Is this age-appropriate? (About me - not dc)

[PrettyCandles]

I'm 44, and for the past couple of years am finding I need more light. I need to have room lights on even in daytime, and need bright task lights for most jobs.

If I'm sewing something black I can't see it at all unless a strong light is shining diectly on it.

Is this normal at my age?

Have you seen an optician? There's an age after which everyone's eyesight starts to get worse as the lens gets less elastic (I seem to remember) but don't know what age that is!

My sight seems to have been getting worse at each eye test for the last 6 years or so - I'm 39 - but have pretty rubbish eyesight anyway without my specs.

Yeah, my eyesight has got worse at just about every eyetest I've had since I was 10. Last year I had reading glasses as well, but couldn't get on with them, so finally got varifocals.

I don't think I have ever mentioned the light business to theoptometrist. Can't think why, though.

PC, I am an optometrist

I know that the ability to adapt to dark conditions does get worse as you get older but IIRC plateaus around age 42 and doesn't get worse. Also when we carry out visual field tests the accepted norm for "brightness" for a young person is different from that of an older person.

A lot of people also find that they do need more light to read around about the time you begin to need a separate reading presription which is typically around 45.

Other reasons can be the beginnings of cataract which is unlikely at your age but more common if you are very myopic.

Do you usually have a visual field test when you have an eye exam? If so and if results are normal, it would be unlikely that anything serious is the matter.

Definitely do mention it at your next eye exam.

Thanks, Chipmonkey.

I have a visual field test at each eye test. I presume it's OK because I've never been told otherwise.

But at my last eyetest my optician referred me to a specialist (I'll see them in a week or so) because she was not happy with the results. She said that what I was reporting did not match with what she could find - which was nothing physically wrong.

BTW, what is 'very' myopic?

I am myopic and astigmatic.

I suppose it's all relative but to me "very" myopic would be above a -7.00 or so. Someone's first prescription is usually around -1.00.

I have -7 point something. The myopia seems to be stabilising, it -7 about five years ago, when the changes started slowing down, but the astigmatism still changes at every appointment, and 2-3 years ago the presbyopia began.