[Annie59]

I realized that the eye doctors I just saw left me with the impression that if I patch one eye for now while my case is getting figured out I may beable to drive. OK....has anyone gone thru this patching business?

My right has a cataract bad enough that that is the eye I need to patch per them. So I did that this morn with less that good results. I tried to see the time on my cell phone and then cut an hydrocodone in half. The half cutting thing was when I took the patch off because vision off enough I was concerned I would cut my self.

Now as I sit here trying it again my eye is open under the patch. I am getting this strange snow-like thing in that eye in the dark and if I allow it the black of the pattch seems to bleed into my opposite eye vision.

I have to test their therory of this working before I see the next eye specialist so I can be well spoken about it.

Annie59

[Juanitad]

I wear a patch on one eye every day, it is the only thing that enables me to drive, read, watch TV, etc. However, as I tell everyone, both eyes work, they just don't work together. So, I patch the left in the morning and the right in the afternoon. I've been doing this for over a year and even though it is a little wierd at first, I did get used to it. In fact, I sometimes forget I have an eye patched until someone asks what is wrong with my eye!

Good luck with finding what is comfortable for you.

[Annie59]

Ok great! So it sounds like these could be breaking in issues. How long did you need to wear it that you could drive? What happened today sure cant happen for driving. I am so very anxoius for just drrving well enough to get to my grandkids houses. It has been many months. I have myositis in the area of both eyes now plus sjogrens dry eye besides what I mentioned and MG symptoms. I expect to have to get enough dry eye drops in in the morning to lower the blur.

Annie59

Originally Posted by Juanitad

I wear a patch on one eye every day, it is the only thing that enables me to drive, read, watch TV, etc. However, as I tell everyone, both eyes work, they just don't work together. So, I patch the left in the morning and the right in the afternoon. I've been doing this for over a year and even though it is a little wierd at first, I did get used to it. In fact, I sometimes forget I have an eye patched until someone asks what is wrong with my eye!

Good luck with finding what is comfortable for you.

[Juanitad]

It took a few days to get used to the loss of depth perception - that is the worse part. To this day, I will pull into a parking spot, think I have pulled up far enough, get out of the car and find out I am sticking out about 4 feet and I have to get back in the car and pull it forward! Also, I have turned into a little old lady driver - I am very cautious because you do have a blind spot on the side the patch is on. I crane my neck and look behind me - look in every mirror, etc. before I switch lanes or back up. However, my reasoning is that if I lost an eye due to an accident or illness, I would figure out how to live my life and not become a hermit - I am simply doing the same thing with mg. My doctors all agree with me (my internist has one glass eye, so he can really relate!)

Hang in there!

[pingpongman]

I use a patch also but don't drive it appears to be too dangerous for me. I am lucky that I am retired and have a wife who drives me around. If I did try to drive I would drive like Juanitad. My neuro-opt said it was legal to drive with one eye but he would only recommend very short local trips or emergency trips.

What my wife did was buy some clip-on sunglasses at the dollar tree and cut them in half. Now I have a clip on patch for each eye to clip on my glasses. She took black electrical tape and blacked out the sunglasses lens.

I play ping-pong and the biggest problem I have is depth perception. I still can play just not as well as before. My depth perception gives me problems going up steps or locating the curb. My wife didn't like the full patch because she thought with one eye completely covered the moisture inside may cause problems.

[scrubbs]

When I had double vision I got presciption glasses even though my prescription was really weak and optomatrist didn't think I really needed them.

I bought a patch that is made to slide on one side.

Double vision is gone but I still use them when I drive because they seem to have a calming effect on my eyes.

Tony

[KathyV]

Originally Posted by Juanitad

It took a few days to get used to the loss of depth perception - that is the worse part. To this day, I will pull into a parking spot, think I have pulled up far enough, get out of the car and find out I am sticking out about 4 feet and I have to get back in the car and pull it forward! Also, I have turned into a little old lady driver - I am very cautious because you do have a blind spot on the side the patch is on. I crane my neck and look behind me - look in every mirror, etc. before I switch lanes or back up. However, my reasoning is that if I lost an eye due to an accident or illness, I would figure out how to live my life and not become a hermit - I am simply doing the same thing with mg. My doctors all agree with me (my internist has one glass eye, so he can really relate!)

Hang in there!

I'm was so glad to read your description about driving with double vision. When mine is bad, I usually close one eye and you are dead on about the depth perception thing. I'm 58 and also have turned into an old lady driver. Don't like to park next to other cars, so am way out in the parking lot. Sometimes I can not pull into my garage because I think I'm close to the sides when in fact I'm not. I can usually drive for about 15 minutes before my eyes start acting up from the strain. No long distance driving for me.

I do have a patch but haven't worn it in about a year when my double vision was constant.

My MG is primarily ocular so I guess I don't have a lot to complain about since so many folks are dealing with so much more.

[Annie59]

Tony, Did by chance they put a prism in the glasses? I had a prisms put in about 20 years ago after years of vision issues that were illusive to most eye docs. Then this one guy did a test and said oh I can fix that and he did. I also get tint in my lenses and that to me was calming. I use rose tint.

With cataract surgery I nolonger needed a prism in that eye. When the other is done it wont either. When my doc tested this time he said a prism wont fix this.

Annie59

Originally Posted by scrubbs

When I had double vision I got presciption glasses even though my prescription was really weak and optomatrist didn't think I really needed them.

I bought a patch that is made to slide on one side.

Double vision is gone but I still use them when I drive because they seem to have a calming effect on my eyes.

Tony