Talking about eyewear—and eye care—as we age with Eyebobs' Katie Mack, and ophthalmic surgeon Dr. Samuel Masket. PLUS: A Friday Open Thread where you can chime in about your related experiences.
Nothing too exotic, just basic eroding far vision requiring progressive lenses. One of my eyes is worse than the other, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten glasses that fully compensate for it, no matter how precise the exam.
One thing I’ve realized is how much I like glasses. They make me look younger - you can’t see the bags under my eyes when I have them on. Plus they’re cheaper than Lasix and much lower maintenance than contacts.
My diagnosis is “pseudo-pigmentary dysplasia” a malady afflicting Ashkenazi Jews with light eyes. I’ve never gotten the the reasoning behind pseudo but I assumed the origin was God’s anger for a Jew taking liberties with genetics.
I’d much prefer having my mother’s diagnosis. She always claimed to have “Immaculate degeneration”.
I am 71 years old. I do have problems driving at night because of my vision loss. I had a hole in my macula and the surgery caused a cataract which has been removed. My vision has never been the same since my surgery 4 years ago. I only need glasses for reading and computer, but my distance vision is not as good as it used to be. I wear progressives so that I don't have to take my glasses on and off when I am out and about. I get my eyes checked at least once a year and I am due for new glasses the first of next year. Thanks for a great podcast about eye wear and eye care.
I was diagnosed with Glaucoma in my early 40s. Then undiagnosed and then diagnosed again over the next five or so years. I’ve worn corrective lenses since a third grade teacher suggested my parents have my vision checked. I say that to indicate I have had regular eye exams most of my life. I use drops for the eye pressure issue but that treatment was delayed because of the lack of conviction by certain eye docs. I began to loose bits of vision around 2020-2021. My loss began in the center of my left eye not peripheral. My right eye seems to compensate. Visual field tests and pressure checks every year.
When I was diagnosed they said not to worry. It’s Avery slowly progressing disease - 20 something years before I notice a change. That estimate was near perfect. At 40-something I thought my 60-something’s were far far off. It’s an odd perception turned realization isn’t it?
I am 71. I have settled into the routine of a visit to the ophthalmologist once a year. I wear glasses (progressives) all the time for the same list of issues that you named. I own one pair of glasses with a set of fitted sunshades that attach with magnets. I do not enjoy wearing glasses but am grateful for them. A complication is that I have had severe lazy eye my whole life. It means that I have to be consciously protective of my good eye, including when considering any treatments for vision issues.
I'm 75; never had cataracts until now. My left eye...medium amount, according to optometrist. Have an appointment Monday at the opthalmologist for an exam and scheduling of cataract surgery, if he deems necessary. I have no problem reading or driving (without glasses) but have some cloudiness in the left eye, at times. I love wearing readers and buy them for reading and for fashion. The only other issue I've had was RCE (recurrent corneal erosion) in my right eye that I've taken care of with eye drops to make sure eye is hydrated. This was diagnosed in 2021 but has mostly healed. The optometrist who diagnosed the RCE claimed my left eye would have the same problem, but that never happened. Occasionally I will have a slight erosion now (they always happen in the wee hours, when eyeball is dry) but I rest my eyes for 30 minutes and then I'm fine. I'm grateful my eyesight has always been good. Didn't need readers until age 53 and still don't need glasses for distance.
Hi Sari! What a great post! I've been back in school and too busy to keep up with Oldster posts, but I have to say, this one grabbed my attention! You got me to look up my last eye exam, and it was two years ago, so it's time for a check-up. And like you, I always get progressives and transitions. Since I'm on my computer more than ever, I'm going to add blue light!
For many years, I've gone to the same amazing shop for glasses because I love the attention I get there. (Society of the Spectacle in LA) Now I'm of course curious about Eyebobs but trepidatious about trying on glasses virtually. Is that what you did?
Good to see you here, Ann! Glad this caught your eye, pun intended! I actually winged it w/o virtual try-on, although I know that’s recommended. I got lucky, I guess. And, yes, go get your checkup! I can’t believe how much my prescription changed, but I guess it’s to be expected after 6 years, and critical aging years at that. 💕
Does your uncle believe in the value of eye exercises? I knew a doctor once who was convinced it could help. My left eye (which can see near) is very lazy these days and will not co-operate with my right eye (which sees far) and so I have double vision most of the time. I really want my left eye to step up to the plate and pull its weight.
I am 54 and suffer from dry eye. However, it's my own fault! I would like to take the opportunity to warn older folks here who have adult acne that Accutane can cause your meibomian glands to dry up (the eye glands that produce oil to help your eyes hydrate effectively). I tried to eliminate my acne with Accutane, at my dermatologist's urging, and the result was the loss of some eye glands. The total bummer is that once meibomian glands dry up, that's that — they do not regenerate. I now must use a costly formula of Optase drops with oil ($25 for a tiny bottle) multiple times per day. So ... my vanity definitely got the better of me. Acne sucks, but I prefer it to losing my eyes' ability to properly hydrate. I think this is one of those scenarios where being older bit me in the butt. Most dematologists treating acne are doing so with younger clients who are much less likely to have this outcome.
I have several pairs of Eyebobs. I also like Lensabl, whereby if you find fashion frames you like they can put your prescription in and no one's the wiser. I also get served a lot of Pairs ads in my socials; they have the frames with magnets at the upper temples so you can pop on toppers to change the frame color or pattern as much as you want. The toppers are about $20 and there are hundreds to choose from. If anyone has experience with those, let me know, I wonder if they're annoying to keep track of and how effective the magnets are.
I have gradually converted most of my girlfriends to just wearing progressives - everyone looks chic and effortless in glasses, but fumbling around for teeny lenses around to peer down your nose at menus and labels makes you look geriatric. Hot librarian beats Mrs. Santa Claus any day.
I have one girlfriend recently who did the UV responsive lenses after cataract surgery - cost an extra 5K per eye if you have it, and the process was a little onerous, because after surgery you have to shield your eye 100% of the time, night and day, from any UV light. But in the two followup appointments they use UV light to cure the implanted lens to give you perfect near and far vision. She's never going to need to wear any kind of reading glasses, ever-! So exciting, we're finally getting there.
Yes, advances in eye care are incredible. I've also used Lensabl. I bought a pair of teenager sunglasses at Target for $6 and turned them into progressives/transitions! It was rad.
I’m 57 and my eye glass prescription just doubled because of cataracts. I was stunned. I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I assumed it would take much longer to develop. I know it can be fixed but I just didn’t expect it to have such an obvious impact so soon. I had worn glasses to drive at night but now need them 24/7. Average age for surgery is 67. I think I probably have 2 more years before I’ll have it so I’m ahead of the curve.
I'm 35 and still don't wear glasses or contacts. I have no idea how I've escaped thus far... my dad has been wearing glasses since childhood, my mom got them as she aged, and my sister has worn them since around the time she started college. My partner (also 35) should wear his all the time, but he mostly only does for screens and work. The other day we were standing on the subway platform and he asked me what some graffiti on an ad on the opposite platform said. I am somehow always surprised when I am reminded that other people might not be seeing the same world (or as clear a world) as I see!
For others here who were glasses-free well into adulthood, what can I expect of the next couple of decades? I've of course always assumed I'll be wearing them someday.
I didn't really need glasses until I was in my early 40s, which I think is more common? I personally was very excited to have a reason to get them. (See me in the conversation with Katie Mack confessing to faking nearsightedness in my eye exam when I was 10 so I could get glasses like my best friend had! As a kid I prayed to god for glasses, braces, a cast [so kids could sign it with magic marker] and diabetes [which my other best friend had]. Lol.) But my mother-in-law never had glasses, and she lived to 94.
I'm 75 and still don't wear glasses, except for readers (the photo you see are my readers...I love them because they are fashionable)...didn't need them until age 53.
I am 80 years old. I have had cataract surgery on both eyes. Due to an earlier retina problem in my 60’s, it was advised that I have laser surgery on my left eye. The surgeon also cleared out multiple floaters but advised me the floater problem could return. In March of 2025, I woke up one morning, went to put drops for dry eye in my left eye and realized all I could see was clouds. It scared me to death. It seemed sudden but really it had been coming on so slowly that I didn’t realize it. My right eye had compensated. The only way to know definitively what was going on was surgery. It turned out to be a huge floater. The vitreous gel was removed and cleaned up. Who knew your body replaced it everyday? I could see like new. The eye is an amazing organ! Thank goodness for modern surgery.
65, and so interested in all things eyes and eye health, can't wait to listen to the interview. Thanks to your uncle also for this resource.
I teach movement to older (50 and up) women and actually address eye health inasmuch as movement can help. I wear glasses to drive but otherwise don't wear them, mainly because I'm very active and they don't stay on. I used to wear contacts but haven't for decades.
I had posterior vitreous detachment in one eye and had laser surgery after a really scary day with huge floaters and flashes. The Dr. said I'd be back for the other one soon, but that was several years ago and if the other one detached, it did so asymptomatically.
I have two pairs of glasses - one for driving that is bifocal (so I can glance down at the dashboard) and sunglasses (that I rarely wear). I’m over due for a new pair(s) as I typically have one pair and replace them when they break, because my prescription hasn’t changed much.
Not a fan of night driving, the lights bother my eyes. I have somewhat dry eyes which I suspect is from staring at a screen at a close distance for too many hours - I try to take frequent eye breaks by looking distance through a window (and try to blink a lot!). I believe this helps keep the ciliary muscles that pull on the lens more active when you are constantly looking far, instead of keeping it at that same level of contraction to stare at the screen or across a room.
I developed myopia in my teens despite my parents and grandparents all having excellent eyesight. Perhaps, I had spent too much time reading under the bedcovers with a torch. This was in the 70s.
At the time, I was the best schoolboy rugby union tackler in England, playing at fullback, but couldn't track properly up-and-unders, which helped blight my chances of selection in the national squad. It prevented me also from obtaining a commission in the Royal Marines or training as a fighter pilot in the RAF or flying choppers in Fleet Air Arm. I came across Bates Method and practised endlessly. I did a lot of off-road running at night in the dark. This seemed to help.
In my forties, I no longer needed specs for driving. Now I'm 67, in good light I can focus on the tiniest print, am slightly astigmatic, have low grade cataracts, but currently don't (yet) need to wear corrective lenses.
Nothing too exotic, just basic eroding far vision requiring progressive lenses. One of my eyes is worse than the other, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten glasses that fully compensate for it, no matter how precise the exam.
One thing I’ve realized is how much I like glasses. They make me look younger - you can’t see the bags under my eyes when I have them on. Plus they’re cheaper than Lasix and much lower maintenance than contacts.
I love glasses! But, yeah, it can be hard to get an exact prescription.
My diagnosis is “pseudo-pigmentary dysplasia” a malady afflicting Ashkenazi Jews with light eyes. I’ve never gotten the the reasoning behind pseudo but I assumed the origin was God’s anger for a Jew taking liberties with genetics.
I’d much prefer having my mother’s diagnosis. She always claimed to have “Immaculate degeneration”.
I’ll have what she had!😅
I am 71 years old. I do have problems driving at night because of my vision loss. I had a hole in my macula and the surgery caused a cataract which has been removed. My vision has never been the same since my surgery 4 years ago. I only need glasses for reading and computer, but my distance vision is not as good as it used to be. I wear progressives so that I don't have to take my glasses on and off when I am out and about. I get my eyes checked at least once a year and I am due for new glasses the first of next year. Thanks for a great podcast about eye wear and eye care.
Glad this was useful! Thanks for sharing.
I was diagnosed with Glaucoma in my early 40s. Then undiagnosed and then diagnosed again over the next five or so years. I’ve worn corrective lenses since a third grade teacher suggested my parents have my vision checked. I say that to indicate I have had regular eye exams most of my life. I use drops for the eye pressure issue but that treatment was delayed because of the lack of conviction by certain eye docs. I began to loose bits of vision around 2020-2021. My loss began in the center of my left eye not peripheral. My right eye seems to compensate. Visual field tests and pressure checks every year.
When I was diagnosed they said not to worry. It’s Avery slowly progressing disease - 20 something years before I notice a change. That estimate was near perfect. At 40-something I thought my 60-something’s were far far off. It’s an odd perception turned realization isn’t it?
Yes. My husband is about to have his first laser surgery for glaucoma.
I am 71. I have settled into the routine of a visit to the ophthalmologist once a year. I wear glasses (progressives) all the time for the same list of issues that you named. I own one pair of glasses with a set of fitted sunshades that attach with magnets. I do not enjoy wearing glasses but am grateful for them. A complication is that I have had severe lazy eye my whole life. It means that I have to be consciously protective of my good eye, including when considering any treatments for vision issues.
I'm 75; never had cataracts until now. My left eye...medium amount, according to optometrist. Have an appointment Monday at the opthalmologist for an exam and scheduling of cataract surgery, if he deems necessary. I have no problem reading or driving (without glasses) but have some cloudiness in the left eye, at times. I love wearing readers and buy them for reading and for fashion. The only other issue I've had was RCE (recurrent corneal erosion) in my right eye that I've taken care of with eye drops to make sure eye is hydrated. This was diagnosed in 2021 but has mostly healed. The optometrist who diagnosed the RCE claimed my left eye would have the same problem, but that never happened. Occasionally I will have a slight erosion now (they always happen in the wee hours, when eyeball is dry) but I rest my eyes for 30 minutes and then I'm fine. I'm grateful my eyesight has always been good. Didn't need readers until age 53 and still don't need glasses for distance.
Thanks for this, Deborah. Hope you get the treatment you need. Amazing that you don’t need distance lenses.
Hi Sari! What a great post! I've been back in school and too busy to keep up with Oldster posts, but I have to say, this one grabbed my attention! You got me to look up my last eye exam, and it was two years ago, so it's time for a check-up. And like you, I always get progressives and transitions. Since I'm on my computer more than ever, I'm going to add blue light!
For many years, I've gone to the same amazing shop for glasses because I love the attention I get there. (Society of the Spectacle in LA) Now I'm of course curious about Eyebobs but trepidatious about trying on glasses virtually. Is that what you did?
Good to see you here, Ann! Glad this caught your eye, pun intended! I actually winged it w/o virtual try-on, although I know that’s recommended. I got lucky, I guess. And, yes, go get your checkup! I can’t believe how much my prescription changed, but I guess it’s to be expected after 6 years, and critical aging years at that. 💕
Thanks for this post...the super cool glasses and the medical tips.
💕🤓
Does your uncle believe in the value of eye exercises? I knew a doctor once who was convinced it could help. My left eye (which can see near) is very lazy these days and will not co-operate with my right eye (which sees far) and so I have double vision most of the time. I really want my left eye to step up to the plate and pull its weight.
Not sure. I'll ask..
He says: “Only for convergence insufficiency, a problem of seeing double at near.”
I am 54 and suffer from dry eye. However, it's my own fault! I would like to take the opportunity to warn older folks here who have adult acne that Accutane can cause your meibomian glands to dry up (the eye glands that produce oil to help your eyes hydrate effectively). I tried to eliminate my acne with Accutane, at my dermatologist's urging, and the result was the loss of some eye glands. The total bummer is that once meibomian glands dry up, that's that — they do not regenerate. I now must use a costly formula of Optase drops with oil ($25 for a tiny bottle) multiple times per day. So ... my vanity definitely got the better of me. Acne sucks, but I prefer it to losing my eyes' ability to properly hydrate. I think this is one of those scenarios where being older bit me in the butt. Most dematologists treating acne are doing so with younger clients who are much less likely to have this outcome.
Oh, wow. Thanks for the info about Accutane. And sorry you're dealing with that.
I have several pairs of Eyebobs. I also like Lensabl, whereby if you find fashion frames you like they can put your prescription in and no one's the wiser. I also get served a lot of Pairs ads in my socials; they have the frames with magnets at the upper temples so you can pop on toppers to change the frame color or pattern as much as you want. The toppers are about $20 and there are hundreds to choose from. If anyone has experience with those, let me know, I wonder if they're annoying to keep track of and how effective the magnets are.
I have gradually converted most of my girlfriends to just wearing progressives - everyone looks chic and effortless in glasses, but fumbling around for teeny lenses around to peer down your nose at menus and labels makes you look geriatric. Hot librarian beats Mrs. Santa Claus any day.
I have one girlfriend recently who did the UV responsive lenses after cataract surgery - cost an extra 5K per eye if you have it, and the process was a little onerous, because after surgery you have to shield your eye 100% of the time, night and day, from any UV light. But in the two followup appointments they use UV light to cure the implanted lens to give you perfect near and far vision. She's never going to need to wear any kind of reading glasses, ever-! So exciting, we're finally getting there.
Yes, advances in eye care are incredible. I've also used Lensabl. I bought a pair of teenager sunglasses at Target for $6 and turned them into progressives/transitions! It was rad.
I’m 57 and my eye glass prescription just doubled because of cataracts. I was stunned. I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I assumed it would take much longer to develop. I know it can be fixed but I just didn’t expect it to have such an obvious impact so soon. I had worn glasses to drive at night but now need them 24/7. Average age for surgery is 67. I think I probably have 2 more years before I’ll have it so I’m ahead of the curve.
Sorry to hear! I've got the very teeny tiny beginnings of a cataract in one eye. I've heard of some people developing them as early as their 40s!
I'm 35 and still don't wear glasses or contacts. I have no idea how I've escaped thus far... my dad has been wearing glasses since childhood, my mom got them as she aged, and my sister has worn them since around the time she started college. My partner (also 35) should wear his all the time, but he mostly only does for screens and work. The other day we were standing on the subway platform and he asked me what some graffiti on an ad on the opposite platform said. I am somehow always surprised when I am reminded that other people might not be seeing the same world (or as clear a world) as I see!
For others here who were glasses-free well into adulthood, what can I expect of the next couple of decades? I've of course always assumed I'll be wearing them someday.
I didn't really need glasses until I was in my early 40s, which I think is more common? I personally was very excited to have a reason to get them. (See me in the conversation with Katie Mack confessing to faking nearsightedness in my eye exam when I was 10 so I could get glasses like my best friend had! As a kid I prayed to god for glasses, braces, a cast [so kids could sign it with magic marker] and diabetes [which my other best friend had]. Lol.) But my mother-in-law never had glasses, and she lived to 94.
I'm 75 and still don't wear glasses, except for readers (the photo you see are my readers...I love them because they are fashionable)...didn't need them until age 53.
I am 80 years old. I have had cataract surgery on both eyes. Due to an earlier retina problem in my 60’s, it was advised that I have laser surgery on my left eye. The surgeon also cleared out multiple floaters but advised me the floater problem could return. In March of 2025, I woke up one morning, went to put drops for dry eye in my left eye and realized all I could see was clouds. It scared me to death. It seemed sudden but really it had been coming on so slowly that I didn’t realize it. My right eye had compensated. The only way to know definitively what was going on was surgery. It turned out to be a huge floater. The vitreous gel was removed and cleaned up. Who knew your body replaced it everyday? I could see like new. The eye is an amazing organ! Thank goodness for modern surgery.
Yes, eyes are amazing. And so are advances in treatment. Incredible what can be done.
65, and so interested in all things eyes and eye health, can't wait to listen to the interview. Thanks to your uncle also for this resource.
I teach movement to older (50 and up) women and actually address eye health inasmuch as movement can help. I wear glasses to drive but otherwise don't wear them, mainly because I'm very active and they don't stay on. I used to wear contacts but haven't for decades.
I had posterior vitreous detachment in one eye and had laser surgery after a really scary day with huge floaters and flashes. The Dr. said I'd be back for the other one soon, but that was several years ago and if the other one detached, it did so asymptomatically.
I have two pairs of glasses - one for driving that is bifocal (so I can glance down at the dashboard) and sunglasses (that I rarely wear). I’m over due for a new pair(s) as I typically have one pair and replace them when they break, because my prescription hasn’t changed much.
Not a fan of night driving, the lights bother my eyes. I have somewhat dry eyes which I suspect is from staring at a screen at a close distance for too many hours - I try to take frequent eye breaks by looking distance through a window (and try to blink a lot!). I believe this helps keep the ciliary muscles that pull on the lens more active when you are constantly looking far, instead of keeping it at that same level of contraction to stare at the screen or across a room.
Bottom line: go outside more. Look far.
Thanks for chiming in, Carol! Yes to movement having an effect on, well, everything, including our eyes.
I developed myopia in my teens despite my parents and grandparents all having excellent eyesight. Perhaps, I had spent too much time reading under the bedcovers with a torch. This was in the 70s.
At the time, I was the best schoolboy rugby union tackler in England, playing at fullback, but couldn't track properly up-and-unders, which helped blight my chances of selection in the national squad. It prevented me also from obtaining a commission in the Royal Marines or training as a fighter pilot in the RAF or flying choppers in Fleet Air Arm. I came across Bates Method and practised endlessly. I did a lot of off-road running at night in the dark. This seemed to help.
In my forties, I no longer needed specs for driving. Now I'm 67, in good light I can focus on the tiniest print, am slightly astigmatic, have low grade cataracts, but currently don't (yet) need to wear corrective lenses.
Interesting! Thanks for weighing in.