Have you noticed this?

[ttdub]

Has anyone noticed that when your eyes get dry its hard to focus or when you are looking far off and they get dry its kinda hard to focus close like on your phone?

[ttdub]

anyone have this problem?

[Súil Eile]

I find this happens to me a lot! Something that I can read clearly one day is a blur the next. Some days I can't drive because my vision isn't good enough. It's gotten a lot better since I've had punctal plugs put in, but it's still something I'm very aware of.

The watery layers of the eye surface act like lenses to focus and refract light...when this liquid drys up or become patchy it can feel like looking through glasses smeared with vasaline.

[indrep]

Approximately 66% of your refraction (ability to see clearly) comes from the tear film and cornea. People who suffer from a compromised tear film have less refractive power than those with a thick tear film. Also ocular surface disease disrupts the outer layer of cells on the ocular surface further reducing the ability of the cornea to refract light.

[calli66]

Over the last ten years as my eyes have become very dry, my vision has deteriorated, no question about it. It has become a rather permanent turn---with only some days being slightly better. My prescription used to be -7.25 with -0.50 D of astigmatism, and now it's -8.50 with -1.50 D of astigmatism.

I think the dry eyes makes the astigmatism variable. I see pretty well at the computer in the mornings, when my eyes are hydrated, but by evening, it's quite blurry. Same goes for distance and for driving at night. There's almost no prescription that allows me to see well at night. This has really changed my life---am actually frightened about driving at night, even though my vision on the eye chart is nearly 20/20.

Calli

[Súil Eile]

I think the dry eyes makes the astigmatism variable.

That's very interesting. Can you detect the difference between DES affecting your astigmatism and affecting your sight in general?

There's almost no prescription that allows me to see well at night. This has really changed my life---am actually frightened about driving at night, even though my vision on the eye chart is nearly 20/20.

The scariest thing I realised after getting plugs in was realising how poor my vision at night acually had been. I've had DES since before I learned to drive, so I didn't know any better. I assumed everyone else could hardly see road markings, filter lights etc. I always wondered why headlights were so badly designed that they blinded everyone. But apparently it was just me. My tear film is a bit more stable now and the difference is remarkable. I still have bad days, and days where I just won't drive at all because it's not safe.