you want the diopter to cover. The plastic stick-on type can be trimmed.

 

Once you have determined what works best, the next option is whether to get a prescription mask with the diopter built in. If you need additional correction, I would normally recommend it, but if all you need is the diopter, I would just go with the stick-ons unless there is compelling reason to make a change. All of this is a personal choice.

 

You will also find you don't need quite the corrective power underwater as above, so go with the lower power correction to start.

 

RE: contact lenses. Prior to LASKIK surgery, I dived with contact lenses. As presbyopia reared its ugly head, I switched to bi-focal contacts. I found it a bit of a compromise. Neither distance nor close-up vision was perfectly sharp, yet I could function well with them. Granted, neither my myopia or presbyopia were severe. Oddly, the same exact specification from one manufacturer significantly outperformed another manufacturer.

[wolfeeldiver 7]

Distance vision is good

So.. your distance vision is good, but cant focus on the monitor. Sounds like old age creeping up on you?

 

It has creeped up on me, and I the last year or so, I could no longer read my housing monitor, the lens on my Nikonos, nor my gages.

To remedy this I had installed into my mask some "executive readers" at the bottom 1/3 or 1/2 of the mask. I works great for video. Now I can read my gages, and monitor, etc.. I had my lenss installed by a place in San Diego California at http://www.prescriptiondivemasks.com/

Check out the executive readers type. I had I think my lenses were only +.25 or so. I went to the eye doctor, and had him help me figure out the required strength.

[CamDiver 5]

In the same boat. I need reading glasses at the mo but only +1.25

 

I find the eyepiece, probably the tool of my undoing, is still fine as I can set that to focus for my vision, the monitor is still hi rez and not HD so better to use eyepiece IMHO.

 

Place the monitor as far forward on your housing as I have done on my Gates, seems to work better.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

[Nick Hope 151]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

The Trident Dive Optx lens inserts look worth a try first.

 

Some (mostly positive) positive reviews here.

 

Anyone any experience of these? Anyone used a different brand of "D" inserts?