Glasses prescription help

earthworm88

Hi Ryan,

Sounds like your complaint doesn't stem just from the prescription alone but also your overall ocular health. I don't know how old you are and what type of CLs you typically wear in the past. But I have the impression that you were properly wearing non-disposable CLs (or at least not adhering to schedule) and likely wear them for more than 12 hours a day or even to sleep on many occasions and a heavy protein depositor?

Besides the GPC that you have been diagnosed with, you probably have Meibomian dysfunction that is playing havoc with your tear film integrity. Your prescription is mildly moderate, so the lenses are not that thick and heavy especially if you upgrade them polycarbonate or high index lenses. I understand that you are only dealing with your own eyes and what you are experiencing is absolutely annoying to you to say the least. But believe me GPC can be eliminated if managed properly which will require full compliance from your part. I have seen cases where GPC (due to CL abuse) eventually lead to corneal scarring and no glasses or CL or LASIK will give you back your perfect vision. Not to mention all the other eye disorders and diseases that will ruin your life forever. So in the big scheme of things, this is relatively a tiny hiccup you are dealing with.

I used to wear CLs all the time when I was younger, my prescription is a lot higher than yours and wearing glasses made me felt self-conscious. But I haven't worn CLs much in the past 10 years (severe dry eye problems) except when I go scuba dive. I don't think people LOVE wearing glasses, but that's just part of life and we deal with it. The fact that you hate wearing glasses and feel anxious when you do so, really plays havoc with your visual system (you may tend to over focus or under focus etc) along with your tear film health, so you might feel that you are not seeing as well as you should.

I have read your other post as well. I believe you were given Neomycin to treat your GPC? Neomycin is an antibiotic, you don't have an infection, you have an allergic reaction from the protein build-up on your CLs. So this treatment plan is not appropriate. Not knowing what grade your GPC's condition is and what other issues are involved, but I can tell you that 2 weeks off the CLs is not long enough for a full recovery. Because it is an allergic reaction, even if you feel better after a week, every time you re-introduce the allergen to your eye (protein on CL), it will flare up quickly and extensively.

So my advice is to see a Contact Lens Specialist or Anterior Segment specialist who should be able to treat your GPC appropriately so you can go back to your CLs sooner and without any flare-ups. No matter who you see, staying off the CLs long enough is crucial and full compliance on your part is critical.

Sorry for the long post. I could go on and on. This is seemingly a small thing but it can affect you in such a big way. The proper treatment and management is the key along with the proper CL choice so that you don't have to suffer anymore. Best of luck!

Take good care of yourself, because no one else can.

Cheers!

Ryanpk25

Thank you for your answer! I appreciate it!

It's good to know that this might not be the end of my contact wearing as long as I give my eyes a break and take care of them. This has been a huge wake up call and I can't say that I am shocked at this outcome after having worn contacts for 18 years and not changing them or cleaning them as well as I should have (2 WEEK contacts almost always wound up becoming 6 month contacts-Yikes!). So, if there is any hope at all I am happy.

I am actually adjusting to glasses OK but wish I could see well out of them. I am worried the prescription is still not strong enough and this constant headache has not abated since my glasses became a normal part of my daytime wear. I feel sick almost all day and night with them on. I am having a REALLY hard time at night driving and functioning. Signs are a blur and lights are hazy and dizzying. It's incredible how much poor vision can impact your mood and ability to do things. I am depressed in a way I have never been in the past. I had to excuse myself from a family get together today because I just felt sick seeing so poorly and having to look around at things. It's strange.

The GPC does not seem to be getting better in my left eye and actually wound up keeping me up all night yesterday. It feels like an eyelash is jamming into my eye. I hope the fact that the doctor said my GPC isn't that large or extreme is a good sign and that is will get better because I cannot deal with this constant eye irritation. I wonder why there is no way to remove the GPC or smooth it out surgically? I watched a video on doctors removing deposits from eyes but the Papillary lumps they seem to avoid. Why is that?

earthworm88

Hi Ryan,

It's good that at least we know what is causing your GPC. It is most frustrating when we don't know what is the cause of our suffering. So at least we can establish the fact that better lens care will greatly improve your condition. The disposable CLs are meant just that, disposed of at whatever schedule it is designed for :-) The yearly ones are made with different material, but you have to hydrogen peroxide the heck of out of them to remove as much protein as you can which obviously add to the cost. The disposable ones ended up being the same cost if not more annually but it buys you the extra convenience and better health (because the proteins can't be removed completely, so the eyes always welcome brand new fresh lenses).

The fact that you are still having problem seeing well with your glasses could mean that your prescription may need to be adjusted. Some issues to look into are: pupillary distance (PD) or the optical center of your lenses, or you may have a tiny bit of astigmatism that needs to be corrected when wearing glasses so your prescription may need some tweaking, or that your tear film is really poor (it would be like looking through a dirty windshield with scattered raindrops), or that your GPC is so severe that it is affecting your cornea (the papillae are so huge that they are pressing on your cornea).

I know it is really frustrating, but try not to be depressed or stressed because you know the light is at the end of the tunnel once you get this resolved. I remember when I was in college I had GPC, it took awhile to resolve. I cleaned by CLs religiously but I was just a heavy protein depositor. I went to my doctor immediately when my eyes felt weird and stayed off my CLs until I got the green light. So thank goodness for disposable CLs later.

The papillae are the result of the hypersensitivity-related inflammation of your conjunctiva (like skin of your eyelid), so you can't remove your skin. It's like when you get a cut on your finger, and it became inflamed by being red and swollen. You won't cut that off right? You will try to disinfect it and let it calm down and heal and when it does, you don't even remember you had a cut there. Plus this is an immunological reaction, so it will keep coming back if the root issue is not treated properly.

So don't worry, GPC will go away if treated. Depending on your severity, it can take months though so be prepared. The most important step now is to figure out what is causing your problem with your glasses. Let your doctor know your problems and hopefully find the solutions so at least you can see and feel comfortably with your glasses until your GPC completely resolved.

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers

Ryanpk25

Thanks again. I am really hoping to get this figured out. I have been suffering the last few days and my vision actually seems like it is declining. Is it possible to notice that kind of quick decrease in vision? Today, while at my family's Easter festivities, I could not even see people standing about 15 feet from me. They were totally blurry. I am fine when sitting at my computer and looking at the screen but I am in a haze outside or when talking to people that aren't directly next to me. I literally couldn't read the license plate directly in front of me tonight while driving and all road signs and lit up store signs further then 20 feet from me were totally blurred. This can't be normal, right? That is not good. It's so frustrating and hard to get through the day like this. I should also mention that years ago I was diagnosed with focus fatigue with the muscles in my eyes...it has never been anything that I have noticed but my eye doctor said he noticed my eyes not responding as fast possibly due to always being at a computer. I don't know if that matters or not.

earthworm88

Hi Ryan,
Regarding your previous diagnosis, it could possibly play havoc with your muscle coordination and focusing ability. Sounds like they are throwing your system off a bit. I strongly suggest you go to an optometrist with training in binocular vision development to assess your eye condition to see they can help you with your current condition, and improve your overall quality of life.
I know it is frustrating dealing with so many things at once. But once you know what they are and how to take care of them, everything will be fine.
Best of luck!
Cheers

Ryanpk25

Thank you!

I actually went to a new eye doctor today and feel like I am possibly getting somewhere now. He said my GPC looks like it is barely even noticeable and that he is more then certain that I will be back in contacts within a couple weeks. The big concern though was with my eye pressure. My pressure was at 20 so he wants me back in two weeks to assess my visual field and test the pressure again. He is concerned about glaucoma since it is in my family despite my being 34. He said it is better to catch it now then later. They took some images of my optic nerve and I wish I could remember how he described it but there was a part or segment of my cornea or retina that looked like it could be showing signs of glaucoma in my left eye. He didn't seem overly worried or negative about it but more like he wanted to get more info in 2 weeks. I have to go back in two weeks because he wants me off the steroid drops a full two weeks to flush them out of my system. He also said those drops could be what is causing the pressure to be so high. No eye doctor has ever mentioned my pressure being high so I am crossing my fingers that it is no big deal.

The big problem now is that I am still in these nightmarish glasses and can't see. There are truly no words to describe how uncomfortable and sick I feel through my day without being able to see like I used to. It's awful. But, my new glasses should be in soon and I am hoping that I see at least a tiny bit better through them...When I go back for the visual field testing and the pressure test they are also going to fit me for new contacts and get my accurate prescription so I can change the glasses if need be.

At this point I just want to make it through these two weeks and get over this little hurdle. This has been a huge wake up call and I want to make sure I am caring for my eyes in the right way from now on.

Thanks for your help!