I just visited the opthamologist who said that I have a visual tracking problem. This is apparently a new eye condition that is being tested just recently. Since the eyes don’t cross, it wasn’t noticed before.
My right eye is slower than my left eye - and so I see double. The problem is not apparent all the time, but only when I look down or suddenly shift my gaze to the right or left as when driving or looking at complicated slides during a power point presentation at school. Therefore I cannot drive and my vision is absolutely terrible at night or in dim lighting. At those times, everything is a blur expecially in the low light conditions that exist in a restaurant. Neon lighting seems to aggravates the condition.
The doctor prescribed these prisms which will make me look like I am wearing coke bottle bottoms. Can I drive with those huge prismatic lenses?
How much will they cost?
He said that nothing can be done once the problem is discovered after the patient is more than 5 to 7 years of age. Here I am at the university too old to fix?
Does anyone have any good news?
Do tracking problems contribute to dyslexia and learning problems.?
Re: Visual Tracking problems, Dyslexia and Learning Problems
[quote:bb667f9510=”victoria”]I have somewhat similar eye problems myself, probably not so severe because I can drive, but yes, you can deal with them. And I have four university degrees. If you got as far as university without knowing you had this, you have a good learning style and things can only get better. Check out another ophthalmologist; the glasses shouldn’t be complete Coke bottles these days; mine are a quarter the thickness they used to be.[/quote]
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Dear Victoria et al:
The doctor prescribed prisms for both eyes (2.00) with a correction -3.75 for distance vision, and said that they will be a little more than 1/4 inch thick on the sides of my lenses, closer to 5/16 of an inch or perhaps 1 centimeter. Why are both eyes receiving the prism when the problem is in my right eye? It doesn’t make sense. Are the lenses made using plastic today?
How does that affect one’s peripheral vision especially when driving?
At the university, I do need extra time on exams in order to complete the exam. I also have 4 degrees (2 AAs and a double BA), so currently I am trying to get into the Master’s program. However, I fear that I may not succeed because some of the professors don’t seem to care and don’t understand handicaps, especially those who are from mainland China.
I feel that I have much to offer and I plan to work with the disabled population especially in Speech and Language (2nd Language learners and those with Speech problems).
Any thoughts?[/size]
Re: Visual Tracking problems, Dyslexia and Learning Problems
Yes, lenses are almost always plastic today. I used glass for years and years because I am a little hard on my glasses (too active) but even I went over to plastic about ten years ago and the new plastics don’t scratch too badly.
Are those thicknesses for glass or plastic lenses? I would be rather surprised in plastic — even my brother, who has had prisms all his life for a wandering eye, has no more than an eighth of an inch. Check over options with a good ophthalmologist and a good optometrist — the ophthalmologist knows about eyes and the optometrist about making glasses, and you want *both*. Modern glasses are ground differently too, and the curves are a lot less apparent.
Peripheral vision:
well, first set your priorities. Let’s get central vision working as well as possible and then worry about peripheral.
Second, I improve my situation a lot by careful choice of lenses and frames. I wear the thinnest possible metal frames, not large heavy designer ones that leave a black bar across my vision. I use hippie-style roundish lenses, the very largest I can find, and not the “cool” little narrow lenses that only give you a little window to look thorough. I have had a lot of snipes and sarcasm and a few major arguments with people who think they should run my life for me, telling me that my glasses are no good, one recently even grabbing them away from me and trying to put his on my face instead becaaue I would “look better” — tough luck, I wear them to look *through* and this is what suits me both in use and in appearance. If you have exceptionlly thick lenses (and I still question how thick, check your options) and lighter frames, I have seen people with the lenses cut back on the edge to be held in the frames. It isn’t “cool”, but you’re the one wearing them and vision comes first. Definitely go for the largest lens possible to get the largest field of vision.
My peripheral vision is weak, very weak on my left where the amblyopia is bad, but I do see motions which helps with driving. If you get the central vision improved and the eyestrain reduced, you can practice your peripheral vision. There are exercises, but that comes later after the central vision.
My professors and students from mainland China were the sweetest, nicest people ever. They are very afraid of putting a foot wrong, especially in a new country, but as long as you do things *properly through channels*, ie get a formal statement from the Disability Suport office that you are allowed extra time, there should be no trouble.
And if your difficulties are in fact vision related, maybe with the new glasses you will speed up.
Re: Visual Tracking problems, Dyslexia and Learning Problems
[quote:b29f29fc57=”victoria”]Yes, lenses are almost always plastic today. I used glass for years and years because I am a little hard on my glasses (too active) but even I went over to plastic about ten years ago and the new plastics don’t scratch too badly.
Are those thicknesses for glass or plastic lenses? I would be rather surprised in plastic — even my brother, who has had prisms all his life for a wandering eye, has no more than an eighth of an inch. Check over options with a good ophthalmologist and a good optometrist — the ophthalmologist knows about eyes and the optometrist about making glasses, and you want *both*. Modern glasses are ground differently too, and the curves are a lot less apparent.
Peripheral vision:
well, first set your priorities. Let’s get central vision working as well as possible and then worry about peripheral.
Second, I improve my situation a lot by careful choice of lenses and frames. I wear the thinnest possible metal frames, not large heavy designer ones that leave a black bar across my vision. I use hippie-style roundish lenses, the very largest I can find, and not the “cool” little narrow lenses that only give you a little window to look thorough. I have had a lot of snipes and sarcasm and a few major arguments with people who think they should run my life for me, telling me that my glasses are no good, one recently even grabbing them away from me and trying to put his on my face instead becaaue I would “look better” — tough luck, I wear them to look *through* and this is what suits me both in use and in appearance. If you have exceptionlly thick lenses (and I still question how thick, check your options) and lighter frames, I have seen people with the lenses cut back on the edge to be held in the frames. It isn’t “cool”, but you’re the one wearing them and vision comes first. Definitely go for the largest lens possible to get the largest field of vision.
My peripheral vision is weak, very weak on my left where the amblyopia is bad, but I do see motions which helps with driving. If you get the central vision improved and the eyestrain reduced, you can practice your peripheral vision. There are exercises, but that comes later after the central vision.
My professors and students from mainland China were the sweetest, nicest people ever. They are very afraid of putting a foot wrong, especially in a new country, but as long as you do things *properly through channels*, ie get a formal statement from the Disability Suport office that you are allowed extra time, there should be no trouble.
And if your difficulties are in fact vision related, maybe with the new glasses you will speed up.[/quote]
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Have you ever heard of anyone overcoming this problem after the age of 12?[/size]
Re: Visual Tracking problems, Dyslexia and Learning Problems
It depends on what you mean by “overcoming”. Totally perfect vision, no. Great improvements, yes.
Due to incredibly bad treatment in my youth, I was told from age 5 to 17 that I had no vision problems, it was all in my mind, and I just had to shape up and stop being clumsy. I lost most of the sight in my left eye from untreated amblyopia. At age 17 I finally got to go to a new and this time competent ophthalmologist; he said “Why aren’t you wearing glasses?!?” (thinking I was the kind of girl who wouldn’t wear them out of vanity) and I answered “I’ve been asking for glasses for years and years; *you tell me* why I didn’t get them.”
Since that time I *have* stopped being clumsy at least most of the time, have become a good driver, have become a good downhill skier, have learned several crafts and home repairs, and have taught myself to type fast, among many other things. I also suddenly, after a couple of years wearing glasses that corrected the mixed messages, became able to see a lot of visual puzzles that were a blank to me before (and that was a strange feeling, let me tell you!). Recently — and I am now in my fifties, mind you — I found that I am seeing far more in films and TV; things that were formerly just a blur of colour have resolved into meaningful images; this happened just last week on watching Star Wars again, that I saw a bunch of stuff that I never knew was there on the first (or second or third) viewing — and no it was on TV, so not caused by better technology. Apparently the brain connections are still getting better.
Re: Visual Tracking problems, Dyslexia and Learning Problems
[quote:2a14660ea1=”victoria”]It depends on what you mean by “overcoming”. Totally perfect vision, no. Great improvements, yes.
Due to incredibly bad treatment in my youth, I was told from age 5 to 17 that I had no vision problems, it was all in my mind, and I just had to shape up and stop being clumsy. I lost most of the sight in my left eye from untreated amblyopia. At age 17 I finally got to go to a new and this time competent ophthalmologist; he said “Why aren’t you wearing glasses?!?” (thinking I was the kind of girl who wouldn’t wear them out of vanity) and I answered “I’ve been asking for glasses for years and years; *you tell me* why I didn’t get them.”
Since that time I *have* stopped being clumsy at least most of the time, have become a good driver, have become a good downhill skier, have learned several crafts and home repairs, and have taught myself to type fast, among many other things. I also suddenly, after a couple of years wearing glasses that corrected the mixed messages, became able to see a lot of visual puzzles that were a blank to me before (and that was a strange feeling, let me tell you!). Recently — and I am now in my fifties, mind you — I found that I am seeing far more in films and TV; things that were formerly just a blur of colour have resolved into meaningful images; this happened just last week on watching Star Wars again, that I saw a bunch of stuff that I never knew was there on the first (or second or third) viewing — and no it was on TV, so not caused by better technology. Apparently the brain connections are still getting better.[/quote]
That is so encouraging to read. Thanks. We in the same age range, BTW.
Yesterday, I went to the hospital for a day of testing … CAT scan, ultrasound, etc. to rule out CVA or carotid artery disease as the underlying cause of my double vision. In the past, I too, had been told that my clumsiness and blurred vision was all in my mind or due to astigmatism, which now the doctors have ruled out. I think opthamology is still a relatively new field with new discoveries being made all the time.
It seems that doctors are realizing that it’s not all in our minds, and that there are “organic” reasons behind our problems. Our circuitry and genetic structure is very delicate. So many things can go wrong during our conception, gestation, and development. We are still in our infancy in medicine, and learning new things every day.
Sometimes I truly wonder it this double vision and tracking problem was caused by the apoptosis which occurs during menopausal years. This apoptosis (rapid die off of neurons in the brain) is what causes the post-polio syndrome which is so devastating to the polio victims of the 1930-1950s.. They thought that they had overcome most of the symptoms of polio to be afflicted with it in old age. Many are in wheelchairs and struggle to live.
I have somewhat similar eye problems myself, probably not so severe because I can drive, but yes, you can deal with them. And I have four university degrees. If you got as far as university without knowing you had this, you have a good learning style and things can only get better. Check out another ophthalmologist; the glasses shouldn’t be complete Coke bottles these days; mine are a quarter the thickness they used to be.