Snellen Chart 3 day reading

Day 1
morning: 20/60 both eyes

20/80 right eye
20-80 left eye

both eyes 32cm
left eye 29 cm
right eye 30 cm

One hour later by the morning light. After a walk in the sun.

After a few seconds my eyes focused and I read the 20/40 with both eyes and part of the 20/30 line

both eyes - 20/40
right eye - 20/50
left eye - 20/50 (partial 20/40 line)

At night (indoors)

both eyes - 20/80
left eye - 20/100
right eye - 20/100

Day 2

Morning
Indoor reading
20/50 both eyes
20/60 right eye (very blurry and hard to read took over a minute)
20/60 left eye

One hour later after morning walk -
Outdoor reading
20/50 both eyes
20/50 right eye (took two minutes but eventually cleared)
20/50 left eye

Centimeter reading:

Both eyes 33 cm
right eye 31 cm
left eye 32 cm

Evening
Indoor reading
20/80 both eyes
right eye 20/80
left eye 20/80

Day 3

Morning
indoor reading:
20/80 both eyes
20/80 right eye
20/80 left eye

32 cm
30 cm rigth
31 cm left

One hour later after morning walk
Outdoors:
20/50 both eyes and right/left eyes seperate

cm 32
left 32
right 30

Evening
Indoors

20/80 both eyes
20/80 left eye
20/100 right eye

cm 32 both eyes

Progress

Morning

Indoors :
Both eyes - 20/80
left eye - 20/80
right eye - 20/80

20/80 was very blurry but eventually became readable.

Measurements:

both eyes : 34cm
left eye: 32 cm
right eye: 30 cm

First Snellen Readings

It was a little frustrating trying to set the snellen up. I printed one off the internet and then measured the E to see if it was the appropriate size. I couldn't figure out how to hang it. Literally, I couldn't find any tape in the house and it kept falling down, frustrating me. Eventually I found some double sided clear tape and hauled it outside. I brought my tape measure with me, affixed the snellen to my apartment door, and then measured off 20ft into my yard.

I took off my glasses and looked at it with the bright noonday sun framing the chart. I was stunned. I could make out the 20/60 line. Then with some effort at focusing, lots of blinking, the blurriness of the 20/50 yielded I was thrilled. Soon I'd be at the DMV passing my test with my elf-like vision.

Then I took the chart inside and hung it up at 10ft.

I struggled with the 20/100 line. Amazed at how much the light changed how well I could see. Outdoors I was thinking I'd soon be passing my driver's test without glasses. Inside, with the poor light, the crushing realization of my impairment hit me in the face. It took me nearly a minute to make out the 20/100 line and I actually got one wrong.

As of today:

Both eyes

20/60 by sunlight at noon.
20/100 by lightbulb at 1 pm

left eye: 20/100
right eye: 20/100 (barely)

Progress

34 cm recorded this morning by the morning light. That puts me at about a -3 myopia, roughly. No snellen to verify how accurate my readings are though.

Current prescription is -3.5 left eye and -3.75 right eye with .50 astigmatism.

First Steps

After a little problem with the software was cleaned up I started the Frauenfeld myopia program. I'm exciting. I've been waiting to start for a few days now and I'm all full of enthusiasm.

I have goals in mind. Big ones that are going to take time which means consistency over a long period but I think I can do it. I've done it before. Over the last few months I've managed to drop 40lbs, improve my diet, quit smoking, and low my blood pressure significantly.

I've already taken some steps. First, I bought a uv light bulb for my the living room. Second, I purchased a snellen chart from amazon. Both are supposed to arrive within a week. I've also set up a clock on my compute to help reduce eyestrain. At the twenty minute mark I take a break. I've yet to actually meet the twenty minute mark. I always stop early.

One of the things I'm doing is limiting computer and tv time to a minimum. It's not been easy. I get bored and filling my time with activities that aren't close up is difficult. I'm thinking of buying a dart board to set up in my living room. That will give me some middle distance viewing in the least. Some of the other changes are small. I take my tea in the morning on the back porch staring off into the distance.

I'll keep posting with updates soon.

About Me

The board was blurry which was good at the time because it meant I didn't have to answer my grade school teacher's question. "I can't read the board," I said, squinting to make out what was written. It was legible but just barely. "Maybe you need glasses," she said. And I told my mom that.

Little did I know that I was going to get glasses less than a week later, an ugly pair of frames that consumed my entire face. 90s frames that were ugly looking even then when everything was ugly. I can remember going to school in them my first day. They hurt my eyes. They were ugly and I was so self-conscious walking down the hallway. Someone made a comment - nothing rude - they just pointed out the obvious, but it felt traumatic. I swallowed. I now wore glasses.

Twenty years later and I'm still wearing glasses. I started this blog with a question in mind. Can I stop wearing glasses? It's impossible some doctors say. I found one who disagrees - Dr. Alex Frauenfeld - and after giving his website a read I decided to sign up, pay the admittance fee, and see if I can get rid of my glasses. This blog is here to track my progress.