Poor eyesight and sewing

Viviane · 2008-11-07T09:56:38+00:00

I was wondering if any of you have poor eyesight and if so what do you do to help when sewing.As a bit of background, I used to have extreme myopia (-13, which is close to the white stick category!) until earlier this year when I had cataract surgery. The doctor set my eyes for monovision, which is where one eye is focused for distance and the other is focussed for close up. Somehow the brain works all this out and you can see near and far. I was sceptical but it works! Unfortunately the close up eye was a little too short sighted after the cataract surgery settled so it was "topped up" with laser. I can now see fantastically without the thick contact lenses or heavy glasses I wore before the surgery. I use reading glasses for small print or when reading in poor light. For the first time in about 40 years I've been able to buy some nice looking glasses rather than those that need shoulder straps!Anyway, because I have lost the extra good close up vision I used to have, I now find it a little tricky when sewing. I find that the reading glasses aren't good enough for that. I figured I can't be the only one in this position, given that eyesight starts to diminish after you hit the big 4-0 (according to eye people). I find that I have to sew in the middle of the day when the light is bright but not too sunny.So how do you cope?

Nov 07, 2008 29 Replies

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Pogonip 17 years ago

Don't feel bad about it, Juno. We have two of them here and I used to have a card. But one year when I got the notice to renew, I realized that I hadn't been in Costco since I renewed the previous year -- not exactly getting my money's worth from the membership. It was great when we had a houseful to feed and look after. But with two people ... well, I recently threw out a bottle of ketchup from a Costco 3-pack. I think it was a little too old. Besides, they have limited selections and often don't have what I want to buy, plus when I tried something there and we liked it, when I went back for more, they'd stopped carrying it. Too much frustration.

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Emily Bengston 17 years ago

I love them! I bookmarked the site, for when I need reading glasses in addition to my regular ones. Emily

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Juno B 17 years ago

What I'd rally like around here is a Trader Joe's. They have a lot of things I like. Almond butter for $4.99, Shelled nuts for 5 something. Small packages of frozen wild salmon, White balsamic vinegar just to name a few. They won't come here because we don't have a big enough base to support them. I have to wait until I go see my youngest over in Amherst.She also has a Whole Food store and their not bad either. Juno

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Pogonip 17 years ago

Don't give up hope. We've had a Trader Joe's for several years. Then we got a Wild Oats a couple of years ago. Then Whole Foods bought out Wild Oats, and they've opened a store. Whole Foods is very, very expensive, though absolutely wonderful. Trader Joe has lots of excellent buys, very good budget place. But both TJ and WF are south of town, and I seldom go out that way.

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Kay Lancaster 17 years ago

The Costco "flexible frame" variety (brown, black and green frames) is especially useful if you share with someone with a big head (I steal DH's now and then, cuz his are stronger than mine). The flexible frame types are also good for reading in bed.

Another useful site, with diopters up to +6, and down to 0.5

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all the generic reading glasses are polycarbonate, and the crummy Abbe value of polycarb gives me headaches... so I stick with CR39 lenses in Walmart frames ground to suit for my "good readers". Kay

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Viviane 17 years ago

Thank you to all for some wonderful suggestions. I figured I wasn't alone with this problem but have been amazed at how widespread it is and the creativity used to solve it!

I had used magnifiers/reading glasses before I had the reading glasses made up but because my eyes are at different strengths they only work for one eye. I think either the clip on magnifiers onto the reading glasses or a good magnifying glass will do the trick.

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Emily Bengston 17 years ago

As far as I know, there is no Trader Joe's in the Houston area; I haven't seen one in the nine years we've lived here. I loved trading there when we were in CA. Emily

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Juno B 17 years ago

Gee Joy, I didn't think there was another way, Sun glasses too.LOL Juno

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Joy Beeson 17 years ago

I wear my reading glasses over my prescription lenses.

Caused my niece to break up in giggles when she caught me darning socks.

Joy Beeson

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Brenda 17 years ago

Yep, done that too (at home). Folks sure look at you funny when you do that. LOL

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