Trail features, vision problems.

For 2 or 3 years I have increasingly been having problems making out the detail on rocky and rooty trails, it is becoming a bit of a problem. I am also starting to get problems focusing my vision just doing normal stuff when tired.

I get an eye test every year at work, and pass without a problem. But just focusing on easy contrasted letters doesn’t really seem representative of active eye use.

Is there some other tests or any ideas what I could talk to a optician about to try and find a resolution.

I’ve found in recent years that I’m struggling with going from light -> shade -> light -> shade, etc. My eyes don’t react quick enough so there’s a short period of time where I’m effectively “blind” on each transition. The greater the contrast between light and shade, the worse it is. It could well just be age related.

The problem of course is that the typical eye test isn’t targeting such dynamic environments so I suppose that seeing a “sports” optician in the same way you might visit a sports physio rather than an occupational one might be the way forward. Don’t even know if they exist or not.

How old are you? Could you be getting cateracts?

Have you told the optician you’re having issues?

Good excuse to buy a new bike. One with a slacker head angle and more travel front & rear.
Id also find an optition that rides mountain bikes.

It would be interesting to see if there was even a small prescription.
Either way I’d try some yellow lenses, for increased contrast.

I’ve found Oakley Trail Prism lenses help me.

I have some oakley glasses with the trail prism lenses, it doesn’t help. And to be honest I don’t think any sunglasses improve vision, the good ones just make it less worse than the not so good.

It sounds like you have a basic vision screen at work associated with computer use?
Go to a proper opticians and get an eye exam.
I do the former and they are not diagnostic and are a minimum standard usually to cover employer requirements- this will not tell you if need glasses.

I have just realised that the vision from my left eye is quite blurred and cloudy (might seem strange to just realise this but I never just use one eye). It does sound like cataract symptoms, should that be a trip to the doctors, or would I still be better going to an optician?

This doesn’t really seam to me to be something to be taking to a high street glasses seller.

Opticians, doctors not going to be able to examine in your eyesight beyond basics, they’ll just signpost you to opticians.

‘High Street glasses sellers’ are still opticians, you don’t have to buy the specs off them but still a valid examination. If they find something of concern they can refer to eye hospital / opthalmology.

Sounds like you may have Keratoconus, I was diagnosed with this 10 years ago and your symptoms whilst riding seem very similar to mine.
I also struggle with transitioning light especially in the summer when the trees are in full leaf.
Another symptom will be decreased clarity at night and halos in your vision (double vision like).
I would request an eye topography test to check the shape of your eye to rule it out.

Correction is by hard contact lenses, though depending on severity you may have to wear 2 in one eye.

I good optician does a lot more than a vision test. Go to one and explain your symptoms.

I have made an appointment with an ophthalmologist, a couple of weeks is the soonest I could get, which I guess in reality isn’t too bad, but unfortunately don’t see getting anything fixed until after my august mountain bike holiday. Morzine with impaired vision, gonna be painful.

MSP get an eye test done, you can book one online with Boots and it is a free if you download a voucher.

They can pick up lots of other potential issues and the earlier it is picked up the better.

I dont know any details of your age etc but Macular Degeneration is the biggest cause of vision loss in adults in the UK.

Whilst the treatment is not for the faint hearted if it is caught early it can be managed.

I would recommend that everybody has regular eye tests

not an eye doctor, optician or ophthalmologist,

I honestly find that failing eyesight helps my riding. Look ahead, dont sweat too much detail on trail features, have a slack bike, have a ligh front end, enjoy yourself.

Most opticians will do a load of eye scanning and eye health stuff these days and should easily pick up if there’s some concern.

It could be simple age changes though.

Mid 40s and my eyes are changing in frustrating ways and struggling to get decent prescription that works for glasses and contacts that’s ideal for most situations (and being trying VFs but I can’t get on with them. Certainly wouldn’t ride with them!).

As said above though, reaction time to light changes is something my optician mentioned that just gets a lot slower as we age, and the eye muscles get weaker.

With contacts I’m finding I have to blink a lot more to get clear vision, though probably due to toric lens because of astigmatism, and it’s never quite settled in the right place. Also, finding bloody “floaters” annoying in this way as so many of them now and they keep sitting right on central vision enough to block detail, so have to keep blinking to get them out of the way.

I dont know any details of your age etc but Macular Degeneration is the biggest cause of vision loss in adults in the UK.

I keep worrying about this as optician picked up on scarring on retina and gave me an amsler grid test. There are some wonky bits on the grid but nothing dramatic. They’ve considered it probably just old scarring and not an issue but warned to get seen straight away if it gets worse (the test you can do at home. Easy to get the grid off the Internet or from optician).

I’d go optician first, you can get an OCT test done for a tenner, this will show up stuff only a hospital could find previously.
This will give the Consultant a lot more info.
Where do you live? Anywhere near Oxford and we can see you at ours. Eye test, OCT, fields all before you see your guy.
STW discount ie free.