Stupid Question

[Sweet]

Hehe i started checking my vision using the little chart you put beneath the optometrists signature! It was dam handy so long as you know how far away from the screen you are and don't take it all to seriously!

It did help me once though when i suddenly noticed a difference in my vision last year as i couldn't read any of the lines! I did feel rather silly at Moorfields though having to say that yes i knew that things were worse as i couldn't read the little chart on the pc screen!!! LOL!!

Now i have one on my wall and while it is far from accurate i can stand on the other side of the bedroom and compare from previous readings!!! Oh what we do!!!

Sweet X x X

[GarethB]

I understand wher you are coming from.

For me I was thinking more along the lines "I know I could see the third line down of the seven, what does that euqate to again?"

Self diagnosis is a dangerous thing, I had a liver compalint before christmas that put me in casualty. The mother inlaw (ex nurse from Germany) did a self diagnoses and I had a week to live!!!!! Ended up being a sever infection so my wife has a while longer to get the rest of my money

[Rob Armstrong]

Hardly scientific, but I did a little chart for my notice board back when I wore lenses in both eyes (but with different prescriptions). Helped me to judge on those occassions where I might have gotten them mixed up. Used it to help track my graft recovery too.

Like I said, hardly scientific - just typed in the lines I knew and guessed the rest, but it has proved handy sometimes.

Was wondering though, Sweets' explaination contains only 7 lines - there's 9 lines on a chart isn't there?

Rob.

[Sweet]

Hehe that is why i said that they were the main lines as come charts do have more. You can't just say four or five lines down as they are all different! We have a chart in A & E which only has six! You really need to ask what chart it is, as i know my surgeons is completely different and i have to ask them what the reading is, hehe, just to check!!

Sweet X x X

[Andrew MacLean]

I must find out my vital eye statistics so I can have that knowing look too! One of my eyes is down to hand waving, when I'm asked 'can you see my fingers' I pull the hand closer and say 'now I can'.

Louise, I never knew you were allowed to do this! I'll give it a try next time, but I think that the hand is pretty close already when they ask me to count fingers.

I tell you something, the "stupid question" that began this string has given answers to lots of us (myself included) who were too embarrassed to ask

Andrew

[Paul Osborne]

Andrew a pleasure to ask the stupid question.

Though not sure about the finger counting estimate of how good the sight is, purely on the principle that I can only get my hand around three ft away from me. Further is possible but could be a tad more effort and involve the need of a plaster....



Paul

[Knight]

Go-Go Gadget Arms

[Andrew MacLean]

When you can't see any of the letters, they move the board closer. If you still can't see any letters they move it closer still. If you still can't see any letters they hold a hand close to the eye they are testing and ask if you can see how many fingers they are holding up. If you can't see the fingers, they move their hand. People can often see movement, and the "waving hand" is recorded as the extent of your visual accuity.

If you an't even see the movement of the waving hand they look to see if you have your eye open

[GarethB]

What do they do if you ahve your eye open and can not see anything?

Poke you in the eye to see if it is a glass one?


Moving the letters closer reminded me of a Red Dwarf episode I watched last week on UK G2. Kryton had just been made human and was worried his zoom funtion was broken.

Lister told him to move closer to waht he wanted to see and that is the human zoom function

Next time you have your lenses in and see nothing tell the nurse your zoom lens is broke

[Sweet]

Hehe that was really funny!

We are all entitled to ask what the reading is on the chart and i always do. I need to make sure that my vision isn't getting any worse. Before i had loads of problems with my eyesight i didn't ask or need to know, but this was because i was more than happy with my vision if only with one eye, and indeed being 6/6 as i have now found out it was there were no reasons not to be!!

Then though everything went a little pear shaped i lost most of my vision and barely made 6/60. I have paid a lot more interest since then! It is really important if we need to go to 'A & E' especially one we haven't been to before, that we know what our eyesight usually is as they may not have any records for us.

Also it does make us feel better to be able to keep a check on our vision ourselves. It has been nice to finally get most of my vision back as while not making 6/6 anymore i do now make 6/9 which is only one line less! Obviously i have found this all more exciting than my optometrist and now i don't even need to ask anymore what the chart reads as he just tells me knowing that i will want to know!!

Asking questions is a right that we as patients have, but along with this we need to be open to the answers!!