What is the optometrist talking about?

[plansrme]

I took my 12 yo in for a new eye exam today so that she can get contacts. She has a glasses prescription of about -4.something for each eye. After the exam today, with new contacts in, she could not see nearly as well as with her glasses. The optometrist says that it is because she over focuses, or something like that, and that a stronger prescription would just make it worse--the prescriptions would have to get stronger and stronger to accommodate. His suggestions are to have her wear prescription reading glasses for reading to help her eyes relax when she focuses close, or to put her in bifocal contacts. I have never heard of such a thing, but I know someone here has. Any input welcome!

 

Terri

[Donna]

When I was young my eye doctor mentioned something like this. He always gave me a prescription slightly less than I felt was perfect because he said I would always want a stronger prescription. There was something also with getting used to the contacts because the correction was right on my eyes as opposed to further away with glasses but it was a long time ago (I was 12yo then). My prescriptions did always need to be stronger each year until I had lasix about 12 years ago because my eyes were too bad to be corrected with contacts. Now my eyes are getting bad again.

[PeterPan]

You know, once you start talking issues with convergence and how the eyes are focusing, I would want that 2nd opinion from a developmental optometrist. COVD is where you find them.

[Celia]

There's a few different things that could be going on here. Was your dd's vision okay at a distance, or much worse all around? Has she tried wearing them for a while at home (gradually increasing the time daily) to see how she adjusts?

 

She shouldn't need bifocal contacts at her age. There are times when that's needed for kids, but it's not common, and is generally needed in the glasses as well.

[LostSurprise]

I have something similar to this. I overfocus and cross the center line of vision (going slightly cross eyed when I read or do computer work). It gives me a headache.

 

Doctor said it would get better when I get reading glasses/bifocals. The difference forces my eyes to let up on their focus.

 

I have a pair of glasses -1 off my prescription for reading and computer use since I don't need reading glasses yet. Its nice. No more nauseous headaches. I use them like other people use reading glasses.

[plansrme]

I have something similar to this. I overfocus and cross the center line of vision (going slightly cross eyed when I read or do computer work). It gives me a headache.

 

Doctor said it would get better when I get reading glasses/bifocals. The difference forces my eyes to let up on their focus.

 

I have a pair of glasses -1 off my prescription for reading and computer use since I don't need reading glasses yet. Its nice. No more nauseous headaches. I use them like other people use reading glasses.

 

 

This sounds like exactly what he was talking about--the crossing the center line of vision, as you have described it. That makes a lot more sense than what I think of as overfocusing. He kept saying she would get headaches and the bifocals would help with that, but she doesn't get headaches. She is not one to suffer silently, so if she did, I would know. We would all know...

 

Thanks for the input--that makes a lot more sense.

 

Terri

[plansrme]

You know, once you start talking issues with convergence and how the eyes are focusing, I would want that 2nd opinion from a developmental optometrist. COVD is where you find them.

 

 

That's sort of what I was thinking as well. I will look into it.

 

Terri

[laundrycrisis]

She shouldn't need bifocal contacts at her age. There are times when that's needed for kids, but it's not common, and is generally needed in the glasses as well.

 

 

I needed bifocals in high school and college. They didn't have bifocal contacts yet back then, so it had to be glasses, or normal contacts plus reading glasses. Then after college, I didn't need them, for many years.

 

Now I need them again. Have to get this done soon. I literally can't read with my glasses on and I have to wear reading glasses when my contacts are in. With nothing in, I can read very well but can't see very far.

 

I'll tell you what though, this "one for near, one for far" nonsense that some optometrists recommend for contact wearers - is NOT happening here! After a long, very hard, expensive journey to help our son achieve binocular vision, I treasure it.

[plansrme]

Just Googling last night, I kept coming across these studies that bifocal contacts in adolescents can stop the progression of nearsightedness. That isn't what our optometrist was talking about, but it was interesting nonetheless.

 

Terri

[Alexigail]

This is what happens with my eyes too. The muscles used to focus are very tight so the prescription is hard to nail down. I use reading glasses.

[plansrme]

This is what happens with my eyes too. The muscles used to focus are very tight so the prescription is hard to nail down. I use reading glasses.

 

Do you wear reading glasses with your contacts? And it helps?

 

Terri