5 ms·

I was so self-conscious about wearing glasses, I hid my myopia for years. And I was really short sighted! I noticed first when our class got shuffled around and

I was so self-conscious about wearing glasses, I hid my myopia for years. And I was really short sighted! I noticed first when our class got shuffled around and I was moved from the front row to the back and I suddenly couldn't read the blackboard any more. It was pretty clear I was supposed to be able to so I knew something was up but I hid it due to the fear of getting glasses for years. The thought of having to come in one day suddenly with glasses, and be (I imagined) the centre of negative attention, from everyone, for a whole day.. it was just too much. Silly now to think of it. One day's pain would have saved me so much anxiety for years. I was hyper-attentive in class to make up for it, had a few close calls. The most amusing was the yearly sight test from the school nurse. We did it in a group so I made sure I wasn't first and just memorized the letters others called out. The nurse then asked "are you sure you can see that alright? It's really strange, your sight has improved since last year". It was not my sight that had improved but my memory.. Of course I finally had to submit to reality, but I managed to hold it off til University, where was I able to reinvent myself somewhat and have the glasses be part of my identity from the start. Never gave up hating them. (Got laser eye-surgery eventually, biggest life enhancement I ever had).

shrikant 4y ago
> (Got laser-eye surgery eventually, biggest life enhancement I ever had). I will never not upvote a comment that mentions something like this. Laser eye surgery (well, LASIK, specifically) is biggest external boost to my happiness that I've managed[1]. I would strongly recommend that anyone who can get it, absolutely should. [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/comments/p2c7vh/love_spending_200_just_to_see/h8k5ou2/ https://old.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/comments/p2c7v...
- kgwxd 4y ago
  For some people, it’s not a permanent fix. I got it in 2003 and needed glasses again by 2013
  - goldenkey 4y ago
    Indeed, I am sorry that happened to you. The reason is that it doesn't fix the root of the problem, eyeball length. Instead, it barbarically carves a lens shape into one's cornea. Here's my comment about all of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661
- boredemployee 4y ago
  does the surgery still worth doing for 35+ people?
  - feintruled 4y ago
    Absolutely. The older the better in some cases, as your prescription will change over time. I'm actually starting to get long sighted now as I age.
    - prawn 4y ago
      I'm about -2.50 and can function around the house without glasses most of the time - because I almost never wear glasses, I hate wearing them. I wear contacts otherwise and don't find them much of an imposition besides when camping. My main concern is probably eye health given I'm lazy with changing/cleaning contact lenses. At 45yo, should I bother?
      - gjulianm 4y ago
        I have family members that had their operation at around 40 and they say it's worth it. You might get 10 years of no glasses/contact lenses before you need glasses again for presbyopia. I personally had -2.5 too and honestly it's been the best decision I've made.
        prawn 4y ago
        Am I correct in thinking that the presbyopia is coming regardless, and I'll be able to avoid contacts/glasses for general distance stuff (driving/camping/existing) for a solid length of time? I have a three month camping trip coming up and wondered about trying to get my eyes done before then. Of course, I should've done them back in my 20s, but better late than never.
        gjulianm 4y ago
        I honestly don't know if it's coming regardless. I'd talk to an ophthalmologist because as usual, it depends. I'd assume that for distance stuff you could avoid any correction, but I'm not sure about that. > I have a three month camping trip coming up and wondered about trying to get my eyes done before then. My recovery took a few days (I had the more invasive procedure due to dry eye concerns) and I think they tell you to not do any activity where your eyes could get damaged during a few weeks just to be sure, so try to plan around that.
- feintruled 4y ago
  Agreed. For me, it was the coolest living in the future thing imaginable. My eyes were crap, something that in days gone by might have condemned me to the scrapheap, and it got fixed, by science. With a LASER. Just an incredible barometer of progress.
  - JCharante 4y ago
    A blade cutting my eye sounds terrifying though. Did you go completely under?
    - feintruled 4y ago
      No, you don't. You get eye drops to anaethetise the eye, that's it. BUT.. it's not as horrible as it sounds. Even this initial cutting of the flap is all done with a automated thing that covers your eye, it's not like some guy sways up to you with a scalpel wobbling in his hand. You don't 'see' anything other than your view being obstructed, you certainly don't feel anything. (There is some discomfort afterwards, but they give you eye drops which work wonders) There is a slight smell of something burning, which is a little disconcerting, I can't lie.
    - Vinnl 4y ago
      I had TransPRK, where the experience really just came down to "a light shines in your eye for 20s, then another 20s in the other eye, and you're done". A day of pain afterwards though, which wasn't great. But zero regrets, even on that day. And you have that with LASIK too, though not with LASEK, IIRC.
  - goldenkey 4y ago
    You got lucky if you didn't need follow up surgeries. The most common cause of myopia is eyeball length, which laser eye surgery doesn't address. So folks end up getting their cornea shaved and sculpted up, in a barbaric way (lasers wow!?) and then their eyeball length accommodates and they need the surgery yet again. There's only so much cornea that can be cut away.. in fact, often folks end up with chronic dry eye from the surgeries. The cornea is really not meant to be cut up, it's extremely delicate, and scars and ulcerates easily. Here's my full comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661
- alexpetralia 4y ago
  Agreed on the LASIK. Huge step-level increase in quality of life.
darkerside 4y ago
Very similar story, minus the compensating attentiveness. Probably partly to blame for some late blooming tendencies in my life. Contacts were a life changer in confidence for me.
- goldenkey 4y ago
  Contacts, even the newer gen ones, with superior O2 permeability and H20 saturation and DkA values, are a nightmare from a health standpoint. Over time, contacts can cause indentation/ulceration, in a circular pattern, on the cornea. These scars are pretty much permanent. I recommend wearing glasses, vanity is overrated.
  - darkerside 4y ago
    I've been wearing them for 25 years, and they changed the trajectory of my life. You know what else is overrated? Self loathing. Being able to play sports and like the way you look are healthy. My eyesight seems to be doing ok, too.
    - goldenkey 4y ago
      Occasional use for sports and events is okay but as a consistent vision substitute, they are pretty unhealthy. Eyesight won't suffer from contacts - it's the corneal surface that will.
      - darkerside 4y ago
        What is the impact?
        goldenkey 4y ago
        In some cases, permanent scarring. This would be noticed as an indentation in the cornea, that can occasionally cause some itchiness but would generally be asymptomatic. https://eyeguru.org/essentials/corneal-abrasions-ulcers/ https://eyeguru.org/essentials/corneal-abrasions-ulcers/ It's extremely rare but sometimes the ulcers can cause vision impairment. With contacts, the ulcers are generally ring shaped, and not anywhere near the actual focal plane, thus, they are only superficial, even if they end up scarring.

shrikant 4y ago

> (Got laser-eye surgery eventually, biggest life enhancement I ever had). I will never not upvote a comment that mentions something like this. Laser eye surgery (well, LASIK, specifically) is biggest external boost to my happiness that I've managed[1]. I would strongly recommend that anyone who can get it, absolutely should. [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/comments/p2c7vh/love_spending_200_just_to_see/h8k5ou2/ https://old.reddit.com/r/KidsAreFuckingStupid/comments/p2c7v...

kgwxd 4y ago
For some people, it’s not a permanent fix. I got it in 2003 and needed glasses again by 2013
- goldenkey 4y ago
  Indeed, I am sorry that happened to you. The reason is that it doesn't fix the root of the problem, eyeball length. Instead, it barbarically carves a lens shape into one's cornea. Here's my comment about all of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661
boredemployee 4y ago
does the surgery still worth doing for 35+ people?
- feintruled 4y ago
  Absolutely. The older the better in some cases, as your prescription will change over time. I'm actually starting to get long sighted now as I age.
  - prawn 4y ago
    I'm about -2.50 and can function around the house without glasses most of the time - because I almost never wear glasses, I hate wearing them. I wear contacts otherwise and don't find them much of an imposition besides when camping. My main concern is probably eye health given I'm lazy with changing/cleaning contact lenses. At 45yo, should I bother?
    - gjulianm 4y ago
      I have family members that had their operation at around 40 and they say it's worth it. You might get 10 years of no glasses/contact lenses before you need glasses again for presbyopia. I personally had -2.5 too and honestly it's been the best decision I've made.
      - prawn 4y ago
        Am I correct in thinking that the presbyopia is coming regardless, and I'll be able to avoid contacts/glasses for general distance stuff (driving/camping/existing) for a solid length of time? I have a three month camping trip coming up and wondered about trying to get my eyes done before then. Of course, I should've done them back in my 20s, but better late than never.
        gjulianm 4y ago
        I honestly don't know if it's coming regardless. I'd talk to an ophthalmologist because as usual, it depends. I'd assume that for distance stuff you could avoid any correction, but I'm not sure about that. > I have a three month camping trip coming up and wondered about trying to get my eyes done before then. My recovery took a few days (I had the more invasive procedure due to dry eye concerns) and I think they tell you to not do any activity where your eyes could get damaged during a few weeks just to be sure, so try to plan around that.
feintruled 4y ago
Agreed. For me, it was the coolest living in the future thing imaginable. My eyes were crap, something that in days gone by might have condemned me to the scrapheap, and it got fixed, by science. With a LASER. Just an incredible barometer of progress.
- JCharante 4y ago
  A blade cutting my eye sounds terrifying though. Did you go completely under?
  - feintruled 4y ago
    No, you don't. You get eye drops to anaethetise the eye, that's it. BUT.. it's not as horrible as it sounds. Even this initial cutting of the flap is all done with a automated thing that covers your eye, it's not like some guy sways up to you with a scalpel wobbling in his hand. You don't 'see' anything other than your view being obstructed, you certainly don't feel anything. (There is some discomfort afterwards, but they give you eye drops which work wonders) There is a slight smell of something burning, which is a little disconcerting, I can't lie.
  - Vinnl 4y ago
    I had TransPRK, where the experience really just came down to "a light shines in your eye for 20s, then another 20s in the other eye, and you're done". A day of pain afterwards though, which wasn't great. But zero regrets, even on that day. And you have that with LASIK too, though not with LASEK, IIRC.
- goldenkey 4y ago
  You got lucky if you didn't need follow up surgeries. The most common cause of myopia is eyeball length, which laser eye surgery doesn't address. So folks end up getting their cornea shaved and sculpted up, in a barbaric way (lasers wow!?) and then their eyeball length accommodates and they need the surgery yet again. There's only so much cornea that can be cut away.. in fact, often folks end up with chronic dry eye from the surgeries. The cornea is really not meant to be cut up, it's extremely delicate, and scars and ulcerates easily. Here's my full comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31834633#31860661
alexpetralia 4y ago
Agreed on the LASIK. Huge step-level increase in quality of life.

darkerside 4y ago

Very similar story, minus the compensating attentiveness. Probably partly to blame for some late blooming tendencies in my life. Contacts were a life changer in confidence for me.

goldenkey 4y ago
Contacts, even the newer gen ones, with superior O2 permeability and H20 saturation and DkA values, are a nightmare from a health standpoint. Over time, contacts can cause indentation/ulceration, in a circular pattern, on the cornea. These scars are pretty much permanent. I recommend wearing glasses, vanity is overrated.
- darkerside 4y ago
  I've been wearing them for 25 years, and they changed the trajectory of my life. You know what else is overrated? Self loathing. Being able to play sports and like the way you look are healthy. My eyesight seems to be doing ok, too.
  - goldenkey 4y ago
    Occasional use for sports and events is okay but as a consistent vision substitute, they are pretty unhealthy. Eyesight won't suffer from contacts - it's the corneal surface that will.
    - darkerside 4y ago
      What is the impact?
      - goldenkey 4y ago
        In some cases, permanent scarring. This would be noticed as an indentation in the cornea, that can occasionally cause some itchiness but would generally be asymptomatic. https://eyeguru.org/essentials/corneal-abrasions-ulcers/ https://eyeguru.org/essentials/corneal-abrasions-ulcers/ It's extremely rare but sometimes the ulcers can cause vision impairment. With contacts, the ulcers are generally ring shaped, and not anywhere near the actual focal plane, thus, they are only superficial, even if they end up scarring.