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Medical Forum / General / Vision / December 2004Contact Lenses, Astigmatism, and Pool...
Ok folks here's my problem. I live in the U.K., and currently have some problems with my contact lenses... I play 8 ball pool at a fairly high level in a local league. Mainly from playing pool I have noticed that my eyesight has deteriorated slightly (especially whilst using contact lenses). I cannot accuratley line up any long shots, as the object ball invariably appears to be quite blurry. All these kind of shots are "best guess". I can use my glasses which are a bit better, but less than ideal, as the frames are quite small, and don't provide a large enough area for focussing while cueing at the table. Before my last eye test, my prescription for glasses was 2.25 (Left Eye), 2.5 (Right Eye). My Contact lenses prescription was very similar. I also found out at a previous consultation, that I have an astigmatism in my left eye. Recently I went back for another test to find that my glasses prescription is over 3 in the right eye, and a similar hike in the left. Thing is, strangely my contact lense prescription hasn't increased. Why so??? Is this because of the astigmatism in my left eye? The optician did say that I could possibly get a Toric lense for my left eye, and this may help, but didn't go into any detail. The crux of the issue is this - I understand that contact lenses don't provide as sharp an image as glasses do, however I don't plan on buying an additional pair of Dennis taylor style glasses purely for playing pool. The difference in my eyesight using contact lenses is quite radical - I don't feel safe when driving with contact lenses either. Yet my optician is suggesting I use the same prescription of contact lense. Can anyone please suggest the best course of action for me, as obviously I want to continue to wear contact lenses, as they are very handy for a variety of reasons, but I especially would like mine to perform better when I am playing pool, as this would be a far more economic, and more cosmetically appealing option, than buying a pair of Dennis Taylor style glasses. So does anyone have any advice which would help my predicament??? Any help is greatly recieved. Thanks for your time... BombJack > Ok folks here's my problem. I live in the U.K., and currently have > some problems with my contact lenses... [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > economic, and more cosmetically appealing option, than buying a pair > of Dennis Taylor style glasses. You didn't mention whether you have rigid or soft lenses and, if soft, are they disposable. You need to ask these questions of the person who examined your eyes and fit your contact lenses. Most of the time it is possible to achieve the same acuity with contacts as with glasses but you may need to change contact lens type. Are the pool halls smoky with bad air? It is also possible that your contact lenses are drying out due to the air quality and your lack of blinking while lining up shots. Dr Judy > So does anyone have any advice which would help my predicament??? > > Any help is greatly recieved. Thanks for your time... > > BombJack Thanks for the speedy reply Dr Judy... Apologies - I forgot to mention that i use soft daily disposables. However, i would be prepared to change to monthly/yearly soft lenses if there was some kind of benefit. Hard lenses don't seem very appealing to me, purely because they look incredibly difficult to put in, but like i said I'm open to suggestion... Cheers The Hustler Dr Judy, another small addition... The smokiness in the halls hasn't affected my sight in the past. The deterioration in vision is there from the moment I insert the lenses. Yes, possibly my eyes do get tired in the smoky atmosphere eventually, but this only really happens after several hours - maybe after 4 or 5 in those conditions. The Hustler Hi, Sounds as though the dailies aren't compensating for the astigmatism, which if over -0.75cyl is quite possible. If you can post your spectacle prescription it would help. It is probable that even dailies to correct the astigmatism will not help as the power range is very limited.I would therefore suggest that you try monthlies, may be even Purevision Torics. Smokiness in pubs and clubs is not going to be a problem for much longer as and when John Reid gets his way! Regards Ian Hodgson - Isle Of Man > Dr Judy, > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > The Hustler Ok folks, sorry for the late reply. Been busy buying chrimbo presents. Anyway... My prescription is as follows... R: Sph: -2.75 Cyl: +025 Axis: 175 L: Sph: -3.00 Cyl: +100 Axis: 170 Contact Lens Spec Base Curve: 860 Diameter: 1420 R Sph: -2.50 L Sph: -2.25 Ok, so my understanding of the above is that there is quite a difference between me prescription for glasses, and lenses, and that this difference obviously has a bearing on why when using my contact lenses my vision appears to have deteriorated so much. Bear in mind that I hav had the same contact lens prescription for approx 5 - 7 years. In this time my glasses prescription has changed, being slightly stronger than before... Any thoughts??? Cheers oj1888 > Ok folks, sorry for the late reply. Been busy buying chrimbo presents. > Anyway... [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Any thoughts??? Pretty straightforward: your left eye has one diopter of astigmatism. Uncorrected, enough to leave quite a blur. The solution is also simple. LB, OD > Ok folks, sorry for the late reply. Been busy buying chrimbo presents. > Anyway... [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Any thoughts??? See your contact lens fitter for new contact lenses in your current prescription. Dr Judy > Cheers > > oj1888 Yes, but this is the problem. My current prescription (I am using daily disposables with a prescription of 2.25, and 2.5) is not working satisfactorily for me. Like I said I have just had an eye test recently, and althoutg my glasses prescription has got stronger, my contact lense prescription has stayed the same. Obviously when I get my new glasses I will notice a massive difference in clarity, but as it stands ny contact lense vision will be just as bad, as for some reason, the optometrist decided that my current prescription would be the best for me. Obviously this is confusing for me. Why has my glasses prescription got stronger, but my contact lense prescription has stayed the same? How can I obtain better vision from contact lenses? Should I change my type of lense - eg go for a yearly disposable rather than the dailies? Should I get a Toric lense for my astigmatic eye? Cheers The Hustler Cheers, and again thanks for all the help... The Hustler > Yes, but this is the problem. > My current prescription (I am using daily disposables with a [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > of lense - eg go for a yearly disposable rather than the dailies? > Should I get a Toric lense for my astigmatic eye? This is a question best asked of the prescribing doctor. Did you mention that you were not happy with the vision with your current contacts and wanted better vision? You did not provide your previous prescription, perhaps the only change was the astigmatism in the left eye. Your contact lenses are not correcting your astigmatism so you might need a toric lens. They are available as daily, biweekly or monthly disposable. You will need refitting. Your contact lens fitter will be able to tell you which lens is best suited to your eyes and will also be able to directly measure your corrected vision with the new contact lens to compare to the old. See your contact lens fitter. Dr Judy |
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