Eye sight help

[bonal]

As I have gotten older like most everyone else my eyes have gotten out of whak. I can still count the trees on a ridge over 20 miles away but can't see inside of 2 feet worth a damn. Wearing readers works fine but they are a pain in the A%#. I have seen adds for Cloraxon what have others done that has improved your vision.

[Marauder]

Waer glasses

[Marauder]

Seriously, I have found a few suppliers of readers that are clear on the top or that are sun glasses but have a slight magnification on the bifocal. I only need the 1.25, but I agree. Not a lot of fun...

[carusoam]

Expensive bifocals from a real eye doctor....

Have him explain the effects of aging on the eyes.

You may find distance improves with time as nearness goes away.

Getting old can be a drag, but it doesn't have to be...

No magic bullets from magazine adds....

Avoid smiling Bob..

Don't eat something to intentionally effect your eyesight, unless the FDA, FAA and your trusted doctor say it's OK.

Finely worded advertisements are unfair to consumers.

I was unable to find a Claroxin ad in my AOPA mag...

Count this as an uninformed personal opinion only.

Best regards,

-a-

[mooniac15u]

Cloraxin is the tradename for chloramphenicol which is an antibiotic.  Unless you have an eye infection I would be skeptical.

[Fly By Night]

Try Boomersintheknow.com for an assortment of Bifocal readers clear and tinted. Inexpensive, various styles and expendable.

[Piloto]

I just had lens replacement due to cataracts. The results were impressive. No need for eye glasses. Vision acuity, high contrast and vivid colors were impressive. Before the surgery objects, specially street signs looked dull and dirty. After surgery everything looks sharp and shines. It makes you feel younger and appreciate nature. Strongly recommend it.

 

José

[Glenn]

I just had lens replacement due to cataracts. The results were impressive. No need for eye glasses. Vision acuity, high contrast and vivid colors were impressive. Before the surgery objects, specially street signs looked dull and dirty. After surgery everything looks sharp and shines. It makes you feel younger and appreciate nature. Strongly recommend it.

 

José

José,

 

I am glad it went well. ​How long were you grounded following the surgery?

 

Thanks,

 

Glenn

[cbarry]

It's Claroxan (a brand name) not Cloraxin

[BigTex]

I think I have spent literally thousands on reader sunglasses and I keep coming back to these: http://hazebuster.com/s/catalog/?cPath=27

 

The only downside is that the lenses scratch real easily so you have to be careful with them.  What I like is that they position the magnification portion correctly for the cockpit.  You don't have to tip your head up to read your instruments.  Most non-aviation readers put the magnification too low.

[bonal]

Sorry I was going from memory (the other thing that is failing) it's Claroxan and they run their add in Flying magazine

[1964-M20E]

Expensive bifocals from a real eye doctor....

Have him explain the effects of aging on the eyes.

You may find distance improves with time as nearness goes away.

Getting old can be a drag, but it doesn't have to be...

No magic bullets from magazine adds....

Avoid smiling Bob..

Best regards,

-a-

+1

I have the same issue my PPL states I must have my glasses but I do not argue the fact I have just accepted it.  Just visited the eye doctor Monday no issues just a little correction.  I have the no line bi-focal it is real convenient you look out and see fine you look down at the instruments and see fine.

[bonal]

I use the glasses fine but they are a pain. short of eating carrots looking for a vitamin supplement or something that may help. Read a story about the British pilots in WW2 drinking bilberry tea and that gave them an advantage in night vision against the Luftwaffe but they were young men.

[N601RX]

I had a similar problem about a year ago. I ended up going with the best progressive lens I could get. They were pricy, but I have been very happy with them. The peripheral vision is very clear, with cheap progressives anything not directly in front of you will begin to get out of focus and you will be turning your head towards whatever you are looking at.

http://mooneyspace.com/topic/10777-optometrists-bifocals-medical-renewal-question/?hl=bifocals

[WardHolbrook]

This might be a solution for you...

 

http://www.stickonbifocals.com/

 

I've head of guys cutting them to size and sticking them to the top of their prescription lenses for reading overhead panels. They'd probably work just fine in conjunction with over the counter sunglassses. Do a search for stick on reading lenses, they're readily available and not too spendy - probably worth a try. 

[Seth]

I still consider myself young (just turned 33) and used to have eagle eyes. My distance vision however is not what it used to be anymore. At some point I'll have to do something for long distance clarity.

I hear your near vision goes first, but it's the opposite for me so far. I'm "dirty" 20/20 now, but it used to be better than 20/20.

Has anyone else tried the eye supplement discussed above? Does it really help at all? Night vision issues?

-Seth

[Piloto]

José,

 

I am glad it went well. ​How long were you grounded following the surgery?

 

Thanks,

 

Glenn

I drove out myself the following day when the doc removed the eye patch.. Was able to read the street signs even against bright background. I was not grounded but had no need to fly for about two weeks, A month before the surgery I had a third class medical with no problems. But the AME visual test does not check for cataracts symptoms. 

 

Mild cataracts does not impair your vision for flying. But I found you loose the ability to spot traffic that others onboard can see. I found this when flying with my son. The Traffic-Watch alerted for traffic but I could not see it but my son could. Also in bright light the GPS displays looks kind of lacking contrast. After the surgery the displays looks brighter and sharper.

 

José

[chrisk]

Hi Bonal,

I too have the same issues.  And in particular, when flying and landing at night. Additionally I think most bifocals and progressives are really poor for a cockpit environment.  The near focus area tends to be small.

 

Here is what I did.  I took a pair of  glasses with me and sat in the plane with the seat in the landing position.  I then put blue painters masking tape over the top of the lenses, so the line was right at the glare screen.  The next stop was Sams where I got "Executive" bi-focals, also called occupational bi-focals.  The line runs the full width of the lens, and is fairly high up.  They were also inexpensive for "real" glasses, being around $200.

 

Anyway, landing at night is now a lot nicer.  The ASI is in complete focus, the MP and Tach are in perfect focus, no issues reading the GPS,  and the runway is in focus too. --And all without having to turn my head, which is a consideration if I'm in the clouds.

[carusoam]

Really good point ChrisK.

The bifocal line can be set for how you use them.

Giving your guy (lens person , Dr., whoever...) a taped target across the lens indicating what works for you has got to help a lot...

Having bifocals without a line is a bit of a challenge if they are not in the right place.

Reading for one person may not be the same as IP reading for another... (Distance and location)

Best regards,

-a-

[mooniac15u]

Sorry I was going from memory (the other thing that is failing) it's Claroxan and they run their add in Flying magazine

 

Claroxan is mixture of some vitamins and other supplements.  Nothing in it looks particularly dangerous by itself but some of the ingredients (particularly gingko) have the potential to interact with other drugs.  Be careful if you are taking any other medication, even over the counter.

 

The thing about supplements is that they are largely unregulated.  They don't require any clinical trials or even any actual science to back up their claims.   In this case it seems unlikely that any of these ingredients could reverse the effects of presbyopia.  Your best bet is probably one of the bifocal solutions suggested above.

[bonal]

I've been using stick on lenses for My serengeti sun glasses and they work fine and a prescription bifocal for low light that also works fine. Thanks for the suggestion but I'm already using them. I was hoping to find a solution other than LASIK that might work. Guess I will eat more carrots.

[PMcClure]

I used to have perfect vision but it started to go in my early 30's. I have an FAA requirement to have corrective lenses available, but hate flying with readers. I am farsighted and finding a solution that worked well in real world and flying was challenging.  I did have to work with my eye doctor to get the strength right as they normal set for normal reading distance, but the panel is a little different than reading difference.  It was all really frustrating during my instrument training and it took a few different strengths to get it right.  There is a lot of close up, then infinity focal distances in flying, and depth perception cues as well. And why do they make the font and lines so darn small anyway! Settled on multifocal contact lenses and everything works seamlessly. I see much better than with the same prescription glasses I have (which are progressives).

[aviatoreb]

My dad used to say,

 

Getting old isn't for the faint of heart.