(no subject)

[camrogers]

Swell. Something weird's happening with my eyes. Having trouble focusing on letters. Almost like my eyes can't scan words... or the letters are mashing together... or words to the right of my central vision actually seem to vanish. Hopefully not the beginning of something that'll require glasses. Anyone got any experience of stuff like this?

Comments

Off the latest things page...

[needled_ink_1975]

Hi!

You could have a mildly detached retina, or a small spot (almost like a blister) near the macula, probably in your right eye. Do a test: close one eye at a time and check to see if the problem is with both eyes, or just one. If just one eye, then it's probably a detached retina/spot on the macula.

Either way, try to see a doc soon. They'll refer you to a specialist opthalmologist who'll check things out using a drug that dilates your pupils, and another which temporarily stains the retina for contrast, so that they can get a look at what the problem is.

I hope it's one of many, many little things that will either go away by itself, or can easily be repaired with a laser (have had experience with both kinds, and yep, it can be a bit scary).

Best,

-Nic

Re: Off the latest things page...

[camrogers]

Hey, thanks!

[greylock]

Sounds too rapid onset to me. I'd say stress, but are you stressed? Or eye strain?
Stop looking at close-up stuff for a day or two (no comp, books or iphone) and see if it makes a difference).

As an aside, do you know much about Cane Toads from experience? I think I just saw one in my yard.

[camrogers]

I really only know what Wikipedia could tell you, and that I loathe them. How come?

[greylock]

I thought being from FNQ you might have a better developed sense of whether the toad in my yard was a cane toad, a native toad or "I don't know, call Toadbusters".

It is toadier than any frog I have seen, and smaller than a cane toad, but is spikey enough.
But quiet.
I might sleep on it, check some websites tomorrow and if I am concerned send off the pick.

And yes, there has been at least one toad in my 'burb.

[camrogers]

I don't think we have native toads do we? The ones in Cairns were quiet. Saw a spiky one once, but only once. Dunno if that's native or just hideous fugly.

[greylock]

I think it's a local frog, but it is ugly and my 'burb has had a single cane toad.
Looking around, I think it may be a quacking frog. I'm sot sure. I thought you might have had some knowledge I didn't have, having lived in the area.

I think I might keep my eye out, and if I get worried call TOADBUSTERS.

[camrogers]

Sorry I cant be more help. I spent eighteen years trying to be as unaware of being surrounded by the squamous little fuckers as possible.

[greylock]

*pif*
I thought everyone from FNQ was a trained toad ninja.

Are you family affected by the floods? I've been meaning to ask.

[camrogers]

They're affected to some degree every year, when a key bridge or two gets flooded over. Last year Dad got trapped on the wrong side of the river on the way back from Cairns. Had to sleep in the car for a day, eating whatever happened to be with him and fending off mosquitoes. A small camp of people in the same situation had set up on the road as a result. They managed to get across at around 3 in the morning. This time around was fine though.

[flemco]

Seconding this. The post describes exactly how my vision goes when I've stared at small text on a screen for too long.

I usually go outside for an hour and make sure to stare at things in the distance. It usually clears up within minutes.

[camrogers]

That's exactly what I did and it seems to have helped. I remember it being recommended as a way to forestall the need for glasses.

[greylock]

Or get up for 15 min every hour, if you are staring at a screen.

[camrogers]

I kinda wish I'd could just get cybernetic eyes and be done with it. Then I could play WoW in my head while looking attentive.

[greylock]

Been to io9 today? Dragonstrike is what I imagine WOW is.

[camrogers]

That was awful. And a fairly accurate guess, if you took *that*, made it ironically aware of its own crapitude, created a world based on it... and then made billions and billions of dollars, fueled by the support and devotion of tens of millions of people.

Holy crap but 1993 may as well have been before I was born. That was only 17 years ago, yet it looks like something my Dad should have grown up with.

[greylock]

Holy crap but 1993 may as well have been before I was born.

I remember staring at this in the window of Valhalla and thinking how futuristic it looked.

[damien_wise]

My vote's for eye-strain.
I get it too. Motly just blurry, gets difficult to focus, and pain behind the eyes.
These days, it's easier to trigger / comes on after fewer hours.

If you're using an LCD monitor, set it to its native resolution (common-sense, and you probably already knew it).

Give your eyes a break at least once an hour, even if it's focusing out the window, mixing-up long-distance and short-distance. It's the thing of focusing on exactly the same distance for hours on end that does it.

Good luck!