Both ds's and I had eye appointments back in October. I got a new rx for contacts. The doctor said my right eye didn't need any vision correction, only correction for an astigmatism. I knew at the time there was something wrong with my then rx, because while I wasn't seeing double, it was like there were two of everything, just overlaying a little bit. Kwim? Anyway, over the past few weeks it's happening again. It's really annoying! lol It's only one eye, so I can still see but sometimes I have to blink really hard to clear it up or close my right eye and only use my left (which has always been my bad eye until all this started). I made an appointment for February 18th (earliest Saturday I could get with my doc). Has anyone ever experienced this? What would make an astigmatism worsen like this? For years I've had little, if any correction in that eye. In high school I only wore one contact--in my left eye because the right didn't need anything. It's just weird. Any experience??? TIA

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 05:45 pm:

My first question is did you see an optician, an optometrist, or an opthalmologist. If not an opthalmologist, I would urge you to make an immediate appointment with an opthalmologist. An opthalmologist is an M.D. who specializes. And if your doctor is an opthalmologist, I wouldn't wait for a Saturday appointment, I'd take the first available appointment and work around anything else. Any noticeable vision change is scary, imo, and needs to be seen promptly.

By Cat on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 11:25 pm:

This isn't a sudden change. It's been gradual. If it were sudden, like over night I'd be seeing someone immediately. I'm not sure what my eye doc's speciality is, but I'll check. I am going to ask him why all of a sudden in the past year this eye has gotten so much worse. Thanx for your concern, Ginny.

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 06:36 am:

Well, I don't mean overnight sudden, but more like, the last 3-6 months sudden.

But if your doc isn't an opthalmologist, I would strongly urge that you should see one. Here's a site advertising laser surgery (which I am NOT suggesting) which I am posting because it gives a thumbnail explanation of the difference between an optician, optometrist, and opthalmologist:

http://www.lasersurgeryforeyes.com/learnthedifference.html

For me vision is a real button pusher. I guess because I've always been extremely nearsighted and because the difference in vision between my eyes is so drastically different, at one point I was told if I could't wear contact lenses to adjust the difference my brain might shut down the weak eye. Can't wear contacts (at least, hard contacts, which was all there was then) because I don't blink frequently enough, my eyes are still drastically different, and glasses make the correction just fine. But I still have a residual "scare" at the back of my mind about my eyes.

By Cat on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 08:49 am:

Ginny, I got my first pair of glasses when I was in the 5th grade. I was nearsighted in my left eye and slightly far sighted in my right, but not enough to need any correction for that eye. So I wore glasses with one lens (other just plain glass) until high school when I got one contact lens for my left eye. After graduating I stopped wearing anything for about 3-4 years and then got a pair of glasses that I wore part time (reading, watching tv, crotcheting, etc) for a few years. Then I stopped wearing those for about 7-8 years until we moved here and I got contacts again, this time for both eyes as I was told I was now nearsighted in both eyes. I wore those for a few years until last fall when my current (then new--new insurance with dh's new job after retiring) doc said my right eye didn't need correction for nearsightedness, just astigmatism and that was why things were fuzzy. Throughout all these years my left eye's rx hasn't changed much at all. I do plan to ask the doc why the right eye has changed so much. I looked at my rx and it lists OD after my doc's name. I guess that would be an Optometrists. There are several docs in the office though, so I'm sure they've got to have an Ophthalmologists in there. I am thinking of trying to get an appointment sooner than the 18th. I just hate taking a day (or 1/2 day) off work. I won't take the kids with me, though. I really only notice it when I read, but I read a lot and it's really annoying. I'll see what I can do about getting a sooner appointment.