Vision

[Mozart]

What exactly is it that causes people to have bad vision? 1000 years ago did the same number of people need glasses? I have needed glasses since I was 13 and I wonder how could I live if eye glasses had not been invented? I have astigmatism so I can't see anything very close to my face, or anything more than a few inches away gets blurry without glasses.

[orbital]

I can't remember the medical reason off the top of my head, but I wore glasses for about 15 years (hated them), finally getting a laser surgery 2 years ago. It has proved wonders, my eyesight is better than 20/20 now 

[Bonehelm]

I can't remember the medical reason off the top of my head, but I wore glasses for about 15 years (hated them), finally getting a laser surgery 2 years ago. It has proved wonders, my eyesight is better than 20/20 now 

What is the chance for the laser surgery to be successful? Is it like 95% or something?

and....does it hurt ? 

[greg]

I have to wear glasses 
but normally i don't 

i just wear them when I drive, since I can't read anything far away and it's all blurry. And when I was in school, I just put them on to read the board. I don't like wearing them because they make me look funny and you have to clean them all the time!  They also like to slip off, too. But the disadvantages of not wearing them can suck.... the main thing is when you're at school walking down the hallways and you see someone- is that someone you know? You squint, and they say hey, but you're not sure. So you walk closer until you can see, waiting a couple seconds. Oh yeah, it's them, and you say hey. People look blurry 

i need to get contacts.... my dad wears them and LOVES them, totally has the same opinion as me about glasses

[Mozart]

You would think people that couldn't see would just die of sometime in the past no? I mean how are you going to kill a giraffe if it looks like blurry?

[greg]

You would think people that couldn't see would just die of sometime in the past no? I mean how are you going to kill a giraffe if it looks like blurry?

i think they just turned into abstract artists and painted in caves

[orbital]

What is the chance for the laser surgery to be successful? Is it like 95% or something?

and....does it hurt ? 

I think it is very close to 100% as long as it is done in a reputable clinic by an experienced operator. I had to go through a double step procedure, because apparently the retina layer on my left eye was not strong enough, so they had to fortify it with another laser procedure first. That was kind of uncomfortable, though not painful. The idea that they kind of pop your eye out is discomforting. But the whole operation took about 20 minutes, in which your eyes are made numb by very strong light; you do not see anything except a green light that you are supposed to follow.

I highly recommend it. Even though I am very sensitive about the eye (that's why I could not wear contacts), the fact that no sharp object is in direct contact with your eye is a relief (A decade ago, I think they used to cut a layer first).

[SonicMan46]

Mozart - I've worn glasses for nearly 50 years (you do get use to them after that time -  ).  I assume that you are nearsighted, i.e. distant objects are 'blurry' - the condition is called myopia and is basically inherited (more likely if one or both of your parents have the same problem) - the eyeball simply has a 'shape' (more oval than rounded) that does not permit the lens to focus properly on the retina.  Solutions (in order to pass your driver's test -  ) are:  1) Glasses; 2) Contact lenses (gave them a try twice - intolerable for me); 3) Surgical correction, i.e. laser therapy (considered this option 4-5 yrs ago and went through the entire evaluation - decided to stay w/ my glasses).

My main problem is that my eyes need different corrections (the right is worst that the left), plus I also have astigmatism (usually due to variations in the shape of the surface of the cornea), so if you must wear glasses, then a quality examination for the right prescription is a must.  As you age, another problem arises called presbyopia, basically 'old eyes' which is caused by the 'stiffening' of the lens w/ age which does not permit focusing close objects, such as reading a book - then other glasses options are needed (bifocals or variable lenses that I use currently).

Concerning refractive surgery on the cornea, a number of options exist - the main goal is to 're-shape' the cornea so the lens can focus on the surface of the retina; older techniques involved actually 'cuts' made into the surface of the cornea, but newer laser techniques (e.g. Lasix) can be performed w/ more accuracy and a high success rate (however, complications can still occur, and these should be reviewed w/ your eye doctor before the procedure is done); also remember that this surgery is not 'cheap' and is not covered completely by health insurance plans, so prepare to pay a considerable amount of money.

Now, your other question about 'how long' this problem has affected humanity is a fascinating topic requiring another post -     Hope this helps a little - good luck in your choices - 

[Mozart]

Contacts are terrible for me too. I used to wear them alot too, but they make my eyes dry and red, I always look like im on drugs. I have worn glasses for years now, and I would like to get the laser eye but don't have the money for it.

Now if some ancient ancestor of mine had just died off I wouldn't have this problem! 

[greg]

Now if some ancient ancestor of mine had just died off I wouldn't have this problem! 

And if all of our ancient ancestors have died off, no of us would have any problems  0:)

[SonicMan46]

And if all of our ancient ancestors have died off, no of us would have any problems  0:)

Greg - LOL  !  All of our 'ancient ancestors' have indeed died off, unfortunately their genes have been passed on, and can only be eliminated or continued by 'natural selection' - but again, that could be another topic -   

[knight66]

I have had glasses for about 40 years. I realised I needed them when I kept missing buses because they were just about past me before I could read the destination and try to stop them.

I am very short sighted. Going to the swimming pool worked OK with my wife, I could find her by the distinctive peach costume, however when she bought a black one, I could never find her in a busy pool. Taking my son to the pool when he was little meant I had to keep my glasses on, or he became effectively lost if he was more than 15 feet away. It happened once and that taught me I had to wear those glasses.

Sometimes I have wondered how short sighted people got on in ancient times, never seeing the stars. Never being able to pick out a face in a crowd. How about trying to discern what was happening across a battlefield. I would have ended up holding onto the guy in front and not being able to see the arrows arching across towards us....that would have been the end of my story.

Mike

[greg]

Sometimes I have wondered how short sighted people got on in ancient times, never seeing the stars. Never being able to pick out a face in a crowd. How about trying to discern what was happening across a battlefield. I would have ended up holding onto the guy in front and not being able to see the arrows arching across towards us....that would have been the end of my story.

Mike

Exactly! I don't think people would have problems seeing giraffes, but in war, it'd be a huge problem. I'd be the first one to die, or at least we'd both have been the first ones.... 

[knight66]

Exactly! I don't think people would have problems seeing giraffes, but in war, it'd be a huge problem. I'd be the first one to die, or at least we'd both have been the first ones.... 

The blind leading the blind.

Mike

[greg]

The blind leading the blind.

Mike

And also leading the people with good eyesight...
which might mean death for us, but an awkward situation for 20/20 vision people

[Mozart]

Stupid slow evolution, you would think this problem would be fixed by now! Damn our brains who have cured it in a annoying way.

[SonicMan46]

Stupid slow evolution, you would think this problem would be fixed by now! Damn our brains who have cured it in a annoying way.

Mozart - human intelligence has only contributed to the problem! With the invention of 'eye glasses' centuries ago (remember Ben Franklin created bifocals in the 18th century), individuals that may have been 'killed off' early in life (for whatever reason, such as not seeing an arrow coming at them -  ), could survive w/ glasses and later reproduce children who might inherit the same eye problem - of course, this can be expanded tremendously w/ the strides made in modern medicine in allowing those w/ potentially early fatal diseases to survive to adulthood, where reproduction and the passage of their genes becomes possible - interesting thoughts to consider - 

[Mozart]

Medicine is really evil then I guess. For the future of the human race, would it be so terrible to kill off everyone with such genes (except me) to ensure our survival? Hahha Okay its a little far but still, what if no one was ever born with aids again? Its why I think I shouldn't need glasses, some time ago my blind ancestor should have gotten hit by an arrow. Stupid lucky prick! Its his fault I'm blind! 

[Steve]

Mozart - human intelligence has only contributed to the problem! With the invention of 'eye glasses' centuries ago (remember Ben Franklin created bifocals in the 18th century), individuals that may have been 'killed off' early in life (for whatever reason, such as not seeing an arrow coming at them -  ), could survive w/ glasses and later reproduce children who might inherit the same eye problem - of course, this can be expanded tremendously w/ the strides made in modern medicine in allowing those w/ potentially early fatal diseases to survive to adulthood, where reproduction and the passage of their genes becomes possible - interesting thoughts to consider - 

The Darwinian impact of meddlesome medicine...