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?

The average age this starts to happen is 42. You’re probably like me and assumed it was much later.
If it’s any consolation I am nearly 60 and a recent eye test after 6 years (I know, I know) showed no change in my prescription (just for readers) at all.

It does! Mine did too. I remember speaking with an older friend at the time and she said yep, that happens.

I had a surgical menopause in my 40s. I went from slightly bad vision seeing distance but great close up to needing bi focals within 6 months. That was with hrt too. I was told ageing and menopause sped it up. Its been slowing getting worse but nowhere near as rapidly as then.

I don't think it will mean that your vision deteriorates in a linear fashion.

I had glasses prescribed early 40s and have had same varifocal prescription for at least 15 years (nearly 60 now).

I have now developed a type of ghosting/double vision and colours appear washed out/bleached. Wonder if there's a prescription for that?

That’s reassuring to know the deterioration doesn’t tend to continue at this rate 🙏 thank you, such a shock going from really great vision never having needed any glasses to feeling like vision of an old lady 👵

@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche - your ghosting/double vision and bleached sounds like the beginning of cataracts.

My friend had cataracts and when she'd had them done she had to buy a load of new clothes as when she could see properly again she hated the very bright colours she'd been buying when all colours looked muted to her.

I've been wearing specs since infants school so they don't seem like an old person thing to me. Every cloud I suppose.

Got my first glasses at 44. 2 years later my vision had really deteriorated and had to get new glasses. I was told that I should be stable now so I hope it's true. It's really depressing because it makes you feel really old..

Yes that’s probably true, just suppose was expecting ageing to be a more gradual process and didn’t expect eyesight to be one of the first things that deteriorated. When I got the glasses about a year ago he said was only a mild need for them just when reading etc

My option explained to me it's the ageing of the occular muscle and completely normal in your forties, Infact it's unusual not to need reading glasses by your 50's.

Anyone who has been shortsighted for years (me, since puberty) will find their usual prescription lessens now.

I wear contacts for myopia and pop on "ready readers" for presbyopia 🤓

Perfectly normal.

optician No pun intended 😂

I can't understand that the glasses didn't help if you were prescribed them. They test you with the lenses at the eye test so you can tell straight away if they are okay or not for reading as they give you a card to read with different sized sentences. Same with long distance on the chart. I had to start wearing glasses full time at 45. Did they say you have to wear glasses for driving.

I'm another one with perfect vision until my mid 40s. Optician helpfully said my vision would fall off a cliff in my 50s and here I am at 52 with my varifocals on most of the time! I was fine with just reading glasses until last year when it got bad enough to need them for reading best before dates in shops and kitchen. Distance vision also slightly worse, but fine for driving. But can no longer see sat nav etc inside the car. So varifocals it is. All similar aged friends with perfect vision when younger are the same.

They did a really thorough check, blowing puffs of air into my eyes, testing with a special ointment etc, looking at the optic nerve etc so think they did the full works. Think might see if GP still does the over 40s check, heard of them but never been invited for one

Yes not sure why they didn’t help, they were expensive enough 😕 think might go back to them, I just about manage by taking a picture if small writing in labels etc and then zooming in on the picture but so have to see small writing for work expiry dates etc and public facing so can’t really do that then and feels getting worse so think will definitely try and get some better lenses

Think might see if GP still does the over 40s check, heard of them but never been invited for one

Anyone between 40 and 74 can get a health check every five years, there should be details on your GP's website. I don't think you have to wait for an invite. They check blood pressure and for diabetes, both of which can cause problems with vision. But definitely go back to the optician, they need to know the prescription hasn't worked for you so they can advise you properly and refer you to the GP or eye hospital if necessary based on your symptoms, if it isn't a faulty prescription. They won't know you have ongoing problems and need further help unless you tell them.

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied, it is reassuring to know this change in vision is quite typical and doesn’t mean I’m heading for blindness by 50!
I’m going to go back to the opticians and see if can get some new lenses and also contact GP to see if can have an over 40s check if still available