Eye issues

Unless someone is born with vision issues—either nearsighted or farsighted—eye strain usually kicks in for those of us who spend way too much time hunched over books or glued to a computer screen.

Of course, you’ve got that lucky group of people who maintain perfect vision their entire lives regardless of their habits, just as there are those who struggle with sight from day one.

But for most of us, our vision starts out fine and then gradually declines due to various factors.

So, what actually causes nearsightedness?
Is it because we spend all day staring at things up close, causing our eye muscles to lose their ability to adjust to distant objects?

If that’s the case... could the exact opposite happen?

Purely in theory, if a nearsighted person—someone who sees better up close—spent a huge chunk of their day focusing on the horizon or looking at objects hundreds of yards away instead of squinting at tiny print...

I know it's totally unrealistic in practice because nobody has the time to just stare into space for hours every single day, but I'm curious: theoretically, could vision actually improve that way?

Does anyone know? Maybe an optometrist or an ophthalmologist?😉

I’m sitting at a -1 prescription, which I basically earned back in college just from staring at textbooks non-stop trying to pass my finals by June.
It hasn't budged since then, either... had an eye exam recently and it’s still exactly the same.
I wear contacts, but not really on a schedule—I mostly just grab them when I need to drive around at night.
There are all these supposed eye exercises for good vision that claim they can actually fix your sight, and I actually shelled out a ton of cash for them back in the day... but honestly? Zero results. Not that if I’d actually been disciplined enough to do them, I could say for sure...

northernfalcon30 said:I ended up with a -1 prescription, and honestly, I only got it because I spent my entire college career hunched over textbooks trying to cram everything in before finals in May.

Man, tell me about it... books can really wreck you.😠

Does anyone know if there are any actual eye exercises for good vision online? Like, is there a specific link or something?
Or am I going to have to shell out a fortune just to find out how to do them? 🙂

Dammit, it’s just the law of conservation of mass😁... you lose some, you gain some. For me, summer and the beach are sacred, so you know how it is...

I can't even think of the right keyword for you to Google this 😁, but I remember this doctor's name—he might have even been a butcher or something. Anyway, that whole mess vanished into thin air once the money was in the bag.

If your prescription is high, laser rules, IMO. These eye exercises for good vision are just tedious, boring, take forever, and—let's be real—they aren't even proven. Don't waste your energy on them unless there's actual professional backing. Look, I'm not exactly "up to date" on everything, so I'm actually curious what the US ophthalmologists and eye doctors really think about all this.

Let's go!🙂

So, I finally went in today to get my pupils dilated... -1.5 and -0.7.
And my doctor actually had the nerve to ask why I waited this long!
Anyway, how long does it usually take before things start looking clear again? Everything is still super blurry for me right now (though I guess I can't complain too much...😳))

Bradley Davis33 said:So, I went in today to get my pupils dilated... -1.5 and -0.7. Just one of those things, you know? Everything gets all blurry and weirdly bright... honestly, I'm just waiting for the fog to lift so I can actually see straight again.
And then my doctor had the nerve to snap at me—like, seriously—asking what the hell I was waiting for all this time... honestly, people just love to judge, don't they?
So, how long does it actually take before things stop looking all blurry after the sirens go off? I mean, seriously... everything is still super fuzzy for me—though I guess I can't really complain too much, given the circumstances... but still.😳 )

So, I was just sitting here thinking—and don't ask me why my brain goes down these rabbit holes at 2 AM—but what does pupil dilation actually have to do with figuring out your prescription? Like, seriously... what's the connection? It feels like one of those things doctors do just to look important, right? But there’s actually some logic behind the madness... or maybe there isn't... who knows anymore.

So, they're dilating my pupils just so they can get a better look at my retina with an ophthalmoscope... honestly, it’s such a trip how much they have to mess with your eyes just to check things out. It feels like you're basically walking around blind for a bit while everything gets all blurry and weird—just waiting for that fuzzy sensation to wear off so I can actually see straight again... turns out, you really need those eye exercises for good vision if you want to stay ahead of the curve, I guess.

You gotta get your eye sharpness checked *before* they start pumping those drops in to dilate your pupils—seriously... because once your pupils are all blown out like that, you can't see a damn thing normally. It's just a mess...

I found myself succumbing to myopia during my junior year of college. It started out quite minor—just a -0.5 and a -0.75 prescription—but it was merely the beginning of a slow, inevitable decline. Every passing year seemed to chip away at my clarity, and now I find myself sitting at -2.5. Given the trajectory of things, I suspect it will likely creep up a bit more before I hit my thirties. 🙂

rustymoose54 said:What does pupil dilation have anything to do with checking your prescription?

The pupils get dilated so they can check out your retina using an ophthalmoscope...

They always test your visual acuity *before* they put the drops in to dilate everything, because once those pupils are huge, you definitely aren't seeing things normally!

Ugh, I have zero clue... I went in to get my medical clearance for my driver's license and I couldn't even read the letters on the chart. So they gave me the stuff to dilate my eyes and told me to wait a bit, then I had to look through all those different lenses and that's how he figured out my prescription.

Here’s my situation:

-I've been sitting at -5.5 in both eyes since I was eight years old.

It’s just a genetic thing in my family.

I’m currently dealing with nearsightedness and astigmatism. I’ve been hearing quite a bit about various types of eye exercises for good vision, and I’m planning to dive into a few of them. Once I figure out exactly which routines to follow and get myself into a disciplined habit, I’ll be sure to circle back and let you all know how it goes. 😁

They’ve got them in the old Alter albums. Honestly, I have no clue if they actually work, and frankly, I can't be bothered to test them out.

I'm rocking over -5.00 diopters in both eyes—so yeah, I look pretty sharp in my glasses 😎 and, luckily, I’ve managed to dodge the draft entirely. I used to wear soft contact lenses back in the day, but I guess I just got a little lazy about the whole routine...

Oh, and I've got astigmatism to deal with too.

I'm at an age where this is totally normal.

Seriously, that’s the best comeback I've heard yet. "What if it's normal to have eyes?" Yeah, well, I do! 😁

steelstag4 said:So, I’ve been dealing with nearsightedness and some pesky astigmatism lately—just one of those things, right?—and I’ve started hearing quite a bit about these various types of eye exercises for good vision. It sounds like there's a whole world of them out there! Once I actually sit down, figure out exactly which specific routines I want to commit to, and—this is the important part—actually instill some discipline into my daily routine, I will definitely circle back here to report my results to everyone! 😁

Count me in—I am definitely interested! Seriously, go ahead and send those eye exercises for good vision my way. I might just give them a shot myself... who knows? It could be worth a try!

Over a year ago, I picked up a book called eye exercises for good vision. It was published by the New Era library.

If you're curious about anything else, just ask. But don't bother asking if the exercises actually work—I haven't even gotten around to trying them yet, so I'm completely in the dark. 😁

Edward Green said:That’s honestly the wildest response I’ve seen yet. Like, what am I supposed to do about it? It’s perfectly normal to have eyes! So yeah, I do.😁

I’m usually pretty quick with a comeback, too... I always have something funny to say.

But when people talk about this, they’re usually referring to that stage of life... once you hit 50 or so, everyone starts noticing their vision slipping.
Most of the time, it's just that classic age-related decline or needing reading glasses.

steelstag4 said:I picked up a book on eye exercises for good vision over a year ago. It's from the New Era library collection.

If you have any other questions, just ask. But please don't ask if the exercises actually work—I haven't tried them yet, so I'm totally in the dark. 😁

Whereabouts did you grab it?

😁

I should mention I posted this exact same thing on the Reddit forums and got absolutely zero traction. Not a single reply.

The discussions over here are way more engaging.

At the end of the day, this is THE place to be...👍

Rot_oder_tot said:So, where on earth did you pick that up?

😁

From some woman who was selling it.😁

If you look at the back cover, it says:

"Inquiries should be directed to:
"SARA PUBLISHING" (Darko Betlach)
123 Main Street, Washington, D.C.
or call 202-555-0199"

Let me know if you end up grabbing it and actually give it a shot.😉

Hmm, I guess everything looks perfect on paper—and honestly, that’s what the docs say—but lately (over the last year or two, actually), I’ve noticed something weird. When I’m staring at stuff up close for a while, like reading a book or working on my laptop, I have a hard time focusing on anything far away. I went in for a checkup last year for some other stuff, and they told me my vision was flawless, but it just doesn't feel like it used to. Was it actually superhuman before? 😕