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Original poster

Do you have one eye significantly worse than the other?

29 replies

FknOmniShambles · 24/07/2024 22:00

My right eye has always been worse - my prescription is -4 and - 5.5
For no particular reason I covered my good eye while reading on the sofa and Jesus what a difference. I couldn't skim read as I usually do, I had to physically read every single word and, consequently, it took longer to comprehend what I was reading. It was hard going!
Is there anything I can do to remedy this? I have a real fear of losing my sight as I get older 😢

OP posts:
Gettingannoyednow · 24/07/2024 22:06

Well, you're short-sighted, and as we age we get longer-sighted, so for distance your vision will actually improve a bit, if that's any help. How old are you?

I recently had to change the settings on my Kindle to make it easier to read (uncorrected). I'm 42.

mynameiscalypso · 24/07/2024 22:10

I do. I can't quite remember the details but the nerves in my left eye didn't form properly and so everything is blurry. I can't read or watch TV or even walk around properly just using that eye. My right eye is shortsighted too although I tend to ignore that! I get my eyes checked a lot and see a private ophthalmologist but I mainly just hope that nothing really ever happens to my right eye.

Biancobianca · 24/07/2024 22:12

Mine are equally shite at around -10.

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BlossomToLeaves · 24/07/2024 22:17

mine are also both pretty bad, -10 or more

But I'm also getting presbyopia now, and I have to take my glasses off (even the fancy top range varifocals) if I want to see things really up close, like reading my phone in bed etc. I can only use one eye when I have to hold it that close. And that is when I really notice a difference between the two eyes. My dominant eye, I can use quite well alone, and at a certain distance. My non-dominant eye needs to be much closer (right at my nose really!) and it's quite hard to get it to focus properly and consistently, and even the muscles keeping my other eye closed are weaker and get tired easily. it's much more stressful trying to read with that eye. (I persist with practising, partly to try to strengthen those muscles, as the optician said I don't blink completely in that eye which can lead to dry eye).

The optician said it wasn't that usual for the reading correction to be different in the two eyes, and in fact the measured prescription wasn't different - and yet I really noticed a difference in what distance works when I don't use any correction at all.

ShrubRose · 24/07/2024 23:41

What kind of glasses are you using?

It takes an experienced, patient optometrist to get the prescription right for people whose eyes are different, but it can be done.

EBearhug · 25/07/2024 00:18

Mine were -2 and -5 - I wasn't diagnosed for ages, because they had learned to work together, one for close work, the other for blackboard work. I had glasses with a different prescription in each eye. I tried contact lenses of different prescriptions - which worked as far as vision correction went, but I didn't get on with them for other reasons. And about 25 years ago, I had them lasered, so they were about the same prescription. Just starting to need reading glasses, but I always knew that would happen.

NeverMindTheBackProblems · 25/07/2024 00:38

Yes. When I was little my mum used to comment on how I used to write as I turned the page as I could see better with my left eye. It's only now decades later that I realise that my right eye is very weak.

QuestionableMouse · 25/07/2024 00:41

Yep, I'm essentially blind in one eye.

PinkArt · 25/07/2024 00:57

Yup, -1.75 and -5. There is a huge difference between what they can both see if I don't have my lenses or glasses on.

AbraAbraCadabra · 25/07/2024 01:23

Yes. Since childhood. One eye has always been really bad (lazy they called it) the other eye compensated for a really long time then as I've got older has started to go as well also now I need glasses almost all the time. I'm long sighted.

IBegYourBiggestPardon · 25/07/2024 02:41

R -1.25
L - 0.50

I also have astigmatisms in both eyes. My right eye is much worse though. The right one is 180.0 the left is 15.0. I absolutely hate driving in the dark. I do have toric contacts now which do help slightly during the night but my vision still isn't perfectly clear cos I still get the beams of light bouncing up from headlights, traffic lights etc

Doglover357 · 25/07/2024 02:56

yes. I used to wear 1 contact lens and then had that eye lasered about 20 years ago.
I think it was -7.5 and the other is basically normal.
they told me at the time I’d need glasses as I aged if I had it done. No regrets.
early 40s now and no glasses yet.

BlossomToLeaves · 25/07/2024 07:36

IBegYourBiggestPardon · 25/07/2024 02:41

R -1.25
L - 0.50

I also have astigmatisms in both eyes. My right eye is much worse though. The right one is 180.0 the left is 15.0. I absolutely hate driving in the dark. I do have toric contacts now which do help slightly during the night but my vision still isn't perfectly clear cos I still get the beams of light bouncing up from headlights, traffic lights etc

The numbers you're giving for the astigmatism don't show how bad it is - they show which angle the axis is at. And 180 and 0 are the same, so actually 15 is not very far from 180 at all! You will also have a diopter measurement for the astigmatism to show what correction you need in that particular direction.

I have weird astigmatism at 50 and 150 or similar, which is again quite similar/symmetrical angles in each eye, but unusual in that the axes are oblique. Most astigmatism is horizontal or vertical. Mine is about -2.0 or -2.5 in each direction. It makes it very hard to find disposable contact lenses as most of them don't do the diagonal axes (at least not combined with very high short-sightedness!).

Kinsters · 25/07/2024 08:02

I have this! Left eye is perfect, right eye is long sighted (maybe +4 or +5, I can't remember). Because they were unevenly powered when I was developing the brain cells all migrated to the perfect left eye so even if I corrected the vision in my right eye it doesn't have the brain cells to back it up so would still be blurry. That's how I understand it anyway.

I can see perfectly fine and don't use glasses. I'm not sure whether I have depth perception in the same way as people with two good eyes do.

nickyschof · 25/07/2024 08:27

Yep. - 8 and - 4. Now have glaucoma and cataracts and am only 54 😞

Namechange3868 · 25/07/2024 08:38

Well, that's why we have two 😝

I think it's as normal to have two of differing sight than it is for them to be the same. One of mine is -12.25 and the other -9.75 (including astigmatism).

Despite being 'shortsighted', I can't see anything more than about an inch away!

They will likely go up and down... Over the past few years, mine have sometimes got slightly better, then slightly worse. Actually had a test yesterday and my astigmatism improved by a couple of points, but my right eye general vision was a little worse.

Am also on the cusp of needing varifocals, oh joy.

The only thing that has been demonstrated to help stop myopia getting worse, particularly in children, is spending around two hours outside each day.

Jeezitneverends · 25/07/2024 08:48

I’ve always been a bit short sighted in my left and a bit long sighted in my right, along with astigmatism. (Can’t remember the numbers!) but it’s become a bit more of an issue as age has come into play, but have happily worn varifocal for several years.

I had an eye test a couple of weeks ago and the optician really took his time balancing the 2 lenses, as I believe it’s not the easiest to do, as 1 eye dominates for distance and the other for close up, but he’s had to reverse it….I’m currently trialling contact lenses after giving up on them years ago, and OMG I think it’s the closest I’ve ever had to 20/20 vision!

NineChickennuggets · 25/07/2024 08:58

My left eye has always been much weaker than my right eye. As I have got older the biggest changes have been in my better right eye. I am now +3.5 and + 6.5 and also need varifocals. I have all my books on kindle.

LostittoBostik · 25/07/2024 09:12

Yes. It's normal. Ever since I've needed glasses it's been because one is worse than the other - and it's getting worse with age.
Both my children only need glasses because one of their eyes is awful.

Alwaystired23 · 25/07/2024 09:21

My right eye is worse. The left eye is -5.75, right eye is -6.00, so not much of a difference. There was more of a difference, but I have recently had a new prescription. Unfortunately, the vision in my left eye is becoming distorted. I have to look at the alsler chart every few days to monitor it. I can't see close up any more either, I have a small range where I can read without contacts/glasses. My son has his 1st pair of glasses as is also becoming short-sighted. He's got myopia management glasses, so I'm really hoping this will help reduce the severity in the future. I don't want his eyes going as bad as mine or possibly worse. I would love to wake up and my vision be normal.

Alwaystired23 · 25/07/2024 09:22

Amsler chart, I mean

the80sweregreat · 25/07/2024 09:27

My right eye is awful, left not too bad but I need reading glasses and for the computer.
I hate those field tests they do in the opticians as I always fail them and have to retake it, not sure if this is to do with my terrible eyes or just not concentrating enough on the test!

Kinsters · 25/07/2024 09:35

@Namechange3868 I read something that said having kids sit and watch their devices outside is the way to go if you can't get away from the screen 😂

It's so hard to find proper information about the outdoor time and eyesight. Like how much lux is enough for the time to count? Does 1 hour in high lux count for more than 1 hour in low lux? What age is this most crucial for? I'm a bit obsessed with the DC getting their luxes as DH is very short sighted and we want to avoid that for them if possible but it's hard! Luckily neither of them seem to have inherited my lazy eye.

Elphame · 25/07/2024 09:36

I have total vision suppression in each eye. Whilst both have reasonable vision I can only use one at a time. If I want to use my right eye I have to cover the left as that one is dominant and the default.

I didn’t know this until I was friends with an ophthalmic student at university. She was practicing on me and then whisked me in to see her tutor…

He explained what was happening and a lot of things fell into place, including why I was so bad at certain sports and appeared very clumsy at times. Lack of any depth perception will do that!

ETgo · 25/07/2024 09:37

My right eye is -8.25 and my left is -2.50 with an astigmatism which makes wearing glasses awkward as I can only see if my head is turned straight at what I'm looking at. So I can't see properly if I just move my eyes if that makes sense?
I've been wearing contacts for years now and it's fine other than they only increase the strength in 0.5 increments so I'm noticing I can't see quite as clearly in my right eye.

It's just a pain if I get an eye infection as I'm really not used to glasses and don't like wearing them.