May 06, 2006
My Head Hurts
I wrote this to myself (planning to blog it) a month or so ago, but I have an update... You should read the original first before you read here.
In a fit of frustration, I told my eye doctor (optometrist) to make me some computer glasses. I figure I didn't have anything to lose and I'm only out $140 if it doesn't do anything. Computer glasses are set for optimal vision around 2 - 3 feet or so. Now the big question is prism. I instructed them to put in a prism of about 4 (2 for each eye). They didn't want to do it. I got my glasses about 5 days ago.
Now that I have my glasses here are some things I've noticed. First, without too much prism, they are really, really light. It's amazing. As expected when I look far away, I can't see things so sharply, but I think I'm pretty good to drive as they still correct quite a bit of my vision.
So I'm on my 4th day of wearing them (more on that) for computer work. I can say that I've felt almost as good as I've felt for almost 2 years. I did have a headache this week, but I think that was from dehydration after jogging. The vision think is improved. I'm almost ready to start playing with my computer again (like this blog post).
I'm left with a thought or two... For years I have gotten checkups for my eyes. For years, doctors say my eyes turn in - no news there. But for years they corrected for this... putting in a little more prism every time. As I reflect on this, I NEVER remember complaining about double vision! So why would they correct for something I never complained about.
After I had that thought, I am wearing the computer glasses all the time now. I think it's helping and I haven't had double vision for 3 or 4 days which is almost a record for the last couple of years.
So I'm left with all these questions, but the US medical system is crafted (not the right word) such that you can't ask questions as you only get the 15 minute time slot and they have to run you through.
Questions:
Why would you correct for something I'm not complaining about?
Is that fact that these reading glasses blurry a long way away making my double vision go away because convergence works together with focus?
Why would 2 doctors get such HUGEly disparate measurements?
Is my low thyroid really messing with my vision too?
Cheers.
---- original intended post ----
Today’s date is Mar 2006 and I have had a headache for almost a year now. Usually I don’t get it until late in the day.
I have worn glasses for many years. My eyes have a slight turn in, and because of that I have prism in my eyeglasses. Prism allows my eyes to turn in and presents the images to each eye such that I don’t see double.
I also work on a computer quite extensively and I’m at an age where reading glasses are getting close to reality for me.
Now I can see up close just fine, and I seem to be able to adjust to far away quite easily, but after a whole day of just living I get a headache. The pain seems to be located just in front of each ear and up a slight bit, but not at the temples and certainly it feels a little more internal than the temples.
I went to the eye doctor about this and he wanted to add more prism. So I did just that and my new glasses made my headaches even worse and tried a whole week to get used to them. If they were supposed to make my headaches go away they did not – so this is my first contra indication.
I then went to a 2nd eye doctor (ophthalmologist) and this person actually verified the optometrists readings except for one key aspect. The ophthalmologist said that my ‘near field’ prism was a setting of 4 (0 would be no prism) and the optometrist said the near field prism setting was about the same as my far field prism (14).
I’ve also gotten some blood work and my thyroid is low which can affect vision, but I’d say this as a root cause is likely low. Well I’m working on it now.
So here are some questions that give me nothing but blank looks when I ask the eye doctors… If my headaches are fatigue from working on a computer, why didn’t they sell me computer glasses first to see if they could fix the problem? If the headaches are caused by muscular strain trying to correct my double vision, then that means my muscles are working and eventually ought to toughen up and I should see correctly? I honestly don’t think the vision industry has a handle on this.
But the fact still remains that my head hurts and has for a whole year. It makes me so tired.
In a fit of frustration, I told my eye doctor (optometrist) to make me some computer glasses. I figure I didn't have anything to lose and I'm only out $140 if it doesn't do anything. Computer glasses are set for optimal vision around 2 - 3 feet or so. Now the big question is prism. I instructed them to put in a prism of about 4 (2 for each eye). They didn't want to do it. I got my glasses about 5 days ago.
Now that I have my glasses here are some things I've noticed. First, without too much prism, they are really, really light. It's amazing. As expected when I look far away, I can't see things so sharply, but I think I'm pretty good to drive as they still correct quite a bit of my vision.
So I'm on my 4th day of wearing them (more on that) for computer work. I can say that I've felt almost as good as I've felt for almost 2 years. I did have a headache this week, but I think that was from dehydration after jogging. The vision think is improved. I'm almost ready to start playing with my computer again (like this blog post).
I'm left with a thought or two... For years I have gotten checkups for my eyes. For years, doctors say my eyes turn in - no news there. But for years they corrected for this... putting in a little more prism every time. As I reflect on this, I NEVER remember complaining about double vision! So why would they correct for something I never complained about.
After I had that thought, I am wearing the computer glasses all the time now. I think it's helping and I haven't had double vision for 3 or 4 days which is almost a record for the last couple of years.
So I'm left with all these questions, but the US medical system is crafted (not the right word) such that you can't ask questions as you only get the 15 minute time slot and they have to run you through.
Questions:
Why would you correct for something I'm not complaining about?
Is that fact that these reading glasses blurry a long way away making my double vision go away because convergence works together with focus?
Why would 2 doctors get such HUGEly disparate measurements?
Is my low thyroid really messing with my vision too?
Cheers.
---- original intended post ----
Today’s date is Mar 2006 and I have had a headache for almost a year now. Usually I don’t get it until late in the day.
I have worn glasses for many years. My eyes have a slight turn in, and because of that I have prism in my eyeglasses. Prism allows my eyes to turn in and presents the images to each eye such that I don’t see double.
I also work on a computer quite extensively and I’m at an age where reading glasses are getting close to reality for me.
Now I can see up close just fine, and I seem to be able to adjust to far away quite easily, but after a whole day of just living I get a headache. The pain seems to be located just in front of each ear and up a slight bit, but not at the temples and certainly it feels a little more internal than the temples.
I went to the eye doctor about this and he wanted to add more prism. So I did just that and my new glasses made my headaches even worse and tried a whole week to get used to them. If they were supposed to make my headaches go away they did not – so this is my first contra indication.
I then went to a 2nd eye doctor (ophthalmologist) and this person actually verified the optometrists readings except for one key aspect. The ophthalmologist said that my ‘near field’ prism was a setting of 4 (0 would be no prism) and the optometrist said the near field prism setting was about the same as my far field prism (14).
I’ve also gotten some blood work and my thyroid is low which can affect vision, but I’d say this as a root cause is likely low. Well I’m working on it now.
So here are some questions that give me nothing but blank looks when I ask the eye doctors… If my headaches are fatigue from working on a computer, why didn’t they sell me computer glasses first to see if they could fix the problem? If the headaches are caused by muscular strain trying to correct my double vision, then that means my muscles are working and eventually ought to toughen up and I should see correctly? I honestly don’t think the vision industry has a handle on this.
But the fact still remains that my head hurts and has for a whole year. It makes me so tired.
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