Although the big 3-0 looms closer, I do not see 30 as being old. I don’t see 40 as being old. 50 I take on a case-by-case basis, but frequently, not old.
Do any of you knitters out there have problems with your eyes? My eyes have been stable for a long time now, but recently, I feel my sight has gotten worse. More importantly, my eyes don’t change focus. If I’m knitting, and I look up to see the clock in the kitchen, I can’t read it. At all. If I blink, and look around for a minute and try again, I STILL can’t read it. In that same chair, if I haven’t been knitting, I can see it just fine. This focusing situation is worrisome. Am I the only one?
I finished the thing I was knitting yesterday. (How mysterious I am). It wasn’t nearly as annoying as the first one, so maybe it just took some getting used to. The thought of knitting more of them no longer fills my heart with dread. This is a good thing.
I get to work at the yarn store most of the day today as the owner has somewhere to be. It’s a very quiet shop, and I look forward enjoying a peaceful, calm day as well as amassing more store credit! Plusses all around.
You’re probably tired of my empty promises, but… Maybe I’ll start Cable-Eight!
April 27th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
I have the same trouble with my eyes. I also blamed it on getting older (30+2, eeek), plus I’m nearly blind. I tend to focus better between distances if I’m wearing my glasses instead of my contacts, and my eyes don’t dry out with the glasses. I’m glad you posted about this since I thought I was the only one. Have a fun & relaxing day!
April 28th, 2005 at 12:43 am
My eyes are AWFUL. Grad school shot my eyes, so knitting seems fairly benign – but I would recommend doing eye exercises while you are knitting. Knit for five/ten minutes. Look up. Focus mid-distance, then focus on something out the window far away, then back to middle distance, then back to knitting!
I hope to start Cable-eight soon too. People are already done with it! Cripes.
April 28th, 2005 at 12:55 am
I’m just a young 33 years of age, but my DH is 43 and just recently thought he was having a brain tumor (he’s a slight hypochondriac) and instead needed reading glasses! He’d never had his eyes checked in his life. Try getting a pair of 1.25 or whatever the lightest kind is, and seeing if that helps! I have some, and they definitely help certain knitting projects.
PS — I’m starting Cable 8 in May, finally!!
April 28th, 2005 at 1:03 am
I have the same problems with my eyes too. It usually means I’ve been knitting too long! I try to get up and walk around every 20 minutes or so. That seems to help.
I’m celebrating the first anniversary of my 29th birthday next week. I’m having some “issues”, I’m not ready to kiss my 20s good-bye. Is your bday in May too?
April 28th, 2005 at 1:53 am
Laura –
If you haven’t been to the eye doctor recently, you might make a visit. Sounds like time for the old reading glasses to me, whether prescribed or over the counter. There are some very festive ones out there. My current prescription ones are black with rhinestones! Woot!
As we age, the muscles in our eyes don’t respond as quickly to shifts in distance of vision.
My daughter had to get bifocals at 20 – the doc was talking to her so gently that she was sure he was about to tell her that she was going blind. Bifocals were fine with her.
At 50, I’ve been enjoying my “Transition” lenses for ten years now. I’ve worn glasses for 42 years, so the bifocal thing was just another part of the process.
I put them on and trot out into the world bravely. The reading glasses are mostly for the computer and knitting, but also for fun!
April 28th, 2005 at 2:16 am
Amy Lu- Yup, my b-day is May 20th! Fortunately, I have no problem being 30.
So, I’m assuming from the comments that a person can need both regular glasses, AND reading glasses? I had no idea! Blast.
April 28th, 2005 at 7:16 am
I turned 40 in November and got progressive lenses and it helps IMMENSELY. Talk to your optometrist.
April 28th, 2005 at 10:21 am
Thank you, everybody, for posting this stuff! I’ve been experiencing this same problem for the past two weeks. Since I only get to knit during the 20-minute morning devotions at work, I wasn’t sure if it was the lights at work or my eyes that were the problem. It HAS been over five years since I have had my prescription changed, so I guess I better save up some money and get my eyes examined.
April 28th, 2005 at 11:00 am
That would be MY problem…. money money money! And right now, I’m saving up for a spinning wheel. Why would I want to spend it on an eye exam? I don’t.
April 28th, 2005 at 9:12 pm
Oh yeah, between the computer screen and the knitting project, my eyes are shot.
Sounds like you could be helped by eye exercises, and maybe a light perscription (but not reading glasses, they are the opposite kind of correction from what you need.)
April 28th, 2005 at 10:15 pm
I first discovered, at 29, that I needed glasses for distances, when I went to a watercolour painting class and couldn’t properly see the still life that we were all supposed to be drawing! What daffodils?
April 29th, 2005 at 3:49 am
Well I’m turning the big twenty ten in october but I’ve been blind for a while. I have to blow up all my charts so big that people sitting across the room from me could knit along with ease, LOL!
May 1st, 2005 at 2:26 am
I don’t feel that 30, 40, or 50 are old, and that’s probably because my parents were both 50 something when I graduated high school. My dad’s 65 and I still can’t view him as being old, you know?
I love the Cable-8 top…whatever you make, I’m sure it’ll be fun to watch.
May 1st, 2005 at 5:42 am
I’ve worn glasses since I was 9 – myopia. Lately I’m having trouble changing focus as well…not like you describe, but it takes a couple of blinks to do it. Irksome.
May 1st, 2005 at 12:14 pm
I’m 42 and have had that problem for a lot years. My eye doctor told me it was normal and probably fatigue more than anything. I do wear glasses or contacts for distance and only have this problem when doing needlepoint, knitting or reading (even on the computer) for awhile. I’ve never felt the need to correct it, my close vision is fine and usually if I give it just a few minutes time, the focus comes back. You aren’t too old girlfriend, I noticed it first in my 20’s and it hasn’t really gotten better or worse since then.
May 1st, 2005 at 11:08 pm
I was on vacation last week, so I’m just now catching up on blog posts and saw this one. I’m almost 25 and my eyes were fine until last year. I started noticing that I was having problems focusing, like you said if I’m knitting and look up at something else farther away, it would be blurry. The eye doctor said my eyes focus slower than they should. He said my vision is actually perfect, but sitting in front of a computer all day at work and then doing things like knitting a lot made my eyes get used to focusing close up for long periods of time so that I can’t focus on far away things as easily as I used to. The doctor gave me reading glasses and they have helped out a lot over the last year by keeping my eyes from trying so hard to focus on close up things. Also, the doctor suggested taking regular breaks when reading or knitting to focus on something far away for awhile.