Eyes go semi-blind after long road ride.....
02-02-10, 12:37 PM
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So, I had my doctor's appointment on 2/1/10. I rode 65 miles for 5.5 hours. I kept a 14.5 average speed. I'm a little ashamed of the low average, but it was very cold out (high 20's to mid 30's by end), it was windy, and I rode alone so there was no one to draft with.
My eye problem started at the 40 mile mark and worsened at the 50 mile mark. It usually took longer to start, so I think the cold was a factor. When I was facing into the wind, it seemed to be worse than when the wind was at my back.
At 65 miles, blurriness got so bad that I couldn't see pot holes as I was running over them. I could hear my tires going through slush on the side of the shoulder, but couldn't see that it was there. I decided to stop. When I approached the next intersection, I couldn't tell if the light was red or green until I was at the corner. Also, I couldn't see cars. I had to cross the road by depending on my hearing. I was very surprised at the severity of the sypmtoms, because it never got that bad before.
I called for ride to the doctor's office and was seen within the hour. The doctor could confirm that I had vision loss, but all the other tests were normal. I had normal pressure (no glaucoma, no exercise induced glaucoma). I had the same exact field of vision as before (base line test was on a day I did not just ride the bike) (no missing portions which would be typical if I had occular or basilar migraines). I had normal responses to light, pupil dilation, reactions, etc. The optic nerve looked healthy. I had no film on my cornea. My eyes were lubricating themselves as normal. I had no signs of pigment dispersion.
The doctor was stumped. He said my problem is unique. He is sending me to a specialist in opthamology. He himself specializes in neurology and opthamology, so he wonders if a pure opthamologist would pick up on something he hasn't. He wants the opthamologist to concentrate on the cornea and the anterior portion of my eyes. He wants him to completely rule out glaucoma.
If we go that route with no diagnosis, he wants to explore a neurological problem. He said that perhaps I have a neurological disease that would affect the optic nerve. (MS is his fear.) He said it's unlikely because he saw no signs of nerve damage or inflammation. He said it's possible that I could have had trauma to the optic nerve but that I am asymptomatic, and that only heavy, long-term exercise causes the symptoms of blurriness. He will send me for an MRI of the brain if the opthamologist does not find anything wrong.
So, I am supposed to plan another long bike ride. I will then go see this other doctor while the problem is occurring.
I will update again after that appointment.
Angie
My eye problem started at the 40 mile mark and worsened at the 50 mile mark. It usually took longer to start, so I think the cold was a factor. When I was facing into the wind, it seemed to be worse than when the wind was at my back.
At 65 miles, blurriness got so bad that I couldn't see pot holes as I was running over them. I could hear my tires going through slush on the side of the shoulder, but couldn't see that it was there. I decided to stop. When I approached the next intersection, I couldn't tell if the light was red or green until I was at the corner. Also, I couldn't see cars. I had to cross the road by depending on my hearing. I was very surprised at the severity of the sypmtoms, because it never got that bad before.
I called for ride to the doctor's office and was seen within the hour. The doctor could confirm that I had vision loss, but all the other tests were normal. I had normal pressure (no glaucoma, no exercise induced glaucoma). I had the same exact field of vision as before (base line test was on a day I did not just ride the bike) (no missing portions which would be typical if I had occular or basilar migraines). I had normal responses to light, pupil dilation, reactions, etc. The optic nerve looked healthy. I had no film on my cornea. My eyes were lubricating themselves as normal. I had no signs of pigment dispersion.
The doctor was stumped. He said my problem is unique. He is sending me to a specialist in opthamology. He himself specializes in neurology and opthamology, so he wonders if a pure opthamologist would pick up on something he hasn't. He wants the opthamologist to concentrate on the cornea and the anterior portion of my eyes. He wants him to completely rule out glaucoma.
If we go that route with no diagnosis, he wants to explore a neurological problem. He said that perhaps I have a neurological disease that would affect the optic nerve. (MS is his fear.) He said it's unlikely because he saw no signs of nerve damage or inflammation. He said it's possible that I could have had trauma to the optic nerve but that I am asymptomatic, and that only heavy, long-term exercise causes the symptoms of blurriness. He will send me for an MRI of the brain if the opthamologist does not find anything wrong.
So, I am supposed to plan another long bike ride. I will then go see this other doctor while the problem is occurring.
I will update again after that appointment.
Angie
02-02-10, 12:56 PM
#27
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So, I had my doctor's appointment on 2/1/10. I rode 65 miles for 5.5 hours. I kept a 14.5 average speed. I'm a little ashamed of the low average, but it was very cold out (high 20's to mid 30's by end), it was windy, and I rode alone so there was no one to draft with.
My eye problem started at the 40 mile mark and worsened at the 50 mile mark. It usually took longer to start, so I think the cold was a factor. When I was facing into the wind, it seemed to be worse than when the wind was at my back.
At 65 miles, blurriness got so bad that I couldn't see pot holes as I was running over them. I could hear my tires going through slush on the side of the shoulder, but couldn't see that it was there. I decided to stop. When I approached the next intersection, I couldn't tell if the light was red or green until I was at the corner. Also, I couldn't see cars. I had to cross the road by depending on my hearing. I was very surprised at the severity of the sypmtoms, because it never got that bad before.
I called for ride to the doctor's office and was seen within the hour. The doctor could confirm that I had vision loss, but all the other tests were normal. I had normal pressure (no glaucoma, no exercise induced glaucoma). I had the same exact field of vision as before (base line test was on a day I did not just ride the bike) (no missing portions which would be typical if I had occular or basilar migraines). I had normal responses to light, pupil dilation, reactions, etc. The optic nerve looked healthy. I had no film on my cornea. My eyes were lubricating themselves as normal. I had no signs of pigment dispersion.
The doctor was stumped. He said my problem is unique. He is sending me to a specialist in opthamology. He himself specializes in neurology and opthamology, so he wonders if a pure opthamologist would pick up on something he hasn't. He wants the opthamologist to concentrate on the cornea and the anterior portion of my eyes. He wants him to completely rule out glaucoma.
If we go that route with no diagnosis, he wants to explore a neurological problem. He said that perhaps I have a neurological disease that would affect the optic nerve. (MS is his fear.) He said it's unlikely because he saw no signs of nerve damage or inflammation. He said it's possible that I could have had trauma to the optic nerve but that I am asymptomatic, and that only heavy, long-term exercise causes the symptoms of blurriness. He will send me for an MRI of the brain if the opthamologist does not find anything wrong.
So, I am supposed to plan another long bike ride. I will then go see this other doctor while the problem is occurring.
I will update again after that appointment.
Angie
My eye problem started at the 40 mile mark and worsened at the 50 mile mark. It usually took longer to start, so I think the cold was a factor. When I was facing into the wind, it seemed to be worse than when the wind was at my back.
At 65 miles, blurriness got so bad that I couldn't see pot holes as I was running over them. I could hear my tires going through slush on the side of the shoulder, but couldn't see that it was there. I decided to stop. When I approached the next intersection, I couldn't tell if the light was red or green until I was at the corner. Also, I couldn't see cars. I had to cross the road by depending on my hearing. I was very surprised at the severity of the sypmtoms, because it never got that bad before.
I called for ride to the doctor's office and was seen within the hour. The doctor could confirm that I had vision loss, but all the other tests were normal. I had normal pressure (no glaucoma, no exercise induced glaucoma). I had the same exact field of vision as before (base line test was on a day I did not just ride the bike) (no missing portions which would be typical if I had occular or basilar migraines). I had normal responses to light, pupil dilation, reactions, etc. The optic nerve looked healthy. I had no film on my cornea. My eyes were lubricating themselves as normal. I had no signs of pigment dispersion.
The doctor was stumped. He said my problem is unique. He is sending me to a specialist in opthamology. He himself specializes in neurology and opthamology, so he wonders if a pure opthamologist would pick up on something he hasn't. He wants the opthamologist to concentrate on the cornea and the anterior portion of my eyes. He wants him to completely rule out glaucoma.
If we go that route with no diagnosis, he wants to explore a neurological problem. He said that perhaps I have a neurological disease that would affect the optic nerve. (MS is his fear.) He said it's unlikely because he saw no signs of nerve damage or inflammation. He said it's possible that I could have had trauma to the optic nerve but that I am asymptomatic, and that only heavy, long-term exercise causes the symptoms of blurriness. He will send me for an MRI of the brain if the opthamologist does not find anything wrong.
So, I am supposed to plan another long bike ride. I will then go see this other doctor while the problem is occurring.
I will update again after that appointment.
Angie
02-02-10, 06:24 PM
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Have you tried some other form of excercise and see if that give you the same symptoms? Inside on a treadmill or elliptical, for example?
If the cold was a factor in making it worse, maybe it won't happen if you excercise indoors. That would also remove almost all wind across your eyes.
If the cold was a factor in making it worse, maybe it won't happen if you excercise indoors. That would also remove almost all wind across your eyes.
02-03-10, 02:03 PM
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Angie,
Your thread is one of the most involved, detailed and informative posts this board has received and might provide insight for others who are afflicted with eye troubles exacerbated by riding. Excellent thorough post. All the best with the continuing diagnosis.
Your thread is one of the most involved, detailed and informative posts this board has received and might provide insight for others who are afflicted with eye troubles exacerbated by riding. Excellent thorough post. All the best with the continuing diagnosis.
02-03-10, 05:56 PM
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Have you tried some other form of excercise and see if that give you the same symptoms? Inside on a treadmill or elliptical, for example?
If the cold was a factor in making it worse, maybe it won't happen if you excercise indoors. That would also remove almost all wind across your eyes.
If the cold was a factor in making it worse, maybe it won't happen if you excercise indoors. That would also remove almost all wind across your eyes.
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02-03-10, 08:13 PM
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I am impressed at your approach to this problem. Being examined, then inducing the symptoms, then being re-examined while symptoms persist is such a logical thing to do, I am glad you could pull it off.
The list of problems that can cause visual disturbances is extensive, but not many seemed able to be induced and subsequently resolve as you describe. Vascular (as in migraines, even if only involving the eye), glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, and optic nueritis were ones that seem to be reversible in the time frame you give.I did find one google reference to exercise induced visual disturbances of a transient nature:
Symptoms of
The list of problems that can cause visual disturbances is extensive, but not many seemed able to be induced and subsequently resolve as you describe. Vascular (as in migraines, even if only involving the eye), glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, and optic nueritis were ones that seem to be reversible in the time frame you give.I did find one google reference to exercise induced visual disturbances of a transient nature:
Symptoms of
optic neuritis include blurred
vision, dimming of colors, pain when the eye
is moved, blind spots, and loss of contrast
sensitivity.is moved, blind spots, and loss of contrast
Temporary flare-ups of optic neuritis
symptoms may also occur. Hot showers or
baths, exercise, a bout of flu, or a fever may
all trigger dimmed color, blurred vision, and
other problems. Nerve fibers that are demyelinated
(have lost their myelin insulation)
or are remyelinating (under repair) are very
sensitive to higher temperatures. These heatrelated
symptoms resolve when the person
cools off, be it from ice packs, over-thecounter
fever reducers, cool drinks, air
conditioning, or a soak in a cool tub of water.
“The symptoms mean the optic nerve is not
conducting information as well as it should,”
said Dr. Gregory P. Van Stavern, a neuroophthalmologist
at Wayne State University
in Michigan. “This doesn’t mean a person is
having a new attack of MS. If symptoms
persist for more than a day or so after the
body temperature has returned to normal,
then contact a physician.”
symptoms may also occur. Hot showers or
baths, exercise, a bout of flu, or a fever may
all trigger dimmed color, blurred vision, and
other problems. Nerve fibers that are demyelinated
(have lost their myelin insulation)
or are remyelinating (under repair) are very
sensitive to higher temperatures. These heatrelated
symptoms resolve when the person
cools off, be it from ice packs, over-thecounter
fever reducers, cool drinks, air
conditioning, or a soak in a cool tub of water.
“The symptoms mean the optic nerve is not
conducting information as well as it should,”
said Dr. Gregory P. Van Stavern, a neuroophthalmologist
at Wayne State University
in Michigan. “This doesn’t mean a person is
having a new attack of MS. If symptoms
persist for more than a day or so after the
body temperature has returned to normal,
then contact a physician.”
While this exerpt is from the MS society, Symptoms of optic nueritis is not synonomous with having MS. Not everyone who has optic nueritis has or will develope MS. I just thought that the symptoms and association with exercise might be close to what you were describing?
02-03-10, 09:12 PM
#34
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No medical opinions here, but if are planning another long ride to "induce" the symptoms, please make sure you get someone to go with you. Kind of scary to read that you are riding "blind."
BTW, good luck with the issue, hope they can find the cause and have a remedy for it.
BTW, good luck with the issue, hope they can find the cause and have a remedy for it.
02-03-10, 10:57 PM
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Just out of curiousity, how cold has it been for these rides, and what manner of eye protection are you wearing?
Have you considered trying a full goggle for cold weather?
The reason I ask is that I used to get a very similar condition in cold weather riding my motorcycle. Of course the speed was higher, and the exersion was non existant, but I found relief by using a goggle rather than "sunglasses" where the cold air could get directly to my eyes.
Have you considered trying a full goggle for cold weather?
The reason I ask is that I used to get a very similar condition in cold weather riding my motorcycle. Of course the speed was higher, and the exersion was non existant, but I found relief by using a goggle rather than "sunglasses" where the cold air could get directly to my eyes.
02-03-10, 11:25 PM
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this has happened to me funny*blurred vision everything seemed brighter than normal 2 different times one went away fairly quickly after i ate something. the other took a little while. i talked to my doctor about it and we decided to change my blood pressure meds. since then it hasnt happened again.
02-04-10, 09:09 AM
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I will try to address the questions and ideas people gave. Also, I want to thank Steelcan, DRietz, and Hot Potato for your compliments on trying to solve this the right way and being thorough.
I do plan on trying a long ride with goggles that protect my eyes from the wind. I currently use Trifosi cycling sunglasses. They wrap around a bit, but do not fully block the wind. The first 3 times this blurring problem happened, I was riding in the summer time (temps in the 80's). This last ride was a very cold, windy ride (temps ranged from the high 20's to the mid 30's throughout the ride). The problem's onset was much earlier than normal.
Before I started cycling, I worked out at the gym doing aerobics classes, jogging, and boot camp style classes. I usually worked out for 1 hour, (sometimes 2). I never had the eye problem. Now that I ride, I can see that my weeknight mt bike rides (2 hours) do not cause the problem. Probably, because I'm not going as fast and there's less wind in the woods. My weekend mt bike rides of 3-5 hours do not cause it. (Although all mt bike ride in the winter have caused a small amount of halo effect around the headlights when I'm driving home). My weeknight cycling rides of 2 hours do not cause the problem (30 miles). My weekend cycling rides of 50 miles in the summer have never caused the problem. The problem only happened on summer cycling rides of 65 miles or more (symptom onset at 60 miles) and on this one wintertime cycling ride of 65 miles (symptom onset at 40 miles). So, my conclusion is that the faster speeds of cycling cause the problem while the slower less windy mt bike rides do not. Also, the cold temps make the problem worse.
When the blurriness starts, and I stop riding, the problem goes away in minutes. When I continue riding for 20-40 miles, the problem worsens gradually as I ride. It lasts a couple hours after I stop riding. A strange thing is that if I don't stop riding it's not that bad. I can still see to avoid potholes. If I stop for 15 minutes for a break and then resume, the problems worsens quickly. That's when I got so blurry, I couldn't see cars and I rode through huge potholes with no warning. When it's that bad, the problem still lasts 2 hours after I stop.
I would love to do a ride and immediately have my blood drawn and tested for sugar levels. I'd also like to have my blood pressure taken post ride.
I looked up myasthenia gravis and optic neuritis. I don't think it's either of those because I don't have any of the difficulty speaking, drooping eye lids, or head falling forward associated with MG or the eye pain or vivid color loss associated with ON.
I am going to schedule an appt with the second specialist. I'll plan another long ride to make the problem happen. I will do everything in my power to find riders to come with me. It's hard because it'll have to be on a weekday. I had a rider lined up for last time, but he ended up getting hurt and couldn't ride. I am planning my next route to be 30-40 miles to get the problem started. I will then do a planned loop of 2 miles very close to the doctor's office. I will repeat the 2 mile loop as many times as I need. This way I'll be close to my stopping point when the problem gets bad. I'll look for a loop where I have the right of way with the traffic (all right turns).
Thanks to all for the input.
I'll keep you posted.
Angie
I do plan on trying a long ride with goggles that protect my eyes from the wind. I currently use Trifosi cycling sunglasses. They wrap around a bit, but do not fully block the wind. The first 3 times this blurring problem happened, I was riding in the summer time (temps in the 80's). This last ride was a very cold, windy ride (temps ranged from the high 20's to the mid 30's throughout the ride). The problem's onset was much earlier than normal.
Before I started cycling, I worked out at the gym doing aerobics classes, jogging, and boot camp style classes. I usually worked out for 1 hour, (sometimes 2). I never had the eye problem. Now that I ride, I can see that my weeknight mt bike rides (2 hours) do not cause the problem. Probably, because I'm not going as fast and there's less wind in the woods. My weekend mt bike rides of 3-5 hours do not cause it. (Although all mt bike ride in the winter have caused a small amount of halo effect around the headlights when I'm driving home). My weeknight cycling rides of 2 hours do not cause the problem (30 miles). My weekend cycling rides of 50 miles in the summer have never caused the problem. The problem only happened on summer cycling rides of 65 miles or more (symptom onset at 60 miles) and on this one wintertime cycling ride of 65 miles (symptom onset at 40 miles). So, my conclusion is that the faster speeds of cycling cause the problem while the slower less windy mt bike rides do not. Also, the cold temps make the problem worse.
When the blurriness starts, and I stop riding, the problem goes away in minutes. When I continue riding for 20-40 miles, the problem worsens gradually as I ride. It lasts a couple hours after I stop riding. A strange thing is that if I don't stop riding it's not that bad. I can still see to avoid potholes. If I stop for 15 minutes for a break and then resume, the problems worsens quickly. That's when I got so blurry, I couldn't see cars and I rode through huge potholes with no warning. When it's that bad, the problem still lasts 2 hours after I stop.
I would love to do a ride and immediately have my blood drawn and tested for sugar levels. I'd also like to have my blood pressure taken post ride.
I looked up myasthenia gravis and optic neuritis. I don't think it's either of those because I don't have any of the difficulty speaking, drooping eye lids, or head falling forward associated with MG or the eye pain or vivid color loss associated with ON.
I am going to schedule an appt with the second specialist. I'll plan another long ride to make the problem happen. I will do everything in my power to find riders to come with me. It's hard because it'll have to be on a weekday. I had a rider lined up for last time, but he ended up getting hurt and couldn't ride. I am planning my next route to be 30-40 miles to get the problem started. I will then do a planned loop of 2 miles very close to the doctor's office. I will repeat the 2 mile loop as many times as I need. This way I'll be close to my stopping point when the problem gets bad. I'll look for a loop where I have the right of way with the traffic (all right turns).
Thanks to all for the input.
I'll keep you posted.
Angie
02-04-10, 09:17 AM
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OP,
just curious, have you been to a retina specialist? I only ask because I have had eye issues in the past (nothing like your situation) that have put me on annual visits to the retina specialist.
One of the procedures is the injection of mountain dew colored dye into the system, then a movie of the eye internals is made, providing major details of what's going on inside the eye.
Hope everything works out.
just curious, have you been to a retina specialist? I only ask because I have had eye issues in the past (nothing like your situation) that have put me on annual visits to the retina specialist.
One of the procedures is the injection of mountain dew colored dye into the system, then a movie of the eye internals is made, providing major details of what's going on inside the eye.
Hope everything works out.
03-18-10, 08:40 AM
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Eye problem after riding is due to corneal edema
Hi to everyone who's been following my blindness problem,
I had my appointment with a cornea specialist on 3/17/10 after riding a 75 mile road ride. I rode with 2 other people and we maintained a 17.0 average. We rode a little over 5 hours. When we started, it was 45 degrees. At the end it was in the 60's. It was not very windy. I wore my contact lenses and cycling glasses when I rode.
My eyes started getting blurry at 40 miles. It wasn't bad, but it was a little hard to read street signs until I was close. (I had properly fueled and hydrated. I was well rested and strong). At 60 miles, my eyes were more blurry. I had a little trouble discerning between dark spots on the road and true potholes. At 75 miles, we stopped at the dr's office.
This doctor was a cornea specialist. He was able to see that my corneas were swollen by looking through his apparatus and shining the light in my eyes. As the appointment progressed, my left eye returned to normal more quickly. He could see the difference. He also measured my cornea thickness and was able to confirm that the left eye was 504 microns (normal corneas are 500-550 microns thick). My right eye was 600 microns. This was the first doctor after 4 visits that was able to measure a sypmtom, so I am happy about that. Unfortunatly, he doesn't know why this is happening.
He said that wind irritation would not cause corneal swelling. He did say that wind irritation would probably cause my contacts to dry out, which could lead to corneal swelling. He wants me to ride my cycle for different distances while wearing my glasses instead of my contacts. If his theory is right, I should not have blurriness with my glasses.
I told him that I had tried my own experiment a week ago. I rode with ski goggles that sealed to my face. At 40 miles, which is when the blurriness usually begins, I had perfect clear vision. This had led me to believe that the wind was causing the problem. This result surprised the doctor. He wants me to try riding a longer distances with the goggles. He also wants me to wear the goggles over my glasses and try another ride.
I am going back to see him in a different office that has certain specialized equipment that he says will help him to better see my corneas. I will do these rides he's suggesting and then go see him on 4/29.
He said that there are no diseases or conditions that would cause corneal swelling except a certain situation where I'd have another symptom of decreased sensitivity in the cornea. He said that I have normal sensitivity in my corneas because he touched them lightly and I reacted to the stinging sensation as I should have. So whatever this condition (he never said the name), I don't have it.
This is the second doctor who has said that my situation is unique. I will post once I've tried these test rides and also when I go back to see him in April.
Angie
I had my appointment with a cornea specialist on 3/17/10 after riding a 75 mile road ride. I rode with 2 other people and we maintained a 17.0 average. We rode a little over 5 hours. When we started, it was 45 degrees. At the end it was in the 60's. It was not very windy. I wore my contact lenses and cycling glasses when I rode.
My eyes started getting blurry at 40 miles. It wasn't bad, but it was a little hard to read street signs until I was close. (I had properly fueled and hydrated. I was well rested and strong). At 60 miles, my eyes were more blurry. I had a little trouble discerning between dark spots on the road and true potholes. At 75 miles, we stopped at the dr's office.
This doctor was a cornea specialist. He was able to see that my corneas were swollen by looking through his apparatus and shining the light in my eyes. As the appointment progressed, my left eye returned to normal more quickly. He could see the difference. He also measured my cornea thickness and was able to confirm that the left eye was 504 microns (normal corneas are 500-550 microns thick). My right eye was 600 microns. This was the first doctor after 4 visits that was able to measure a sypmtom, so I am happy about that. Unfortunatly, he doesn't know why this is happening.
He said that wind irritation would not cause corneal swelling. He did say that wind irritation would probably cause my contacts to dry out, which could lead to corneal swelling. He wants me to ride my cycle for different distances while wearing my glasses instead of my contacts. If his theory is right, I should not have blurriness with my glasses.
I told him that I had tried my own experiment a week ago. I rode with ski goggles that sealed to my face. At 40 miles, which is when the blurriness usually begins, I had perfect clear vision. This had led me to believe that the wind was causing the problem. This result surprised the doctor. He wants me to try riding a longer distances with the goggles. He also wants me to wear the goggles over my glasses and try another ride.
I am going back to see him in a different office that has certain specialized equipment that he says will help him to better see my corneas. I will do these rides he's suggesting and then go see him on 4/29.
He said that there are no diseases or conditions that would cause corneal swelling except a certain situation where I'd have another symptom of decreased sensitivity in the cornea. He said that I have normal sensitivity in my corneas because he touched them lightly and I reacted to the stinging sensation as I should have. So whatever this condition (he never said the name), I don't have it.
This is the second doctor who has said that my situation is unique. I will post once I've tried these test rides and also when I go back to see him in April.
Angie
03-18-10, 08:53 AM
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Sounds like you are on the way to a sound answer. Glad to hear it might be something that can be avoided. I hope the change in eyewear does fix it for you. Thanks for sharing your information.
Mark
Mark
05-25-10, 09:32 AM
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Hi,
I don't know if any of you are subscribed to this thread and may see this, but I wanted
to post an update.
I saw the corneal specialist again and he was able to put me through the tests when my eyes were normal. Then he compared them to the results I had after completing my last ride. My readings were normal that day. So I don't have a problem normally, just when I do these longs rides.
He had told me to do some rides with no contacts in, using glasses. I did not get the blurriness problem. This seems to prove his theory right. He told me to get perscription cycling glasses made up and not to wear my contacts when I ride.
I went to my normal eye doctor last week. I was planning on getting these glasses made. The optomitrist suggested that maybe I could get the same result with more permeable contact lenses. He said that my current lenses had a permeability level of 8. The new ones would have a level of 110 or even 140 if I pay more money. I'm not sure what the numbers mean, but he told that the 110 level of permeability is over 10 times more permeable than the 8s I have now.
I tried a sample of the 110s and rode for 83 miles before I got blurry. Normally the blurriness starts at 45-50 these days. So this is a remarkable improvement. Also, it only happenned in my right eye. My left eye never got blurry! The blurriness went away after 1 hour when it normally takes 2.
I am going to try a sample of the 140s now.
Angie
I don't know if any of you are subscribed to this thread and may see this, but I wanted
to post an update.
I saw the corneal specialist again and he was able to put me through the tests when my eyes were normal. Then he compared them to the results I had after completing my last ride. My readings were normal that day. So I don't have a problem normally, just when I do these longs rides.
He had told me to do some rides with no contacts in, using glasses. I did not get the blurriness problem. This seems to prove his theory right. He told me to get perscription cycling glasses made up and not to wear my contacts when I ride.
I went to my normal eye doctor last week. I was planning on getting these glasses made. The optomitrist suggested that maybe I could get the same result with more permeable contact lenses. He said that my current lenses had a permeability level of 8. The new ones would have a level of 110 or even 140 if I pay more money. I'm not sure what the numbers mean, but he told that the 110 level of permeability is over 10 times more permeable than the 8s I have now.
I tried a sample of the 110s and rode for 83 miles before I got blurry. Normally the blurriness starts at 45-50 these days. So this is a remarkable improvement. Also, it only happenned in my right eye. My left eye never got blurry! The blurriness went away after 1 hour when it normally takes 2.
I am going to try a sample of the 140s now.
Angie
Likes For godsang:
05-28-10, 07:51 AM
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not sure if this helps, but try a chiropractor. I think that neck strain or pressure points in the back base of the skull/ neck area can cause this especially on longer rides where you're head & neck are in that position constantly. Strain here can lead to vision issues..make sure you're in alignment and there are no inpingements..also try cranial massage to ease tension....neck/spine misalignment can manifest in many ways...here again..just a thought if it's happening on longer riders..
Good luck!
Good luck!
05-28-10, 08:07 AM
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Hi,
I don't know if any of you are subscribed to this thread and may see this, but I wanted
to post an update.
I saw the corneal specialist again and he was able to put me through the tests when my eyes were normal. Then he compared them to the results I had after completing my last ride. My readings were normal that day. So I don't have a problem normally, just when I do these longs rides.
He had told me to do some rides with no contacts in, using glasses. I did not get the blurriness problem. This seems to prove his theory right. He told me to get perscription cycling glasses made up and not to wear my contacts when I ride.
I went to my normal eye doctor last week. I was planning on getting these glasses made. The optomitrist suggested that maybe I could get the same result with more permeable contact lenses. He said that my current lenses had a permeability level of 8. The new ones would have a level of 110 or even 140 if I pay more money. I'm not sure what the numbers mean, but he told that the 110 level of permeability is over 10 times more permeable than the 8s I have now.
I tried a sample of the 110s and rode for 83 miles before I got blurry. Normally the blurriness starts at 45-50 these days. So this is a remarkable improvement. Also, it only happenned in my right eye. My left eye never got blurry! The blurriness went away after 1 hour when it normally takes 2.
I am going to try a sample of the 140s now.
Angie
I don't know if any of you are subscribed to this thread and may see this, but I wanted
to post an update.
I saw the corneal specialist again and he was able to put me through the tests when my eyes were normal. Then he compared them to the results I had after completing my last ride. My readings were normal that day. So I don't have a problem normally, just when I do these longs rides.
He had told me to do some rides with no contacts in, using glasses. I did not get the blurriness problem. This seems to prove his theory right. He told me to get perscription cycling glasses made up and not to wear my contacts when I ride.
I went to my normal eye doctor last week. I was planning on getting these glasses made. The optomitrist suggested that maybe I could get the same result with more permeable contact lenses. He said that my current lenses had a permeability level of 8. The new ones would have a level of 110 or even 140 if I pay more money. I'm not sure what the numbers mean, but he told that the 110 level of permeability is over 10 times more permeable than the 8s I have now.
I tried a sample of the 110s and rode for 83 miles before I got blurry. Normally the blurriness starts at 45-50 these days. So this is a remarkable improvement. Also, it only happenned in my right eye. My left eye never got blurry! The blurriness went away after 1 hour when it normally takes 2.
I am going to try a sample of the 140s now.
Angie
05-28-10, 08:34 AM
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This is an interesting thread. Glad to hear that you're finding some answers to your problems. In my opinion, specifically, how i would care for my own health. I'd ditch contacts completely while riding and use ONLY the RX sunglasses. You really don't know the long term impact to your ocular health. I could stand to do without one or many limbs, but my vision.... NO WAY.
05-29-10, 03:04 AM
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was thinking of your problem just the other day. glad to read on your progress!
05-29-10, 07:41 PM
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It's definitely dry eyes based on the symptoms you described (which might be induced by allergic reaction to pollen, dust and dirt accumulation in your eyes as you cycle for hours). Contacts likely give you an excellent vision, however they tend to lead to certain issues as well. Hope everything works well for you.
06-29-10, 10:13 AM
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I have another update on my eye condition. I tried the pair of contacts that have the permeability level of 140. I rode for 80 miles, the same distance I rode with the less permeable lenses. I had no blurriness! I am so happy and so is my doctor.
A few people on this thread have said that they would just go with what the first doctor said and ditch the contacts while riding. While I agree that's probably the best solution, I really don't want to give up using the contacts. It's very annoying and a bit difficult to use glasses while you're trying to engage in sports. The loss of peripheral vision, the chances of water, mud, and other dirty stuff getting on the glasses, and the possibility that if they break or get lost I'd have nothing to help me see.... All that makes me stay away from perscription glasses on bike rides. I mostly mountain bike, so this type of riding presents even more of an obstacle to using only glasses. Any contact lens wearers will understand that it would be very hard to go back to glasses.
I know that there's a chance that wearing these new highly permeable lenses while riding could lead to a problem in the future, assuming that there's something deeply wrong with my eyes. But I take some solace in the fact that this blurry problem happens after very long rides. Most of my rides are much shorter.
I don't want to do anything that will hurt my eyes long term, so I think it would probably be wise to invest in perscription cycling glasses to use on the very long rides, but I'd use the permeable contacts for general use and most of my normal rides.
Angie
A few people on this thread have said that they would just go with what the first doctor said and ditch the contacts while riding. While I agree that's probably the best solution, I really don't want to give up using the contacts. It's very annoying and a bit difficult to use glasses while you're trying to engage in sports. The loss of peripheral vision, the chances of water, mud, and other dirty stuff getting on the glasses, and the possibility that if they break or get lost I'd have nothing to help me see.... All that makes me stay away from perscription glasses on bike rides. I mostly mountain bike, so this type of riding presents even more of an obstacle to using only glasses. Any contact lens wearers will understand that it would be very hard to go back to glasses.
I know that there's a chance that wearing these new highly permeable lenses while riding could lead to a problem in the future, assuming that there's something deeply wrong with my eyes. But I take some solace in the fact that this blurry problem happens after very long rides. Most of my rides are much shorter.
I don't want to do anything that will hurt my eyes long term, so I think it would probably be wise to invest in perscription cycling glasses to use on the very long rides, but I'd use the permeable contacts for general use and most of my normal rides.
Angie
06-29-10, 10:38 AM
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If you need the effects to be studied. Perhaps you can ride your bike on a trainer at the doctors and report your symptoms as they appear?
06-29-10, 10:39 AM
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Very interesting read. Glad to see you're getting somewhere, and you can enjoy what you're doing. Your responsible persistence and smart approach to getting medical care made all the difference here, I think.
Thanks for the excellent followup, too! I learned something that just might come in handy someday. I'd suggest that your problem is mostly solved, and wouldn't worry about anything being deeply wrong with your eyes. They're just doing what they are supposed to do, I guess.
Cheers!
Thanks for the excellent followup, too! I learned something that just might come in handy someday. I'd suggest that your problem is mostly solved, and wouldn't worry about anything being deeply wrong with your eyes. They're just doing what they are supposed to do, I guess.
Cheers!