132 replies to this topic

[Fragile Bird]

Whenever movies or comics or books want to portray a nerd, they put glasses on their face.  Superman, for crying out loud, disguised himself as Clark Kent just by wearing glasses.

I started wearing glasses in grade 5, and with time just got blinder and blinder.  Finally I reached the point, when my eyes were at -7.5 in one and -8 in the other, and even with the most expensive super thin lenses, I had coke bottle bottom glasses.  I wondered what would happen if I was travelling on business and there was a hotel fire, and I couldn't find my glasses, or if I was out somewhere, driving, and broke my glasses, I'd be totally  helpless.  So I got laser eye surgery done and what a life changer.

I still think about the drive home in the taxi, looking out the window and realizing I could read the signs over the shops for the first time since I was a teen without glasses.  Tears filled my eyes.

Of course, now, with aging, I'm back to glasses because I can't read small print without them.  I'm typing this without glasses right now, so it's not that bad, but glasses make reading the smaller print possible.

So, fellow nerds (hey, anyone who started reading sci fi at 8 and eagerly anticipated the new tv series Star Trek is a long time nerd, or should I say geek?) just how many of you wear glasses?  And, lol, how bad is your eyesight?  Informal poll.

[MercenaryChef]

I wore glasses from 12 to 18. then I transitioned into contacts. without some matter of corrective lens I am quite fucked.

[Lord O' Bones]

LASIK myself 13 years ago. 10 years of contacts before that. Glasses can fuck right off.

[Lord_Tyrion]

I wear contact lenses. Left eye: -8.75, right eye: -3.0.

And it's getting worse I know that, because it's running on the male side of the family. My granddad was practially blind in the end.

But I am able to drive because of the contact lenses. That's a piece of my quality of life. And if that were to go or better no longer possible, I think it'd be quite bad.

A good thing: I can choose any sunglasses I like.

Edited by Lord_Tyrion, 27 January 2013 - 12:26 PM.

[Maltaran]

Fragile Bird, on 27 January 2013 - 12:15 PM, said:

Superman, for crying out loud, disguised himself as Clark Kent just by wearing glasses.

It was a bit more than that, at least if you watch Christopher Reeve (although slouching and pitching your voice up an octave don't really come across well in comics).

On topic, I just collected my new glasses today. The dioptre numbers don't look too bad, -1.25 in the left and -1.50 in the right, but I also have astigmatism.

[Datepalm]

I have something like -3/4 in both eyes, and wear glasses about half the time - mostly for driving or watching tv - but don't like to when i'm just out and about, though sometimes it will require (more recently) to pull them out for something or other. I don't wear glasses when I read or in front of the computer, so thats a big chunk of non-glasses time, which makes being consistent about it a bit difficult. I'm not theoretically opposed to laser surgery, but it's faintly scary and not urgent, so not really something i've looked into either.

[Lummel]

My eyes are fine.  Clearly I am not Clark Kent.

[drawkcabi]

Nearsighted. I don't know my numbers I just know my eyesight is steadily growing worse. Started wearing glasses in 4th grade and I only wore them in school to see the board. Then I started wearing them at movies, then when in the car, and finally I to start wearing them to watch TV, without them I can't see anything without it being all blurred more than 4 feet from my face.

I've gone through about 6 changes to stronger prescriptions since I've started and I know I'm ready for another one. Oh and I just got a letter from my insurance provider saying they no longer cover getting new glasses, which they used to cover for a new pair once every year. So isn't that nice.

Still have very good eyesight close up. Can read very small print in books/instructions/etc. without any aid for my eyes. My glasses bother me when I wear them while reading a book or pad or on the lap top.

I'm also one of those super icky scared type people about anything coming close to my eyes. So no contacts for me. The idea of eye drops scared me until I was in my late teens. Not opposed to at least looking into lasik, at least if/when I get to a point where I feel too burdened with the glasses, which at this point, I don't.

[Winter's Knight]

I was born with glasses-sort of. I had lenses till I was three and my mum still has nightmares about that-it was back when they were made of glass and I had (have) a bad habit of absent mindedly touching my face. At three I started wearing glasses. They're bifocals and I wear them while awake although I can manage without but reading, screen work and accurate vision is difficult.

My eyesight has been improving over time-which is freaking my doctor a little bit, since I wear glasses to compensate for my eyes not having organic lenses.

[Seli]

I started wearing glasses at around 9 or 10 years old. My eyes deteriorated quickly (about a dioptre per year) during my puberty growth-spurt and after that on a slower pace until my mid-20's. Now I need about -7 in both eyes*.
I did wear lenses for a couple of years, but they disagreed with office-buildings and laboratories, so now I only have disposable lenses for sports and special occasions. I know I probably could get surgery, but haven't looked into it seriously yet.

* to get an idea, things start to blur after 10 cm.

Edited by Seli, 27 January 2013 - 01:12 PM.

[Anubiel]

I'm nearsighted. Have worn contacts for 15 years - I hate wearing glasses. I've been at -5.50 and -5.25 for the last six years.

[straits]

I have typical myopia. -2 on one eye, -2.25 on the other at 20 years of age. Four years ago, when I started wearing glasses, I had -1.5 and -1.75. So it's slowly getting worse.

Started wearing contacts 3 years ago, too. The first time around it took me 2 hours to get one in. When I got used to it, I started scaring people at school by rubbing my open eyes with my fingertips.

[straits]

  so many bats on this forum.

[MinDonner]

-9.5 or so, reprezentin. Got my first pair the day before my 8th birthday, so that's nearly 3 decades ago. Glasses don't bother me at all though. I wear contacts for going out, if only because it's incredibly difficult to put makeup on when your face is 2 inches from the mirror, but for day-to-day stuff I just can't be bothered with that. So Lasik just seems like it would be a huge waste of money I could spend on better stuff, rather than correcting a not-very-major inconvenience. If I win the lottery, then maybe.

Would I be lost without them? Probably not as much as you'd expect. Back when I used to do that sort of thing, I had a few occasions of having to find my way home of a morning sans contacts (cos you can't sleep in those bloody things if you want any eyeballs left the next day), and while it was a bit freaky, it was far from impossible. Still, I always carry a spare pair if I go on holiday, just cos of the potential for hassle if nothing else.

[Castel]

I wore glasses for about three days a year ago. MY right eye is weak and blurry (my left eye is perfect) so I thought that glasses would help. They did, but they weren't good enough to make words readable and really fucked with my perspective and gave me headaches. One eye has been weak so long I'm used to seeing the world like that, when I was told that it wasn't normal during an eye exam I was actually surprised.

More importantly, they looked terrible.I'm glad to be rid of them.

Edited by Castel, 27 January 2013 - 01:27 PM.

[MostInterestingManWesteros]

Glasses for me. Had contacts originally, but one of them rolled up into my eye and disappeared, it hurt really bad so I went with glasses. Nearsighted, -1.75 in both eyes now. I can function pretty well without my glasses, however driving at night becomes much more dangerous if I don't have them. I like glasses, I think I look fine either way, but probably a little better without them.

[Skunkbelly]

I was prescribed reading glasses when I turned 40. They're not strong and I don't wear them all the time. My son got glasses this fall. He's 8. He transitioned really easily. Doesn't mind them at all. His prescription us very light.. -0.75 in both eyes, but he keeps saying how much better he sees with the glasses. His teacher appreciates them too since he doesn't goof off as much in class now.

Edited by Skunkbelly, 27 January 2013 - 01:33 PM.

[Fragile Bird]

MinDonner, on 27 January 2013 - 01:13 PM, said:

-9.5 or so, reprezentin.
<snip>

Being able to tolerate contact lenses makes a world of difference, it lets you do more things with greater ease.  Even so, I would strongly suggest laser surgery, it makes life so much more enjoyable.

[Paladin of Ice]

Nerd credentials: I started reading Lord of the Rings at age 7.

Glasses credentials: I started wearing at around age 11 or 12, (and it was probably overdue) I think my current prescription is somewhere in the -5.00 range plus some mild astigmatism, and I'm pretty sure I would be considered legally bind in New York without glasses.

[Odendisa]

-3.0 on my left eye and -2.50 on my right eye. I got contacts to but I almost never use them because I love my glasses and I look like an idiot without them. I only use contact lenses  when I go to concerts, nightclubs and other crowded places.

Edited by Odendisa, 27 January 2013 - 01:34 PM.