Continually Decreased Vision

[BearHitch]

I have a general question about my vision.  About two years ago, I had a sudden change in vision for the worse, accompanied by headaches.  I was referred to a neurologist and he found an arachnoid cyst on my brain.  They did several tests, one finding that it takes my eyes a little longer to transmit what they see to my brain.  Anyway, since this sudden change my eyes have gotten progressively worse.  The lenses that were amazing at that time now do nothing at all, just two years later.  I have been told that I have a cataract on each eye, then told I don't- several different opinions on it, where they tested me for Macular Degeneration (my grandmother has it).  I am going to get a stronger pair of glasses, but before I do, I have a few questions about this investment.  

With my eyes changing so fast, is it a wise thing to get a new pair of glasses?  Also, is it normal for a young person to have such rapidly decreasing vision?  Over the past two years, my vision has made driving difficult, where before it was no problem.  Please advise- thanks!

[Forum-OD-MP]

'With my eyes changing so fast, is it a wise thing to get a new pair of glasses?'

why would it not be 'wide?  do whatever makes you see better.  glasses are usually cheap and easy.  sure, why not?  get new glasses if it'll help.

'Also, is it normal for a young person to have such rapidly decreasing vision?'

no.  but then again neither is having an arachnoid cyst.

[aimee37]

oops.  typo.  wide = wise

[aimee37]

Perhaps wise is the wrong answer- I was more or less asking if it would be worth the investment.  Thank you for your advice!

[aimee37]

hard to gauge whether its worth the investment or not.  i'm all for making people see better...even if it means buying glasses more often than they feel they should have to (and i dont even sell glasses...i'm not financially tied to the sale of glasses, so i dont make that recommendation to further my finances).  i guess whats "worth the investment" or not is probably up to the individual.

in the scheme of things, glasses just arent that big of an expenditure.  if you're not a contact lens wearer, this is something you'll wear literally the majority of every single day.  work, play, healthy, sick, holidays...all day every single day.  so why not see the best you possibly can?  spend an extra few hundred dollars a year to make sure you can see well all day every day.  seems like a pretty good investment to me, but i am probably admittedly biased...

good luck!

[aimee37]

This is embarrassing to ask but I guess I should. I have severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. One problem from it is tic-like symptoms where I occasionally squeeze my eyes seemingly somewhat excessively. Sometimes my eyes get a little red and sometimes things are blurry for awhile afterwards, then everything seems to return to normal. This has gone on for almost two years. (My base fear is that I'll damage my eyes somehow). Also I can't sleep at night sometimes because when I think about my eyes, the muscles around them tighten up so much they sometimes start to hurt, and sometimes I even see some spots.

My question is: How much of a risk is this of me permanently damaging my eyes? Are they designed to withstand some abuse? Is it even possible to damage them using the muscles around them?

(I've been on every anti-anxiety medication over a 20-year period with no success, so medication isn't an option. And Blue Cross HMO doesn't cover therapists who treat OCD in Los Angeles, so I don't have any help with the OCD at all.  I just thought I'd see what the risks are even though there's probably not much I can do about it.  Thanks for any info as I'm too embarrassed to ask an eye doctor in person.)