Eyesight...

[BombJack]

Here's my predicament.
I don't have the best of eyesight - I am shortsighted (not hugely - approx -2.5 prescription), but I also have astigmatism in both my eyes, in varying degrees, one eye much worse than the other.

I have recently been using contact lenses when playing cue sports, but my optician won't give me a Toric lense for one of my eyes as the astigmatism is only slight.
Clinically, my worst eye is the one which actually "sees" better at the table, as I have been prescribed a Toric lense for it. The other eye which has only slight astigmatism has been prescribed a normal non-toric type lense.
I think the thinking is that if I use a toric lense it may make the astigmatism more pronounced - I could be wrong. Either way, it's a real pain in the neck.
My eyesight is nowhere near as good as I would like it.
The lenses sort out my short sighted blurriness quite well, but I still have angular blurs from the astigmatism.

So - before I tear my hair out - what can I do?
Are there certain types of contact lense which are more accurate than others when correcting peoples eyesight? Can I get contact lenses which will sort my problem?

Or should I be looking at specs for my solution?
Obviously, I could get a pair of "Dennis Taylor's" but these are quite ugly looking. I do know a guy who owns an optical lab, but if I were to get him to make me a pair up, I don't know what sort of info I should be giving him.
We did make an attempt at making a "stylish" pair of Taylor's using some Oakley rimless frames, but the end result wasn't quite right. Something to do with the pantoscopic angle not being correct.
In addition to this, the glasses also produced a sort of "fish eye" effect, which meant reading angles on a pool table was problematic. I just couldn't get the same "feel" as when wearing contacts.

The other weird thing is that, using glasses when playing, it makes the balls appear to be smaller visually. It is actually quite a marked difference when compared with contact lenses, and I have found that using the contacts I feel more confident with pots, and where I am striking the cue ball.

But even though the contacts do have some advantages, the blurs really impact on accuracy of pots and ball contact as edges are quite blurred.

So - I think the above will give you an idea of where I'm coming from.
I really want to get a good solution to this problem as it does effect my confidence, so if you can give me any advice, or put me in touch with anyone who can help me, it would be brilliant.

[noel]

=o)

Noel


PS... a few threads here that may help mate...


http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ghlight=vision

[Bigmeek]

Noel, Thanks for the threads. I'll read through them a few times to see what I can learn.
Bombjack, eyesight is a very, very complicated subject. I'm not sure you'll get the answer to your problems on this forum. Try to find a good optician who is willing to spend the time on understanding your problems and developing a solution. Tall order as most are just interested in selling you a pair of designer specs!

[Terry Davidson]

BombJack:

I too have astigmatism in both eyes and was nearsighted in both until I had cataract lens replacement surgery. The surgery corrected my eyes to 20-20 (north american term for 'perfect' sight as far as distance is concerned) but only in my left eye and the surgeon made my right eye 20-40 or so for reading.

No damn good for snooker so I went to Waterloo University Contact Lens Research Centre and got fitted with a pair of 'gas permeable' contact lenses which corrected my left eye (the supposed perfect one) so now out of that eye I can see chalk on the green ball from 12ft away and it also improved the right eye however I have drops of moisture on the inside of my cornea and my vision in my right eye changes from day to day.

I would suggest you go to a competent optomatrist or else see if any university near you has a contact lens research centre.

The ideal solution to correct both your problems is Lasik surgery however some people can't get it. The second one is gas permeable contact lenses

Terry

[BombJack]

Cheers for all the replies lads - I'll take a look at those threads Meek.
Muchos gracias!

[Monique]

BombJack:

I too have astigmatism in both eyes and was nearsighted in both until I had cataract lens replacement surgery. The surgery corrected my eyes to 20-20 (north american term for 'perfect' sight as far as distance is concerned) but only in my left eye and the surgeon made my right eye 20-40 or so for reading.

No damn good for snooker so I went to Waterloo University Contact Lens Research Centre and got fitted with a pair of 'gas permeable' contact lenses which corrected my left eye (the supposed perfect one) so now out of that eye I can see chalk on the green ball from 12ft away and it also improved the right eye however I have drops of moisture on the inside of my cornea and my vision in my right eye changes from day to day.

I would suggest you go to a competent optomatrist or else see if any university near you has a contact lens research centre.

The ideal solution to correct both your problems is Lasik surgery however some people can't get it. The second one is gas permeable contact lenses

Terry

Lasik isn't the perfect solution neither. I had it and although my eyesight is much much better than before astigmatism wasn't fully corrected. Also I need more light than before to see properly which definitely is a problem under some conditions. And I tend to see "halos" when have the light straight in front of me. I had been told beforehand this was something that could happen: tiny scars do it.
I don't regret the surgery because my eyesight was really terrible, but each case is different. So better discuss with a good ophtalmo indeed.

[Bigmeek]

BombJack:

I too have astigmatism in both eyes and was nearsighted in both until I had cataract lens replacement surgery. The surgery corrected my eyes to 20-20 (north american term for 'perfect' sight as far as distance is concerned) but only in my left eye and the surgeon made my right eye 20-40 or so for reading.

No damn good for snooker so I went to Waterloo University Contact Lens Research Centre and got fitted with a pair of 'gas permeable' contact lenses which corrected my left eye (the supposed perfect one) so now out of that eye I can see chalk on the green ball from 12ft away and it also improved the right eye however I have drops of moisture on the inside of my cornea and my vision in my right eye changes from day to day.

I would suggest you go to a competent optomatrist or else see if any university near you has a contact lens research centre.

The ideal solution to correct both your problems is Lasik surgery however some people can't get it. The second one is gas permeable contact lenses

Terry

Terry, If you've seen the post you'll see that Cliff Thorburn is wearing "Dennis Taylor Progressives". Have you tried them? Any comments?

[Terry Davidson]

bigmeek:

I've tried the 'Dennis Taylor-type specs' but didn't like them as I found they distorted the view when looking at a distance shot and also made everything look smaller as I'm near-sighted and the focal point is off the eye.

I have a couple of students who have them and they experience the same thing. If you put a ball on the black spot and cueball on the brown spot and look down the table the rails will be seen to 'bend in' a bit because you're not looking through the exact focal point of the lens.

Unless a player has his head exactly centered over the cue, and not many players achieve that exact centering, especially those who prefer to align under their dominant eye, then there will be distortion on the shot because the player is focusing just to the side of the focal point by a little bit.

Now, a player can compensate for this over time but I would say why bother trying to compensate for something when there is a better solution available and one which doesn't distort anything.

My recommended best solution is GOOD Lasik surgery. Not the $500 per eye guys but someone like the TLC Centre (only in Canada and USA) who are the ones who did Tiger Woods and a bunch of other professional atheletes. My wife went there about 10 years ago and paid $4,800 but she is completely happy with her vision and also gets a free annual check-up and tune-up if required (she's only needed one about 2 years after the initial surgery).

Lasik is not for everyone and in some people there is a 'halo' effect from the scarring but I'm pretty sure this is minimized if one goes to the best guys out there, but I'm not sure who that would be in Britain or Europe.

The next best solution, and again some people feel they can't put anything in their eyes, are gas permeable contact lenses, which are semi-rigid, allow oxygen through to the cornea (no blood shot eyes) and do not distort anything as they are against the cornea. Also, unlike soft lenses they do not depend on the moisture content of the eyes for acuity and give you the same sharpness as with glasses. I love them as I'm not able to get Lasik due to the replacement lenses in the back of my eyes.

To my students and fellow players who need visual correction but say they could never put something in their eyes, these lenses if fitted properly are comfortable and you get so used to them that within one day you don't even know they're there and sometimes you forget they are there. The other advantage is they take minimal maintenance and will last up to 5 years. Retail price of a pair of these in North America is somewhere around $200 or so, although I get them cheaper from the University Contact Lens Clinic.

And lastly, the 3rd best solution are the Dennis Taylor-type snooker glasses, but like I say, they do distort what you see unless you are perfectly aligned with the EXACT focal points of both lenses. This means you MUST align the cue to centre-chin as otherwise one of your eyes will be looking through its lens to the side of the focal point and cause some distortion.

Terry

[BombJack]

Terry - that's some interesting food for thought.
The warping of the rails, as you suggest there is exactly what happens currently with my first attempt at my own version "Taylor's". I thought it might be a problem with how the lense were made - ie maybe the sweet spot of the lenses should be higher or something. I'm not sure.
I'm actually wanting to try and get some more detailed info that might help me make a better pair 2nd time round. The alternative you mentioned is the GP lenses. My gut feeling with these is that I'm not sure if I could manage using them. I currently use soft lenses, but these lenses look quite freaky and hard to use - how do you find them? Incidently, when doing a bit of googling, I came across an interesting type of lense - Synergeyes is the brand. They make a composite GP/soft lense. GP in the middle, with a soft lense out edge - looks quite interesting. Not sure if they are only for seriously bad prescriptions though.

[Bigmeek]

Terry - that's some interesting food for thought.
The warping of the rails, as you suggest there is exactly what happens currently with my first attempt at my own version "Taylor's". I thought it might be a problem with how the lense were made - ie maybe the sweet spot of the lenses should be higher or something. I'm not sure.
I'm actually wanting to try and get some more detailed info that might help me make a better pair 2nd time round. The alternative you mentioned is the GP lenses. My gut feeling with these is that I'm not sure if I could manage using them. I currently use soft lenses, but these lenses look quite freaky and hard to use - how do you find them? Incidently, when doing a bit of googling, I came across an interesting type of lense - Synergeyes is the brand. They make a composite GP/soft lense. GP in the middle, with a soft lense out edge - looks quite interesting. Not sure if they are only for seriously bad prescriptions though.

Terry, thanks for your excellent note. Lots to mull over. I find it quite comforting to know that people are experiencing similar problems to myself. The problems that your students have are very similar to what I experienced myself when trying the progressives. I have a "very very" dominant eye and no doubt was not sighting through the lense properly. I'll take a look at the gas permeable and see if they suit. I tried about six types of contacts and GP were never mentioned as an option. I found that the opticians I talked to about snooker just didn't undersatand the sport.
BombJack Sounds like we're chasing a solution to the same problem. Keep in touch. I'd sort of given up on contacts. Tried soft lenses mostly, I think, which didn't suit. Would be prepared to try lenses again if something new was on the market. Biggest problem for me with lenses is that I find them very difficult to put in and take out; something to do with the shape of my eye.

[BombJack]

I think with the Soft lenses it's just practise putting them in and taking them out. I would say probably need about 3 months of regular use before you get the hang of it, but for general wear, getting used to contacts is great - it's well worth the effort. As for the GP lenses - they look quite scary how small they are, but those Synergeyes lenses look more like what I'm used to with the soft lense edge/skirt. I've asked the question elsewhere, and will feedback whatever info I get.
While I remember - there's another type of GP lense out there. From a company called SoClear - supposedly they are 14mm radius lenses, which is more akin to common or garden soft lenses.

[Terry Davidson]

The gas permeable lenses are for any prescription, not just serious ones.

They are a little smaller than the soft lenses but they give so much better visual acuity, exactly the same as glasses but without any distortion at all.

I wear mine from 7am to at least 10pm every day and have never had any problems with them and I never get bloodshot eyes even after wearing them for 15 hours.

If you get a pair that's properly fitted they are just as comfortable as soft lenses too and the bonus is they are much easier to care for...just rinse them under tap water and clean them once a week or so, which takes like 1 minute for both lenses

Terry

[sharkster63]

Thanks Terry, I have tried contacts for the first time, decided to try them just for snooker, was prescribed the soft dispensable one a day type (progressive). They were great, I hardly knew they were on, I could see very clearly both close and far. The problem occurred when I got down on a shot for the first time and every time for that matter my eyesight blurred up so that I could not see anything, when I got back up it slowly cleared up. I don't know if its because they are progressive or what, I will explain to my doctor next appointment. I will be sure to mention that you have been successful with your GP lenses. It gives me hope, I cannot wear glasses, they throws me right off my game, I agree about the feel, its just not there. Cheers,

[GeordieDS]

Thanks Terry, I have tried contacts for the first time, decided to try them just for snooker, was prescribed the soft dispensable one a day type (progressive). They were great, I hardly knew they were on, I could see very clearly both close and far. The problem occurred when I got down on a shot for the first time and every time for that matter my eyesight blurred up so that I could not see anything, when I got back up it slowly cleared up. I don't know if its because they are progressive or what, I will explain to my doctor next appointment. I will be sure to mention that you have been successful with your GP lenses. It gives me hope, I cannot wear glasses, they throws me right off my game, I agree about the feel, its just not there. Cheers,

The last post on this thread was over five and a half years ago, should have gone to Specsavers Sorry

[golferson123]

Eyesight...

might as well add to it,unlike glasses you have to keep blinking with daylies or they do drift out of focus