Alrightly then - I’m going to be 50 in October. I am near-sighted (in other words, I see things closely fine, but my distance vision sucks). I’ve been wearing single vision glasses for 20-years, bi-focals for 2-years, and switched to contacts w/reading glasses 3-months ago. I am considering Lasik surgery. Most fly tyers my age are wearing glasses and some using magnifying diopters. What is your experience or recommendation regarding the best method to enhance and protect my vision for fly tying. I figure if I can get that part correct, tying size #20 midges on 6X will be no problem. Thanks.
PS - I miss the days of my youth when a prairie dog at 300 yards was easily in my field of vision.
I’m nearsighted too, and just take off my glasses and get close to my work. I have considered lasik, but am afraid I won’t be able to have my close vision anymore. If you can work with your optician and get a pair of reading glasses with a real strong near reading Rx, like + 3.50 - +4.00 you should be able to see up close.
I am exactly in that same postion as you JDW, but only 5 years older. Am considering the laser thing but am looking for pros and cons about it. I certainly don’t want to lose any vision, epecially when casting for Largemouths at dusk. Heck I can’t tie a size 18 or smaller now, so that part won’t bother me…lol
The typical Lasix surgery is designed to improve distance vision. It works well (as my wife will attest to), however the trade off is somewhat of a deterioration in close vision. If you already are used to wearing reading glasses then it is not that big of a deal because you will only need to change the strength of your reading glasses. If you are like me who has trouble seeing a small fly at a distance but can read and tie flies without reading glasses, then you will just be changing wearing glasses for distance to wearing glasses for close up. For me the trade off wasn’t worth it…yet.
regards,
Keith
“Time’s fun when you’re having flies.” Kermit the Frog
Find an opthamologist you trust, and ask him the same questions you voiced here.
Lasik is not the cure all for everyone. Though I would love to have it done, my opthamologist said I am not a candidate. I believe him and will spend my money on high quality prescription sunglasses instead.
If you don’t currently see an opthamologist, ask the optometrist who prescribes your contacts and glasses who he/she would choose for eye surgery.
Above all, remember that you get what you pay for. Opthamologists who advertise cheap surgery specials are not that much different from anyone else holding a clearance sale.
aka Cap’n Yid.
Stev Lenon, 91B20’68-'69
When the dawn came up like thunder
I’m with Slenon, my eyeball is shaped like a football I am told and not a good canidate and there is a trade off of losing alittle of your closeup vision.
Definitely seek the advice of a professional. Then weigh up the pros and cons.
I had Lasik Wavefront treatment on the 5th February and needed treatment in just one eye as the other was pretty much 100%. For the first week the eye was a little sore and dry and I had to take drops etc. Eyesight was a little up and down and I was quite light sensitive. After this initial experience eyesight improved to the extent that I now have pretty much perfect vision. For me it was a success and I am still adjusting to life without glasses; still occasionally reaching to push the frames up the bridge of my nose, only to realise they are not there.
Donated my old specs and prescription sunnies to a charity and bought some cool sunnies when I was over in Florida. Need to now get some eye protection for low light situations.
JME
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Member of B.A.S.S [url=http://www.ukbass.com:96217]http://www.ukbass.com[/url:96217]
I had Lasik surgery some 5 years ago and am delighted.
Basically what it does is make a nearsighted person more like normal which means you will need reading glasses as you get older…that’s the trade off.
As an ophthalmologist told me it depends on “where your world is”. Mine was outdoors hunting, fishing, golf, etc…except for fly tying [for which I use magnification anyway] and tying on flies…that’s an issue and for that I use reading glasses in the 3.50 range as mentioned above…reading menus can be a problem.
The ophthalmologist who is also nearsighted said most of his life was still in the office …reading and whatever so he elected not to have it yet.
It is my understanding that the lasers continue to be perfected so that it is even more reliable now …they are able to map out the cornea better and handle some of those shape problems mentioned above…check out the state of the art of the equipment the doctor you chose has.
Also this is one way to go…operate on only one eye so one is used for distance and one for near…doesn’t appeal to me but a local ophthalmologist says almost 50% of his patients elect that approach.
[This message has been edited by ducksterman (edited 21 March 2005).]
The only thing that concerns me with Lasik is the complete ABSENCE of long term health risk studies.
“The more widely one observes nature, the more it appeals to one’s soul. Why? Because there is a music there; and the wider one’s outlook on life becomes, the deeper one’s understanding of life, the more music one can listen to, the music that
answers the whole universe.” --Inayat Khan
I wear contacts now for driving, outdoors and fishing. I prefer my glasses for reading and fly tying. I use a head magnifier and am very comfterable with it. I try to tie with my contacts in, but after long periods of time and focusing, my contacts get dried out and need to be re-wet. Far as surgery, I am afraid of that. I only have one pair of eyes. It would be my luck that it screws up and affects my eyesight for the worse. Plus getting use to a whole new way of eye sight far as tying goes would really hurt me. I too am also near sighted and only need glasses and contacts for distance. I am very comfterable with my eye sight the way it is currently. The contacts provides me an out so I do not have to wear glasses all the time. I guess it’s to each his own. I feel since there is nothing broke why fix it.
Andy,
That’s what we’re talking about “something that’s broken”…Our eye sight is broken…actually mine isn’t anymore since Lasik…
Everybody has to make their own choices…there are no guarantees …
Sounds to me I was exactly where you are…but still …“to each his own”.
For what it is worth, I listened to a Radio Show on the BBC in America, where an Eye Surgeon was explaining why he does not recommend laser surgery cosmetic reasons (eliminating wearing glasses or contact lens).
Laser Surgury is dangerous, and cannot be repaired if the surgury results in damage to the eye. In Europe (night vision is tested when applying for (or renewing a drivers license). It has been documented that a large percentage of people who have had cosmetic eye surgury, has lost most or all of their night vision, due to the eye surgury. This results in restrictions on their drivers liscense, so they cannot drive a vehicle at night. There are also some who have become legally blind, due to complications, from having laser surgury done.
Laser surgury is not a permanent fix for improvement of vision. Eyeballs shape determine vision, and laser surgury causes scar tissue, which can adversely affect vision, where even wearing prescription glass lens will not help.
I am pretty much the same age as you and I have been wearing glasses for nearsightedness since I was a kid. When tying flies I just remove my glasses and I can see my fly and vise etc. just fine. (Of course I can’t see anything else, LOL.) I keep one of those eyeglass strap things at my tying bench and put them on my glasses so I just drop them and put them back on, depending on what I’m doing.
While I echo the sentiments that only a professional can tell you whether you are a candidate for lasik, I can offer the following from my experience;
I wore spectacles from the age of 4 for nearsighetness, converted to contact lenses in my late teens and then had lasik 3 years ago, in my early 40’s. I am very happy with the outcome, even though I had to have a minor correction in one eye and have left the other slightly undercorrected. The ability to track a golf ball or see a small fly are really worth it in my opinion.
I would note that there is a slight deterioration of my night vision, but it is very slight and no inconvenience at all - even though I have pupils that are slightly larger than average, which is generally where the problems come in. Further, because I chose to have the distance aspect corrected as much as possible, I too am moving into the reading glasses age. I am prepared to live with this.
There are some options to deal with the close work aspect, one of which is to slightly under-correct the distance vision, which will stave off the inevitable. Another option is to correct only one eye for distance, leaving one eye for close work. Apparently this works well, but it messes up depth perception a bit and I did not want to do anything that would affect my ability to play sports.
As a final word, make sure that whoever you go to has done thousands of these and ask for references. I understand that there are a number of doctors who play in this space without the necessary experience.
I had lasik done 3 years ago. I am now 57. I was so nearsighted that I could not see the E on the eye chart. After lasik I can read the writing on the back of a sweetNlow package. My night vision was not real good at first but now it is very good. I still wear a 1.00 reading glasses when tying just to keep from my eyes getting tired. I also shoot for a living and I can see the sights on my pistol much better now. Like everyone else has said, be sure you have a good doctor and follow his instructions. The decision is yours and what you decied is best for you.
I’m 55 (or 56) and my distance glasses are great for everything 3 feet away or further. This is just fine for outdoor activities (until I need to tie a fly on the tippet). I do not wear the bifocals I bought 5 years ago, because I can’t see my feet with the lower part. Instead I have a second pair of glasses which gives me the intermediate distance, 12" to 36" which works well for reading and computer work. Here’s how I do closer work:
When fishing I have a set of magnifiers clipped under the bill of my hat… the 'ol flip-downs.
For fly tying I use the intermediate glasses and slip over a pair of CVS reading glasses… I think they are 1.25, but this is added to the magnification already built into the intermediate glasses.
If I need to get closer to tie even smaller flies, I think I would buy another set of CVS glasses with a higher magnification, like 2.00… and then just use whichever one is optimal for the task…