Are there ways to maintain/improve eyesight?

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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I've gotten to 39 with ~20/20 vision and no need for lenses.
I realize at this age, it is atypical to keep going w/o lenses of some sort.

Are there things one can do to help keep or improve eyesight?

I will be a danger to people on the road before I will ever get a pair of glasses because I will just lose them All the time.

How long can one keep their eyes in good shape?
 
Presbyopia gets almost all males eventually. And you won't forget the glasses because you won't be able to read anything without them. If you can get away with cheap readers from the store, you'll just have ten pair of them and they'll be stashed everywhere, like flashlights.
 
Disclaimer: Been wearing glasses (or contacts but I hated them) since I was five.

But last year was the "welcome to wearing bifocals" age.

I'm only a few years ahead of you.
 
Healthy diet, increasing leafy greens such a spinach.

Avoid diabetes and other adult onset and preventable diseases that mess with eyes.

Take periodic breaks from computer monitor to look at something in the distance.
 
I know how to make it worse and put hair on the old palm at the same time..:p

I always heard Carrots were good for eye sight however I don't know if that's fact or fiction. Isn't weed supposed to be good too?
 
Don't weld without UV protection. Dont climb glaciers without UV protection. Don't do foundry work without IR protective glasses. Dont work with your stash of radium and cobalt60 nuggets without eye protection. Dont get diabetes. Don't get high blood pressure. Don't be white and old.

That's pretty much it. Presbyopia is going to get you, that's when your arms start to get too short to hold the newspaper. Cataracts are also going to get you eventually, aside from the things noted above, there is little you can do to avoid it. Some folks make it to 90 without their cataracts becoming an issue, but they still have them.

Some guy here on POA is going to try to sell you on his nutritional supplements to dissolve cataracts. It's like Marvel Mystery oil or Avblend, but for your eyes.

There is a combination of vitamins that has shown to have some protective effect on folks at risk for macular (retina) degeneration. The study went by the acronym AREDS and the vitamin mix is known by that handle. No harm in taking the antioxidants in the mix in the specified doses.
 
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MotoFlier said:
I always heard Carrots were good for eye sight however I don't know if that's fact or fiction.
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A lack of Vitamin A can cause or aggravate night blindness. If you already have a sufficient supply of vitamin A from other sources, eating additional carrots is not going to improve your eyesight.

Isn't weed supposed to be good too?
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THC does lower the pressure in the eye by a couple of points, far less than prescription meds designed for the job. This reduced pressure may beneficial in patients with glaucoma. The THC effect is very transient, so in order to maintain a persistenly lowered intraocular pressure, you have to remain stoned 24/7.
 
weilke said:
The THC effect is very transient, so in order to maintain a persistenly lowered intraocular pressure, you have to remain stoned 24/7.
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I don't see the problem here! :)

Bryan, you're obviously not an AOPA member. If you were, and read their rag, you'd know that there is a magic pill that will save your eyesight well into your 100s. The ads even have testimonials from pilots telling you how wonderful it it and how it saved/brought back their eyesight. Pilots with names like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

Pacific Health brings you Claroxan in every issue:

http://www.pachealth.com/Pacific-Health-Vitamins-and-Supplements-s/78.htm

More medical MMO.

But, hey, if it helps Stevie and Ray then who am I to judge?
 
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Other than the obvious advice of "all things in moderation" there is nothing you can do to stop the aging of your tissues and the loss of elasticity of the lens.
So don't worry, be happy - and keep a firm grip on your wallet when the magic pill/potion/diet/appliance purveyors come around
I still pass my flight medical in my 70's - with glasses of course as I am legally blind without them @ 20/200.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I've gotten to 39 with ~20/20 vision and no need for lenses.
I realize at this age, it is atypical to keep going w/o lenses of some sort.

Are there things one can do to help keep or improve eyesight?

I will be a danger to people on the road before I will ever get a pair of glasses because I will just lose them All the time.

How long can one keep their eyes in good shape?
Click to expand...

I made it to 43. I wonder since you're asking if you aren't there already. :)

I had no idea you could be farsighted and not know it.(and be able to see clearly near and far) I just started noticing more and more eye strain working on the computer all day. After much trial and error with the eye Dr., I ended up with a weak prescription which works for any distance(sunglasses) and makes my eyes feel relaxed. I got the next increment stronger for working on the computer all day that I leave at work.
 
Heh, heh, heh.

Just wait.

You think you look cool now? Wait until you start using clip on magnifiers on top of your bifocals. Now, that's a trend setting look.

(bifocals are the epitome of suckisity when you are working under a car, welding, or working on something close.)
 
I don't know if it will help this specific problem, but most sunglasses block UV very well, and wearing them as much as possible when outdoors can only help. I have a pretty constant raccoon look in the summer
 
jimbilly said:
I made it to 43. I wonder since you're asking if you aren't there already. :)
.
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I don't think so. Wife was just giving me crap on my birthday saying I'm 1 year away from glasses.

Ive always had really great vision and if possible to preserve it as long as I can I would like to have that option.
 
MotoFlier said:
I know how to make it worse and put hair on the old palm at the same time..:p

I always heard Carrots were good for eye sight however I don't know if that's fact or fiction. Isn't weed supposed to be good too?
Click to expand...

My Dad said his eyesight was not good enough for the Army Air Corps (WWII) but he improved his eyesight by drinking carrot juice and got in. He said he drank so much his skin started to turn orange. My Mom confirmed that.
 
I just went the other direction!
Been wearing glasses since I was in 2nd grade (turned 64 last week). I just had cataract surgery completed in both eyes, and for the first time in my life I DON'T need glasses! I expected to need reading glasses, but can read the newspaper and computer screen just fine. For really close, small stuff I need cheaters. I go in 2 weeks to see what my vision tests out to be. May not be 20/20, but I expect it to be better than 20/40, which will mean no correction needed for driving or flying (3rd class medical) :goofy:
 
Simple. Keep your hands off it. How'd we get this far without a masturbation joke?
 
20 years or more ago I faced this same question. Being very light skin, I'm always careful of sun exposure. Wore hats, UV block sunglasses, limited computer screen time. Ate fairly well, and basically took care of my vision, knowing that as a pilot it's a critical component of my ability to fly.

Well, I made it to about 45, but I was using WalMart reading glasses at night, and at work a few years before breaking down and getting prescription lenses. The final straw was blazing down a ski slope with bright sunlight and my dark goggles on and I hit a woopdeedoo unprepared. After I got up and found my skis and put everything back together, I went to the eye doc and it was - wonderful. I now wear bifocals, so the short answer is - no, there's nothing you can do. About all I suggest is not staring at the TV in low light all night. That seems to be the worst situation for slow damage.
 
There is always Lasic. I grew up with 20/400 vision with astigmatism and had Lasic, and have had 20/15 vision since. Best thing I ever did for my eyes.
 
I had 20/700 (at least). Lasik doc said I was his record setter. I have 20/20 in my right eye and 20/30 in my left. Of course, now I need readers...never did before...but at least I can easily function without glasses...unlike before.
 
The need for readers is a separate issue. Normally, your vision is corrected at infinity focus, and the eye's muscular focal system will focus close in. When it loses it's ability to do that, you can still see fine past whatever the focal length is (two or three feet) but need readers to correct for the close in vision.

Some people get their vision corrected for close in vision. That, in my opinion, is kind of stupid because then you need glasses for everything else.
 
My eye doc is great about educating his patients. It's like a mini-lecture every year. The gist of it is that it's a normal part of aging. Until I started working here I didn't understand what people who wore glasses saw w/o their glasses on. Sitting here staring at a monitor 8 hours a day...and a year later I was wearing glasses and have to get a new prescription every few years.

I asked him about Lasik once, how it worked, etc. He explained that a laser is used to change the curvature to mimic glasses. Naturally, I asked that since I need new glasses every few years, how could Lasik be a permanent fix. "It's not."

That was all I needed to hear. I think I'm better looking with glasses anyway. :)
 
Always had 20/20, hit 42 and started to get eye strain headaches at work. Then one night went downstairs to get some medicine for one of the kids, and couldn't read writing on the bottle.

On the other side my dad had glasses his whole life and after cataract surgery didn't need them anymore. Was so strange to see him without them on.
 
I also grew up with either glasses or contacts because of myopia (nearsightedness). But I made it to 55 without needing cheaters. My eye doctor was envious...
 
While we are on the subject, what are some suggestions for inexpensive eyeglasses?

I seem to get ripped off every time I buy new glasses. $500 for a couple of pieces of plastic and some metal for the frames? Ridiculous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Have a look at this book by Dr. Beresford et al.

Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses

51uEz2m7-zL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


It describes a number of eye exercises which helped me shed my glasses about 14 years ago, though my prescription was not very strong to begin with (-1.5 R/L). The 117 customer reviews speak to others' results. At the very least, the exercises may be useful in maintaining your eyesight.
 
dell30rb said:
I don't know if it will help this specific problem, but most sunglasses block UV very well, and wearing them as much as possible when outdoors can only help. I have a pretty constant raccoon look in the summer
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UV plays a role in one type of cataract (PSC) and is believed to play a role in AMD (macular degeneration). So yes, wear good sunglasses anytime it is bright outside (you can have UV with an overcast, doesnt have to be direct sunlight).
 
RalphInCA said:
While we are on the subject, what are some suggestions for inexpensive eyeglasses?

I seem to get ripped off every time I buy new glasses. $500 for a couple of pieces of plastic and some metal for the frames? Ridiculous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Zenni online, they're cheap, but they're cheap. If they suck, throw them out, try again. You might waste $20 to find out. They work for me. (and I have a $200+ pair I got from the optometrist on the shelf right beside me gathering dust).
 
jimbilly said:
Zenni online, they're cheap, but they're cheap. If they suck, throw them out, try again. You might waste $20 to find out. They work for me. (and I have a $200+ pair I got from the optometrist on the shelf right beside me gathering dust).
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I use Zenni Optical for prescription sunglasses. I am quite impressed, considering the price. Plus, I never again have to deal with crushing a pair of expensive Ray Bans.
 
RalphInCA said:
While we are on the subject, what are some suggestions for inexpensive eyeglasses?
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Sams Club optical. Walmart optical. Target optical. Costco optical.

The way to end up with $500 glasses is to get upsold on coatings and superfragilicious scratch resistant polycarbonate lenses. Opticians will work hard to talk you out of conventional glass lenses. Lineless bifocals are another way to spend money, so if you can live with changing glasses to read, a set of monofocals for far and some readers is an option.

Most frames are made in the same three factories in china. Many of the different brands you are looking at in the case at a optical store are made by the same company: Luxottica.

On the retail side, in recent years, Luxottica has aggressively bought out regional optical chains and optometrist owned optical stores. 85% of the retail market is controlled by the top 10 chains, Walmart/Sams is #2 in that lineup.

This article is a couple of years old, but if you ever wondered who owns the different chains, you can find them listed in the table on page 2 (so if you ever wondered why Pearle Vision and Lenscrafters kind of have the same selection, it is because they are both owned by the same racket):

http://www.visionmonday.com/CMSDocuments/2013/5/cover_story_VM052013.pdf
 
All my sunglasses I buy with 2.0 bifocals built in on the lower edge.

They're great for flying.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Heh, heh, heh.

Just wait.

You think you look cool now? Wait until you start using clip on magnifiers on top of your bifocals. Now, that's a trend setting look.

(bifocals are the epitome of suckisity when you are working under a car, welding, or working on something close.)
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And watching TV reclined. Ha. I keep the old non-bifocal pair on the stand next to the chair for that.
 
Ive always been told if your over 40 and not wearing glasses your are lying to yourself. Im about to be 38 and have worn contacts since 2004. I didn't even know I needed them until I got em. wow what a difference. haha However the closer I get to 40 the more Im realizing im needing a flashlight in places at work I didn't use to. That's depressing!
 
I had an optometrist in the early 90's that told me the eyes are like your muscles and if you start using a crutch you'll end up in a wheel chair.

He gave me a bunch of exercises and started me on the plan to go without glasses as long as possible.

I'll be 50 in March and still do not use corrective lenses. Most recent Third Class my vision wasn't discussed.

At this point I'm thinking I may need corrective lenses if I want a Second Class medical, but I'll wait to cross that bridge and keep "exercising" my eyes.


daemon said:
Have a look at this book by Dr. Beresford et al.

Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses

51uEz2m7-zL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


It describes a number of eye exercises which helped me shed my glasses about 14 years ago, though my prescription was not very strong to begin with (-1.5 R/L). The 117 customer reviews speak to others' results. At the very least, the exercises may be useful in maintaining your eyesight.
Click to expand...
 
Just a layman here, so feel free to correct me if I have any of this wrong...

1) I recall reading that all living cells need nutrients to stay alive, and waste products removed, this accomplished either directly or indirectly via blood supply. But the cells in the lens cannot be supplied by blood, so they die from the inside out. And so, as we age, the lens becomes more and more comprised of dead cells, and so less flexible. Hence the "normal" need for reading glasses in one's 40's. I even recall reading that that process has already started in an unborn infant.

2) That myopia and presbyopia are caused by a misshapen eye or lens or both:

refractive-errors-diagram.png


Muscles do work to focus the lens, but can only do so much. It's hard to imagine how exercise would help b, c, or d above, except in very borderline cases. And further, the caution not to sit too close to a tv because "it will ruin your eyes" is an Old Wive's Tale.

Again, I'd appreciate being set straight if any of this is wrong, but I think I may be able to find sources.
 
FastEddieB said:
1) I recall reading that all living cells need nutrients to stay alive, and waste products removed, this accomplished either directly or indirectly via blood supply. But the cells in the lens cannot be supplied by blood, so they die from the inside out.
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There are very few cells in the lens. Most of them are in a layer called the lens epithelium along the front layer of the lens. Those cells do receive nutrients and oxygen via the clear fluid (aqueus humor) in the anterior chamber of the eye. Those cells control the amount of water in the lens. The bulk of the lens consists of lens fibers which are cells that have lost their nuclei (the part that has the DNA) and are not able to reproduce or even make much of anything. They just sit there and contain the protein that in combination with just the right amount of water allow the lens to be both pliable and clear. To maintain that condition, they have to get a little bit of energy for the water pumping mechanism to work.
There are different kinds of catarct. Some develop from the back end of the lens, some from the center and some from the frontal pole. The main mechanism is that proteins that are supposed to be straight strands with water around them start to clump together which allows them to scatter light, also the protein fragments form a brown pigment that scatters light.


And so, as we age, the lens becomes more and more comprised of dead cells, and so less flexible. Hence the "normal" need for reading glasses in one's 40's.
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Whoever figures out what actually causes presbyopia will die a rich man.


2) That myopia and presbyopia are caused by a misshapen eye or lens or both:
Click to expand...
Myopia is an eye that is too long relative to the curvature of the cornea (the clear window up front) and the strength of the natural lens.
Hyperopia is an eye that is too short relative to the curvature of the cornea and the strength of the natural lens.
Presbyopia is the loss of the ability of the lens to re-shape to change the focal point from far to near.

So you can be one of the two:
hyperopic and presbyopic
or
myopic and presbyopic

....at the same time. Some myopic patients can compensate for quite a long time for the development of presbyopia. They just lose the ability to see far and may or may not care about what goes on more than 3 ft from their face :wink2: .
 
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