Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

My eyes ! My eyes !! My beautiful eyes....what’s happening?


Guest chaz2b

Recommended Posts

20 minutes ago, JamesF said:

Interesting that "visual migraines" have been mentioned.  I'd never heard of them.  According a highly reliable internet source (Wikipedia :D there are "visual migraines" and "retinal migraines", the former being an effect in the brain and the latter in the eyeball.

For a few years I've noticed that very occasionally (barely a handful of times a year) most often when I've been out in bright light and come back to sit at my desk I get weird visual artefacts similar to those described, particularly if I'm hungry.  Usually the effect disappears after ten minutes or so, particularly if I eat.  I shall pay more attention next time it happens.

James

Yes, I believe Wiki is correct. Visual migraines/aura are flashing psychedelic multicoloured zig-zag patterns which start in one corner of the fov and slowly drift across. They don't occur in the eyes as such - they are still present if you shut your eyes and are just 'in your head'. They aren't accompanied by pain but I think they are related to migraine headaches. My older brother used to suffer from them quite badly when young. I started suffering from aura when old! Just to complicate matters I have floaters and cataracts. A new set of eyes would be good...

Louise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 02/02/2019 at 14:39, chaz2b said:

So, as some of you may know, that when we get to around 47 years on this wonderful planet, our eyes, if not already affected, change, and may require glasses to get through our day. Mine changed.

Now when I look through a pair of glasses, or a telescope, it hurts!    After just a few minutes I cannot continue without taking my glasses off or moving away from the telescope . I’ve considered myself lucky to be blessed with very good eyesight, but after 47? It’s all gone down hill, for want of a better phrase.

 I get my eyes tested and was informed I only need size 2 / 2.5 reading glasses, I don’t need them for viewing. However, when I was bird watching with a pair of Orion Resolux 15x70 , it was very painful after only a few seconds! They are individually focused dioptrics and come to focus with exceptional clarity, so why the pain? Are my eyes now not suited to these binos ? Or is there something else I need to consider?

Without reading the rest of this  thread,a few observations:

As you say when we hit our mid 40s and our eyes change rapidly, usually losing accomodation (so we need reading glasses) and often changing prescription.

It sounds to me that you may be undergoing some changes that could be quite small but mean ither you need to adjust focus differently (including the balance between eyes) or even that any astigmatism is changing.

I suspect that you may just need to take a more patient approach to fousing, accepting normal settings may work, but your eyes may be straining to reach focus.

I'm 57 and have long found eyepieces and bins hard to use for long periods. Keeping observing short and not too frequent, with plenty of breaks and making sure my observing position is as relaxed as possible has seen me gradually be able to spend longer looking - at least until this fiercly cold wetaher which has slowed me down a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Blue can help combat SAD, so it's 'good' during the waking hours. It also can reset our internal clock, affecting sleep, so it's 'bad' in the evening and at night.

Apparently, strong  blue (not just uv) light can actually damage the retina but how significant that is in practice, I don't know. These days, I'm more likely to wear uv sunglasses in the summer than when I was young but the amount of blue light I let in will still be quite high, I think. I use the Win 10 night light setting for my monitor/tv to reduce the amount of blue I'm gazing at :). I like to think it helps...

Louise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps I need to look into this blue light thing before I give myself more problems.

When I’m viewing, I don’t need to use glasses, looking through my Tele-Vue binos is brilliant!

It was using the Resolux 15 x 70 that I was getting problems and pain. Like you would get from reading with standard reading glasses and then changing to bifocals, you’re suddenly out of focus, and to carry on with them your eyes would start to hurt.

That’s the effect I’m getting.

Both binos I have (Resolux),  are individually focused for each eye, I think the 15 x 70 are just too powerful for my eyes.please don’t get me wrong, there’s nowt wrong with the binos.

But I will stick with the smaller pair.

chaz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chaz

Edited by chaz2b
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, chaz2b said:

Perhaps I need to look into this blue light thing before I give myself more problems.

When I’m viewing, I don’t need to use glasses, looking through my Tele-Vue binos is brilliant!

It was using the Resolux 15 x 70 that I was getting problems and pain. Like you would get from reading with standard reading glasses and then changing to bifocals, you’re suddenly out of focus, and to carry on with them your eyes would start to hurt.

That’s the effect I’m getting.

Both binos I have (Resolux),  are individually focused for each eye, I think the 15 x 70 are just too powerful for my eyes.

So I will be selling them.

chaz

Maybe you just need to adjust the dioptre/dioptre setting? http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/diopter_set.html

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s how they work, I can adjust either eyepiece, I usually start with my left eye, then move to my right eye, then using both eyes to make sure of correct focus. My method involves moving in and out of focus both ways a couple of times till I hit the “sweet” spot.

one thing I did notice, is that when I use the 7x50 pair, there’s no need to refocus once focused, foreground and background with be in focus, which is neat.

chaz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

Anyone suffering from optical migraine should have their blood pressure checked. I started experiencing them and eventually ended up having a brain scan as my blood pressure was found to be high. Fortunately the scan revealed that I had a brain and that it had suffered no physical damage, there was an indication of a few hotspots. I have since been on suitable blood pressure medication and have had no further optical migraines.   ?

Apologies Apologies.

I should have said that the visual effects are temporary and do not damage the eye. But the same cannot always be said of the mechanism that triggers the aura.

David.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 03/02/2019 at 12:00, chaz2b said:

 My thoughts are, I may be straining my eyes with particular optics as with the Resolux 15x70, using their 7x50 doesn’t bother me.

It seems unlikely, but is it possible that the collimation has been thrown out?  Your eyes can adjust to bring the images together, but it can add strain. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only way for me to find that out would be to get someone else to look through them and see if they get the same result. Sending them off to an qualified technician would probably cost as much as they are worth.

chaz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, chaz2b said:

The only way for me to find that out would be to get someone else to look through them and see if they get the same result. Sending them off to an qualified technician would probably cost as much as they are worth.

I should try that with my eyes, too...

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Thalestris24 said:

Wikipedia actually has quite a good depiction of the migraine aura zig-zag lines I see:

Aura

That does look very much like the effect I experience.  I really will have to pay much more attention next time it happens.

James

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, JamesF said:

That does look very much like the effect I experience.  I really will have to pay much more attention next time it happens.

James

I wonder if you also have a relative that suffers (or suffered in the past) from actual migraine headaches?

Louise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

I wonder if you also have a relative that suffers (or suffered in the past) from actual migraine headaches?

Not that I am aware of.  I do occasionally get quite bad headaches myself, but they appear to be related to muscular tension in my neck and shoulders, most likely from sitting in an awkward position for too long.  If I do something to help the muscles relax then the headache goes away.  I've not had any since I bought my new work chair which supports my back a lot better than the old one.

James

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top triggers for my migraines are...battery farmed eggs! And Bornville chocolate...oh how I weep, I loved BC.

Thing is, they’ve known about the eggs since the 1930’s, why they didn’t tell me god only knows!

 

chaz

Edited by chaz2b
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, chaz2b said:

The only way for me to find that out would be to get someone else to look through them and see if they get the same result. Sending them off to an qualified technician would probably cost as much as they are worth.

chaz

A rough test is to prop them up and look theough one eyepiece at a distant object and centre it as accurately as you can judge.

Now look through the other eyepiece, if the object is off centre the collimation is probably well out.

Doing it this way stop syour eyes compensating for any misalignment.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 02/02/2019 at 09:39, chaz2b said:

So, as some of you may know, that when we get to around 47 years on this wonderful planet, our eyes, if not already affected, change, and may require glasses to get through our day. Mine changed.

Now when I look through a pair of glasses, or a telescope, it hurts!    After just a few minutes I cannot continue without taking my glasses off or moving away from the telescope . I’ve considered myself lucky to be blessed with very good eyesight, but after 47? It’s all gone down hill, for want of a better phrase.

 I get my eyes tested and was informed I only need size 2 / 2.5 reading glasses, I don’t need them for viewing. However, when I was bird watching with a pair of Orion Resolux 15x70 , it was very painful after only a few seconds! They are individually focused dioptrics and come to focus with exceptional clarity, so why the pain? Are my eyes now not suited to these binos ? Or is there something else I need to consider?

 

chaz

Kind of a late response here, but I suggest not using your eyeglasses when viewing thru other optics. The optics in binoculars and telescopes have the ability to focus out your naked eyesight shortcomings, just as your eyeglasses do. Using both at the same time may be causing a "battle of the lenses" or messing with the pupil exit from the scopes, causing strain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In middle age for some of us our eye sight change, make sure it is nothing too serious and only routine.
But also another insidious change called AMD. So a very easy and free test to make sure you are not suffering from this eye disease. It is called Amsler grid, you can do the test right at your computer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsler_grid

Wish all of you see all the lines in the grid straight.
It is a very slow progression but we all can some want prevent ir:
Don't smoke, keep your weight down, wear sun glasses, etc. It is also genetic, unfortunately I carry the gene and my eyes are in the last stage known as "geographic atrophy.

Stay healthy.

(Can't wait for my self driving Ferrari!   ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest chaz2b

That test showed my eyes are still ok, neither wavy lines or missing lines...so phew! Thanks for the link.

BTW, I checked with glasses on and removed.

 

chaz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have quite complex varifocals, but had the optician make me a pair of distance glasses for astronomy. I find they give slightly more pinpoint stars than mi normal ones. I also use them for binoculars and using the 'scope, as I also have a fair amount of astigmatism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have not visited an optician for years having relied on pound shop reading glasses but recently (last few months) that my eyesight has changed quite dramatically. I had to use +1.5 glasses when using my laptop but since the change I can see clearly without them however my long distance which never used to be a problem has gone completely, cant see street signs/stars or the TV for that matter.

I am never one to go to the doc so am a bit apprehensive about seeing an optician, would a general high street one be OK for an initial check?

Alan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

I have not visited an optician for years having relied on pound shop reading glasses but recently (last few months) that my eyesight has changed quite dramatically. I had to use +1.5 glasses when using my laptop but since the change I can see clearly without them however my long distance which never used to be a problem has gone completely, cant see street signs/stars or the TV for that matter.

I am never one to go to the doc so am a bit apprehensive about seeing an optician, would a general high street one be OK for an initial check? 

Alan

They are all pretty good, it's well worth having a proper test.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.