AnnieCL: Okay, good. I am just now seeing your post that you did take your mom to her eye doctor. I am also wondering if she is starting to have dry Macular Degeneration. The opthamologist would first find "drusen" when examining her eyes. That sometimes, THOUGH NOT ALWAYS, will be indicative of having AMD, aka, Age Related Dry Macular Degeneration. A retina specialist will be the gold standard for that. There is also another eye condition wherein the eyes become itchy. It is called Blepharitis. Also sometimes with cataract surgery, the patient will be asked which type of artificial lens they want placed - distance or for near.
AnnieCL, I’m glad to read that you think the drops may be helping. So if it seems that dry eye a contributor to her problem, here are few more suggestions that my dr gave me about dealing with it: Drink lots of water (probably my biggest problem, I hate water and don’t drink it) Take 2000 mg fish oil or flaxseed oil a day Avoid air blowing into the face from hairdryer, car heater or defroster. (I always drive with the sun visor down to keep air from blowing directly on me) Bright light seems to make it worse, so I wear my sunglasses a lot. Warm compresses/washcloths on the eyelids for a few minutes. I have tear duct plugs implanted to try to keep my eyes moist, installed in the doctors office. Hard to say if they do anything. Theres a prescription dry eye drop restasis but it doesn’t work for everyone and wasn’t effective for me.
there are at least 2 causes of dry eye which is why the treatments don not always work. One is lack of tears which is more of a salt water thing I think, and the plugs and restasis helps with that. The other is oil glands plugged. There are about 30 glands in each eye right at the edge of the lid, This is where the hot compress works. I also use drops with oil in them.
For hot compress, there is a little eye mask with gel that can be heated in the microwave, used for about 5 minutes. I wrap it in a bandana to keep the plastic from contacting skin directly.
The massage of a Lid scrub also helps express clogged glands, I found one that stays on, you do not have to rinse it off and it was a great improvement!
My mother has the beginning stages of macular degeneration. We went to a needless appointment because she felt her vision had changed in a few months since the last visit. Fortunately the doctor has felt a new prescription will not help. She has another one in a few months. I am not going to take her before as her memory isn't clear on this issue.
Check for cataracts. My mother vision was almost gone and she thought she needed glasses but she had cataracts which blocked her vision. This can be diagnosed by a regular eye doctor's visit.
Thank you, she has had cataract surgery, but I recently discovered that after the surgery, the lenses have become cloudy. I was told that this could be improved, but maybe not corrected by lasic. Praying for the best direction to go with that. The eye drops and being aware of angle of the glasses and the lighting does help her.
My mom goes through the same thing. Says after awhile everything gets blurry. Fine print is impossible for her to read. She’ll go to eye doctor, says prescription is fine, then says she can’t see. It’s the same cycle.
Hopefully the doctor checking her eyesight and prescribing glasses is an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist - difference is the first is an eye MD, the second is just someone who can test vision and prescribe glasses. If it is an ophthalmologist, then indeed find another - a good one would get to the bottom of the issue rather than keep changing the Rx.
Mom cut her FL trip short years ago when she noted an issue in her vision, came home and went to first available doctor. He told her nothing wrong, vision fine. She called back and insisted on another check. When told she could not see him, she was FINE with that. The second doctor discovered macular degeneration - the sad part is that because of the delay they could not reverse the damage. She still has vision in that eye, and they treated it (injections every 4 months) but vision is like 20/200. By getting ahead of the other eye, they keep that in check (so far) with treatments. Given her age (95), dementia and really bad hearing , losing her eyesight would be a disaster!
Re floaters: Until it happened to me, I'd never heard of PVD--posterior vitreous detachment. As normal part of ageing, the vitreous gel begins to liquify and pull away from the retina. I think it's gradual for most people. In my case it was sudden, and I thought I was having retinal detachment. Regardless, you can end up with a lot of floaters (bits of "stuff" in the eye that cast shadows on the retina), some of which may interfere with sight at times. For me, about 3/4 of the time it's like having foggy ghosts drifting about--especially if the light is bright. An ophthalmologist will be able to spot this. There are some things that a new glasses prescription can't correct. Btw, my PVDs occurred within 3 months of cataract surgery--both eyes.
keep a journal of everything she eats drinks, scent she wears, and smells, i get floaters on a combination of foods and smells. hand lotion or scented talcum powder can do it.
At age 71, I have some similar issues but my husband has them all the time, depending on whether or not he has a headache or is particularly tired. I also need different spectacles for the computer and for reading, because of the different focal length. However we are both lucky in that our eyes are the same on both sides, so the magnification for the left eye is the same as for the right.
Our problem is solved by multiple pairs of ‘chemist specs’, which here cost about $20 for a decent pair with nice frames, or $2 for a pair with flexible ‘plastic’ frames on Ebay. At present I have 5 pairs of spectacles in different places in the house, so I use the right pair for the right place, put it back, and don’t have a problem with carrying them around and then losing them. I also have a handbag pair and an emergency car glove box pair. DH also has multiple pairs. I used to leave the ‘2’ or ‘2.5’ stickers on, but now I just have different recognisable frames.
I used to buy $250 opticians prescription specs, until I was forced into buying some chemist specs when I went away to work and left my specs at home. The next optician’s visit, I finally understood the prescription, which was the same as the chemist specs, and asked the optician if that meant I was just as well off with chemist specs. He looked a bit shame-faced, and said ‘probably’. I didn’t get his prescription made up! That’s well over a decade ago. Check it out for your mother.
I hear her, my vision at age, now 76, does the same thing, sometimes to long on the computer, or just walking, my vision changes, I think it due to changes in blood pressure putting more pressure on eyes, changes vision. And or stress can change your BP and then there it goes, vision is blurry. It can last from a few minutes to a couple of hours, I just sit down, lean back, close my eyes and then back to my regular glasses. Maybe is she stressed and holding it in, not taking the time to distress and relax.
My 97 yr old mother has the same complaints. She has extreme dry eyes and dandruff. She says she can't cry (no tears). Her eye doc recommended warm compresses on the eyes, plus drops (Systane). Problem is, she lives in an assisted living facility and she won't ask the nurse to apply the drops when needed, and she can't remember to use the warm compresses.
Assisted Living, the care aides or nurse should have to do that for her, ask and talk to the staff. She can get assistance, even if you have to grovvile, My mom was in assisted, the to extended, I spoiled the staff crazy like, it did work they were always ready to help my mom. Bribery works. Choclate, donuts, flowers, cards of thank you. anything to support them.
Take her to a different eye doctor. Aside from the worries other have expressed on this thread, there could be a problem with the equipment or production or training at the vision center. This happened with my teenage daughter. Went through two additional prescription adjustments that only made things worse. Finally, went back to original opthalmologist to reconfirm the accuracy of the first prescription and had glasses made elsewhere. Problem solved. No problems since AND never went back to the place that never got it right.
Bring here to a eye specialist she could have a more serious issue. I find my meds cause my eyesight to fluctuate daily and it's due to early glaucoma or eye pressure. Hope this helps much love and luck jo
I'm following this thread because my mom seems to be having the same problem. Could you expand this answer a bit? I have wondered if it's all in mom's head but didn't know if that was possible. How does this cause eyesight problems? TIA!
The situation is frustrating for everyone! Vision is so important to quality of life!!
If her glasses have progressive lenses vice bifocals or trifocals there is a bit of a learning curve for getting clear vision. The near, medium & far progressive "zone" is in a vertical strip centered on the front of the eyes. To see clearly you must keep that zone in front of your iris & lens. You have to turn your head & look directly at things. You can't just move your eyes. Keeping the glasses correctly aligned is real important to keeping the vision zone where it does the job.
The progressive zone comes in various widths. The narrowest width absolutely requires keeping the glasses aligned & looking directly at things for best vision. Hope this helps some!
Agree on checking blood glucose. I always told my diabetic patients to not get eye exams for new glasses if their glucose levels were not under good control.
1. Fluctuating blood glucose - watch for patterns associated with what she eats. She may have been told she is "bordeline" diabetic. This is by far the most common cause of this type of problem. Get her tested, even if she has had a physical within the last year. They need to check fasting blood glucose and her A1c. If she is careful about her diet she may test in a high normal range but actually be diabetic.
2. Medication reactions - does she take the same prescriptions daily, or is there variation?
3. Problems with the prescription itself - too many eye doctors use digital measures for prescription glasses, but this can be highly inaccurate. Make sure the doctor checked her prescription out of the instruments with a trial frame and had her looking at the distances she uses.
4. Poorly fit progressive lenses - although convenient, progressive lenses are not for everyone. They do not give best sight in all conditions, and often impair balance and coordination. The peripheral distortions can be more obvious as lighting changes.
5. Dry eyes - must be managed with good quality eye drops and possibly ointment at night. There are also some nutritional supplements that can help.
6. Fuchs dystrophy or other corneal problems - this is usually related to a recently discovered genetic anomaly, MTHFR. She would need to take methyl folate and possibly methylcarbolamine in addition to eye drops.
7. Psychiatric disorders - patients with bipolar or dissociative tendencies can have multiple prescriptions. There will be a pattern and there are specialists (not many) who will know how to manage this.
8. Other undiagnosed vision problems - this probably should have been much higher on the list. This includes double vision with a small angle so that it looks blurry instead of completely separate; visual field defects; late effects of concussion or a small stroke.
Cataracts should not cause daily fluctuations unless there is also poor control of blood glucose. There are other more obscure possible causes but these generally have other symptoms associated with the fluctuating vision such as headaches, incontinence, changes in sleep patterns, etc.
Check the website of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association for someone near you who is experienced with these types of problems. If there is no one near enough, contact the association and ask for a referral. Other sources are COVD.org and OEPF to find a specialist who will understand the specifics of Mom's issues and may be able to prescribe appropriately.
Great info thanks! Just one addition I would make is to make sure she is drinking enough water/fluids. If she is getting enough water one day but not the next that I find can have a big effect on vision (and visions in my mom's case, hehehe).
I am assuming she has not been diagnosed with any form of macular degeneration and has had cataracts removed. My dad gets some relief from drops. He has slight age related macular degeneration and that does cause distortion no matter how good the eyeglass prescription is. His first eye doctor didn’t diagnose it but the third one did. Sothat was a bit of a surprise. He complains about his glasses too but has dementia. I tell him that’s as good as his glasses can get due to his ARMD. He’s 97...no more eye doctor trips for him.
Also sounds familiar, be patient, sight changes due to sugar, and other things-sunlight, darkness, dry eyes, emotions, medications etc. Could also be-and this has happened to me, she has the right RX but its set wrong...meaning ..I forget the techy term, but its the way the eyes are lined up to see in the rx. Does it feel better to her if she pushes them to one side? Does she get headaches? Are they bi focals? I personally do better with seeing glasses and puter glasses and then reading glasses.
I'd say if its the 3rd RX from the SAME place, its time for a NEW DOCTOR and maybe she would feel comfortable in an older rx. (that has happened to me before too, I just went back to an older RX)
Also talk to her regular docs about MEDICATIONS, many have weird side effects, some affect vision, some vision side effects can be a warning that a medication is bad for her. And have her checked for vertigo as well-inner ear troubles, that can really mess up our vision and we are blaming the wrong organ!
The visual results of dry eyes, allergies, huge floaters and fluctuating blood sugars bug the daylights out of ME! -- and sometimes even cause some spatial disorientation. I sure feel for people who are a little confused to start with.
O my goodness does this sound familiar!!!! My 85 yr old mom has just about driven me nuts with her complaints of one day she can see, next day her eyes are blurry and she cant see clearly...and she believes the dr or optician gave her the wrong eyeglass rx.....she even had 4 eye exams in less than 12 months and 3 new pair of glasses before i moved close to her in july. She does suffer from dry eyes , has been on restasis and any number of other otc drops for 17 yrs. She just had a brand new procedure called Iluxe ( Pronounced eye luxe) this week....this procedure expresses the meibomian? glands (MGB). I saw on the instrument after the treatment how much gunk was in the glands! So far she sees much clearer, eyes feel much better-....its a new procedure so medicare doesnt cover it yet and its not cheap... but if your parent has been diagnosed with dry eyes please look into this.....so far so good! Her glands were totally blocked so she may have to repeat in 6 to 12 months....she goes back in 30 days for check up I so hope and am being very positive with her that this is going to help her and so far thats been the case.....I understand how frustrating it can be when our parents make these complaints. I wish all of you the best in dealing with these issues....many blessings to all the caregivers on this forum...
just a heads up, I found relief from blocked glands by using a gel pack, heated, then massage lids after. Might be cheaper! found one shaped like little eye mask and heats in microwave, at Walgreens. Also there is a new lid scrub that you don't rinse off that is GREAT! and really easy to use.
Does she have dementia? My mom's vision tests 20/20 with her glasses but she has great difficulty reading. The ophthalmologist said it a brain connection issue. Her brain has difficulty interpreting the words and transposing them into thoughts. This came on fairly rapidly and she can not do jigsaw puzzles either now. Even large pieces. Hopefully your mom's issue is something correctible.
Yes, she does have dementia. I think all of the answers are indeed possible explanations contributing to her eyesight difficulties. Thank you, I will definitely bring it up with her primary care doc at her next appointment.
If she is wearing bifocals or progressive glasses something as simple as wearing them at a slightly different angle can cause problems. High/low light and glare can also cause problems. Some lenses are extremely finicky to keep clean ant every spot, smudge or flake of dust/dander is maddening. With some dementias like Alzheimer's there can also be changes to the field of vision and to their ability to process what they see. There are also eye diseases like macular degeneration or glaucoma that can rob your vision slowly enough that you may not always notice, when is the last time she had her eyes examined?
Thank you, that was very helpful. I have taken her for 3 different eye exams so far, but your comments about particular lighting and the angle of her glasses are spot on. I will pay more attention to this.
I agree with MountainMoose...she may have dry eye and /or floaters. My vision varies daily or even by the minute. Sometime crystal clear, sometimes blurry. I’ve gone through multiple glasses prescriptions. It’s very hard to get an accurate exam since I have to blink and blink and wait for the vision to clear each time asked “Whats better 1 or 2?” Even then I’ve gotten bad readings and bad glasses. Back to the eye doctor. Try over the counter drops a few time a day and see if at any time her vision is good or if she notices an improvement. Then you’ll know that the glasses are ok. My best luck is with Systane Ultra Preservative Free during the day and Systane Gel Nightime before bed. It may be worth shot.
There is also another eye condition wherein the eyes become itchy. It is called Blepharitis.
Also sometimes with cataract surgery, the patient will be asked which type of artificial lens they want placed - distance or for near.
Drink lots of water (probably my biggest problem, I hate water and don’t drink it)
Take 2000 mg fish oil or flaxseed oil a day
Avoid air blowing into the face from hairdryer, car heater or defroster. (I always drive with the sun visor down to keep air from blowing directly on me)
Bright light seems to make it worse, so I wear my sunglasses a lot.
Warm compresses/washcloths on the eyelids for a few minutes.
I have tear duct plugs implanted to try to keep my eyes moist, installed in the doctors office. Hard to say if they do anything.
Theres a prescription dry eye drop restasis but it doesn’t work for everyone and wasn’t effective for me.
For hot compress, there is a little eye mask with gel that can be heated in the microwave, used for about 5 minutes. I wrap it in a bandana to keep the plastic from contacting skin directly.
The massage of a Lid scrub also helps express clogged glands, I found one that stays on, you do not have to rinse it off and it was a great improvement!
Mom cut her FL trip short years ago when she noted an issue in her vision, came home and went to first available doctor. He told her nothing wrong, vision fine. She called back and insisted on another check. When told she could not see him, she was FINE with that. The second doctor discovered macular degeneration - the sad part is that because of the delay they could not reverse the damage. She still has vision in that eye, and they treated it (injections every 4 months) but vision is like 20/200. By getting ahead of the other eye, they keep that in check (so far) with treatments. Given her age (95), dementia and really bad hearing , losing her eyesight would be a disaster!
Our problem is solved by multiple pairs of ‘chemist specs’, which here cost about $20 for a decent pair with nice frames, or $2 for a pair with flexible ‘plastic’ frames on Ebay. At present I have 5 pairs of spectacles in different places in the house, so I use the right pair for the right place, put it back, and don’t have a problem with carrying them around and then losing them. I also have a handbag pair and an emergency car glove box pair. DH also has multiple pairs. I used to leave the ‘2’ or ‘2.5’ stickers on, but now I just have different recognisable frames.
I used to buy $250 opticians prescription specs, until I was forced into buying some chemist specs when I went away to work and left my specs at home. The next optician’s visit, I finally understood the prescription, which was the same as the chemist specs, and asked the optician if that meant I was just as well off with chemist specs. He looked a bit shame-faced, and said ‘probably’. I didn’t get his prescription made up! That’s well over a decade ago. Check it out for your mother.
Maybe is she stressed and holding it in, not taking the time to distress and relax.
My mom was in assisted, the to extended, I spoiled the staff crazy like, it did
work they were always ready to help my mom. Bribery works. Choclate, donuts, flowers, cards of thank you. anything to support them.
If her glasses have progressive lenses vice bifocals or trifocals there is a bit of a learning curve for getting clear vision. The near, medium & far progressive "zone" is in a vertical strip centered on the front of the eyes. To see clearly you must keep that zone in front of your iris & lens. You have to turn your head & look directly at things. You can't just move your eyes. Keeping the glasses correctly aligned is real important to keeping the vision zone where it does the job.
The progressive zone comes in various widths. The narrowest width absolutely requires keeping the glasses aligned & looking directly at things for best vision. Hope this helps some!
1. Fluctuating blood glucose - watch for patterns associated with what she eats. She may have been told she is "bordeline" diabetic. This is by far the most common cause of this type of problem. Get her tested, even if she has had a physical within the last year. They need to check fasting blood glucose and her A1c. If she is careful about her diet she may test in a high normal range but actually be diabetic.
2. Medication reactions - does she take the same prescriptions daily, or is there variation?
3. Problems with the prescription itself - too many eye doctors use digital measures for prescription glasses, but this can be highly inaccurate. Make sure the doctor checked her prescription out of the instruments with a trial frame and had her looking at the distances she uses.
4. Poorly fit progressive lenses - although convenient, progressive lenses are not for everyone. They do not give best sight in all conditions, and often impair balance and coordination. The peripheral distortions can be more obvious as lighting changes.
5. Dry eyes - must be managed with good quality eye drops and possibly ointment at night. There are also some nutritional supplements that can help.
6. Fuchs dystrophy or other corneal problems - this is usually related to a recently discovered genetic anomaly, MTHFR. She would need to take methyl folate and possibly methylcarbolamine in addition to eye drops.
7. Psychiatric disorders - patients with bipolar or dissociative tendencies can have multiple prescriptions. There will be a pattern and there are specialists (not many) who will know how to manage this.
8. Other undiagnosed vision problems - this probably should have been much higher on the list. This includes double vision with a small angle so that it looks blurry instead of completely separate; visual field defects; late effects of concussion or a small stroke.
Cataracts should not cause daily fluctuations unless there is also poor control of blood glucose. There are other more obscure possible causes but these generally have other symptoms associated with the fluctuating vision such as headaches, incontinence, changes in sleep patterns, etc.
Check the website of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association for someone near you who is experienced with these types of problems. If there is no one near enough, contact the association and ask for a referral. Other sources are COVD.org and OEPF to find a specialist who will understand the specifics of Mom's issues and may be able to prescribe appropriately.
I'd say if its the 3rd RX from the SAME place, its time for a NEW DOCTOR and maybe she would feel comfortable in an older rx. (that has happened to me before too, I just went back to an older RX)
Also talk to her regular docs about MEDICATIONS, many have weird side effects, some affect vision, some vision side effects can be a warning that a medication is bad for her. And have her checked for vertigo as well-inner ear troubles, that can really mess up our vision and we are blaming the wrong organ!
Also there is a new lid scrub that you don't rinse off that is GREAT! and really easy to use.
I have the same issue with my glasses when there are allergens effecting me. I thought it was bad scripts as well.
I use refresh tears and find it helps tons. Sam's club has them for MUCH cheaper.
Hope it is a simple fix.
With some dementias like Alzheimer's there can also be changes to the field of vision and to their ability to process what they see. There are also eye diseases like macular degeneration or glaucoma that can rob your vision slowly enough that you may not always notice, when is the last time she had her eyes examined?