Eyesight going in my 40s!

[Morningchatter]

I’m 46 and feel like over the last 2 years my eyesight rapidly getting worse, especially reading small writing and needing a lot of light to see things properly. Feel like I’ll hardly be able to see my the time I reach 50!
I’ve had an eye test and they couldn’t find anything majorly wrong, bought their glasses but didn’t find they helped much. Has anyone else experienced such rapid deterioration in their 40s or could it be an underlying health condition?

What you have is Presbyopia. It's the normal aging process of your eyes and starts at about 40. The needing more light and not being able to see so well is just another part of getting older.

If the glasses didn't help then go back to your optician because glasses should put this right for you and you don't need to struggle with this. https://www.specsavers.co.uk/eye-health/presbyopia

When you said you had an eye test OP was it just a sight test rather than a thorough eye examination ?

If the glasses aren't helping you really need to go back and talk to them about the problems you are having. If their examination doesnt reveal anything but glasses aren't sorting your issue then they should be referring you to an eye clinic or similar..

Thank you @BarrelofBeer and @Changeaboutnow I had a eye test and was made glasses which were quite expensive but didn’t find they helped at all, I had a more thorough eye examination recently with specsavers when my youngest accidentally scratched my eye, I mentioned about the changing vision and one of the lenses on the machine he did try me with did make my vision much clearer. He said I need to start wearing my glasses or it will make my vision worse. Just the rapid deterioration that’s surprised me as otherwise quite healthy 🙏 yes think I’ll go back to the original option and and see if they can re do the lens they gave me or see if specsavers have it on record the lens I found much clearer

In my experience OP the initial rapid deterioration doesn't continue at that rate.

Also, not wearing glasses doesn't make vision worse in adults - but you struggle to see things and can get headaches and very tired eyes.

Definitely get along to the optician and get the right glasses for you.

That’s about the age my previously perfect eyesight started rapidly going downhill!
As a pp said it shouldn’t continue at that rate, and once you’ve got the right glasses/lenses you’ll feel much better about things.

For me the stage when I only occasionally needed glasses was the worst - having to fumble around to get them out in a dimly lit restaurant etc!
Once I wore them all the time it just became normal.
Sadly I can’t wear contacts otherwise I’d definitely be doing that.

Welcome to aging

Only thinking about this this morning. I had perfect vision until 45 and now need to wear glasses all the time from mid-50s. What's annoying is that some people don't, they can still take their glasses off for conversations. Or maybe they're more vain and put up with the blurry vision. I need to wear my glasses to hear better as well - presumably I'm unconsciously lip reading.

I will consider lens replacement. Annoyingly, most end up with perfect vision again when we are older and get cataract surgery. I want perfect vision now.

What prescription were your glasses?
I doubt that you're anywhere near not being able to see! I think when you've had perfect vision (lucky you!), any slight change is perceived as being worse than it actually is.

If I were you I'd book yourself the full range of tests at Specsavers including eye pressure and field of vision. Get checked out fully in case there is something they haven't picked up in the basic tests.

I un-fondly remember going to the optician at 48. I was diagnosed with badly deteriorated eyesight, both in prescription and astigmatism, since the previous one 2 years before. I was also diagnosed with the start of cataracts, which my elderly DParents had recently had treated!
I'm now 8 years older and although my eyesight has deteriorated a little more in one eye, it's not hugely different to what it was then.

The other joyous change though, is that my hearing is now on the 'just normal' edge and strangely, on the same side as my decreased eye. Menopause is the gift that just keeps giving lol! x

Oh and I'm finally giving in to multifocals, as normal glasses/contacts are as useful as a choccy fireguard.

I went through this a while back. I had perfect vision all my life until I was closing in on 49. Then in the space of a few months it felt like my eyesight just fell off a cliff.

It took quite a period of adjustment to get used to needing glasses to read anything plus the whole palaver of finding where you put them. Remembering to always take a pair out with you, having to swap sunglasses/reading glasses on and off to read or send a text message.

I've got used to it now but I felt a bit woe is me for a while, which also made me feel a bit guilty as plenty of people never get close to 50 years with perfect vision.

I also just found grey hair for the first time in the last month and my feelings about that are also egregiously self pitying. I was fortunate to get to 50 with none, however....😂

My eyesight rapidly declined in my 30s. Opticians kept saying my eyesight was fine as they were only testing it in certain conditions. At night I could barely see. Was awful and it stopped me driving at night. Went to a small local optician instead of specsavers and they sent me for topography. Turns out I have kerataconus and now have special contacts which are amazing!

My eyesight was perfect until I hit 50, now I can't read a thing without my glasses on. Thankfully my distance is still good but I have got some varifocals for driving so I can see close up and further afield.

I could have written the same thing. I’m 45 and it was confirming in an eye test about a year ago. I’m in denial and I’m not wearing my glasses often! Got mine from spec select, so much cheaper!

It’s comepletely normal. I wore glasses full time from 11 -29 when I had laser eye surgery. The surgeon said I would need reading glasses regardless aged 47. He was right. Also my astigmatism reverted and I now wear varifocal.

I've always worn glasses, occasionally contacts. Last year I found my prescription not working for certain things. Went to opticians, so many options variations the prescription for lenses changed a lot couldn't work out if previous one was incorrect or my eyes changed. 10ish months since I've noticed more changes now 46. I do not need glasses for phone or work/computer/reading any more !!. I put them on for walking around and driving. It so awkward if I have contacts in I need different glasses to wear over them for phone/reading/computer... So now I feel like an old person "where did I put my glasses" previously they were always on.
I also have astigmatism not sure how this part is impacted

One thing to be aware of is that an optician won't be able to detect other conditions that can affect vision, such as high blood pressure. If you find you're still getting vision problems after a full check up and prescription from an optician, you should see a doctor as the main problem might not be the changes in eyesight, such as a need for reading glasses, the optician has picked up and this could explain why the glasses you got haven't helped. Although it's also possible the first optician just got your prescription wrong, so do go back to them and explain your continued issues to them first.

I had Lasix in my 30s and had perfect vision. Suddenly at 46 - so suddenly I was thinking MS/brain tumour - I couldn't see. I had gone long and short sighted (again) in about a month, along with a side of extreme light sensitivity and once again astigmatism. A set of tinted varifocals later and all is well. Without them I can't see things close up because of the long sightedness, but if I hold things further away the shortsightedness kicks in so I can't see either.

Didn’t your cataracts qualify for surgery? You were diagnosed quite you g with that.

I can assure you that it’s more annoying having to flip glasses on or off depending on whether you are looking close or far, definitely not for vanity reasons! Most of my 50s colleagues are in that category, not yet bad enough for varifocals.

(You’d think I was in that category too but actually I am wearing contacts for my very bad shortsightedness, and since turning 50 also need glasses to read with. Varifocals my next step)

I’ve had this in the last year or so, I’m 46, honestly feels like I’m hurtling towards being blind!

I’ve had all the tests, all normal, but it’s very disconcerting and I really hope it slows down! Another thing they don’t tell you about…

Oh the 40’s eye sight!

I have a severe astigmatism and extremely slight myopia.

Hit 40 and the myopia decided to get worse quite a bit.

Then the reading and light problems decided to join in on the act.

Now at 45 I wear varifocals with a reading prescription stronger than my myopia (with a now extreme astigmatism in my left eye! )

My prescription reads
-1.25 -3.00 +1.5
-1.5 -2.75 +1.5

and don’t get me started on trying to see when it’s dusk 🫣

One of the joys of aging 🙄

I’m a similar age to you, I’ve had glasses since I was a teenager because I’m shortsighted.

The last year or so, I’ve found that I can’t read normal sized text with my glasses on. I’m not at the stage where I need separate reading glasses, but I’m having to take my glasses off when I want to read, which is a right PITA.
The optician assured me that this was all normal for my age at my last checkup.

I’ve taken to leaving my glasses off at home so I can read books and use my phone, but that doesn’t work so well outside when I need to be able to see where I’m going. I think I really need to talk to the opticians about varifocals, but the cost of new glasses is putting me off 😬

I would.

I switched to varifocals when I started wearing my reading glasses all the time at home but then couldn’t read the TV or see it clearly.

I joke that it got to the point I had to choose to see what I was eating or who I was eating with!