Cycling is good for your eyes

I went to get my eyes checked today for the first time since 2000. I've
got glasses but have generally only worn them when driving at night, so
my eyes aren't too bad. Over the past 7 years my eyes have improved back
to 20/20 which was a surprise given my day is spent on a laptop.

So then I started thinking about what has changed in that time and the
obvious things is that I took up cycling in 2002. I reckon the cycling
has given me a lot of time focusing at a distance which has helped the
muscles in the eyes. Now it's possible that any outdoor exercise might
help, but given cycling tends to take up hours on a long ride as opposed
to say running, I think the benefits are possibly more.

Anyone else had something similar?

DaveB

On Oct 8, 2:55 pm, DaveB wrote:
I went to get my eyes checked today for the first time since 2000. I've
got glasses but have generally only worn them when driving at night, so
my eyes aren't too bad. Over the past 7 years my eyes have improved back
to 20/20 which was a surprise given my day is spent on a laptop.

So then I started thinking about what has changed in that time and the
obvious things is that I took up cycling in 2002. I reckon the cycling
has given me a lot of time focusing at a distance which has helped the
muscles in the eyes. Now it's possible that any outdoor exercise might
help, but given cycling tends to take up hours on a long ride as opposed
to say running, I think the benefits are possibly more.

Anyone else had something similar?

DaveB

How old are you?

When my wife got specs (for distance viewing), the opthalmologist
commented that *some* people with weak scripts find their distance
vision gets bettter as they age (in the 40-50 yo range).
Unfortunately, reading vision tends to deteriorate at around the same
time.

Unfortunately, in my wife's case, there was no improvement. Worse
still (from my perspective) *I* had no improvement, becoming
progressively more shortsighted instead, *and* now I need reading
glasses as well as distance correction.

Maybe it was just something opthalmogists said to make first time
specs wearers feel better. ;^)

Tony F
who hates getting oldder - but figures it's better than the
alternatives available

thefathippy wrote:

How old are you?

When my wife got specs (for distance viewing), the opthalmologist
commented that *some* people with weak scripts find their distance
vision gets bettter as they age (in the 40-50 yo range).
Unfortunately, reading vision tends to deteriorate at around the same
time.

yep that fits, 40 this year, and the optom said same to me about reading
vision deteriorating. Sigh, it's all downhill from here (which on a.b is
usually a good thing).

DaveB

DaveB Wrote:
I went to get my eyes checked today for the first time since 2000. I've
got glasses but have generally only worn them when driving at night,
so
my eyes aren't too bad. Over the past 7 years my eyes have improved
back
to 20/20 which was a surprise given my day is spent on a laptop.

Anyone else had something similar?

DaveB

Well I have never had any eye issues which also surprises me as I have
basically spent the last 15 years of my life in front of a computer,
most of my friends from Uni now have glasses they need for some thing or
another, the only difference being is I am the "freak" that exercises
too much.

But I reckon its pretty accurate, I always reguarly try and do some eye
gymnastics as well The focusing on many different distances really
helps.


--
MikeyOz

DaveB wrote:
I went to get my eyes checked today for the first time since 2000. I've
got glasses but have generally only worn them when driving at night, so
my eyes aren't too bad. Over the past 7 years my eyes have improved back
to 20/20 which was a surprise given my day is spent on a laptop.

So then I started thinking about what has changed in that time and the
obvious things is that I took up cycling in 2002. I reckon the cycling
has given me a lot of time focusing at a distance which has helped the
muscles in the eyes. Now it's possible that any outdoor exercise might
help, but given cycling tends to take up hours on a long ride as opposed
to say running, I think the benefits are possibly more.

Anyone else had something similar?

My eyes are slowly getting back towards 20/20 but it's not the riding.
I'm short sighted and it's simply a matter of the generalisation that
many of us become long sighted as we age. I'm hoping to move slowly back
to 20/20 before I have to get a completely different prescription.
Knowing my luck one eye will get there before the other and I'll still
have wonky vision!

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

Had I not been wearing sunnies on my commute this morning I'd have been
in trouble. I had a lit ciggy flicked in my face from a parked car... I
copped it right on the left lens. I turned around and had 'words' to
the offender..... who wasn't able to enter into any form of intelligent
communication. Just another f'kctard tradie.


--
gplama

On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:55:10 +1000, DaveB wrote:

So then I started thinking about what has changed in that time and the
obvious things is that I took up cycling in 2002. I reckon the cycling
has given me a lot of time focusing at a distance which has helped the
muscles in the eyes.

Um, well, cycling is a great thing, but it's not known for curing eye
problems! More likely you're myopic, which tends to improve with
age as our eyes shrink.

On 2007-10-08, Bean Long (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
DaveB wrote:
improving eyesight with more riding
Anyone else had something similar?

My eyes are slowly getting back towards 20/20 but it's not the riding.
I'm short sighted and it's simply a matter of the generalisation that
many of us become long sighted as we age. I'm hoping to move slowly back
to 20/20 before I have to get a completely different prescription.
Knowing my luck one eye will get there before the other and I'll still
have wonky vision!

I'm not actually sure why anyone needs a prescription with
abs(strength) 3.

I'm about +5 and +7 (far sighted), and yet can focus down to 30cm
(just checked, and I am tired too). What most people call far sighted
is probably just a case of not excercising their eyes enough, and so
finding it difficult. When I put on some +/- 1s or 2s that you find
selling for $10 at the front of chemists, I don't notice any
difference at all over my usual prescription.

Meanwhile, I'm weighing up whether I want to spend a couple of days to
go to Dubbo and spend a grand to get a new prescription and riding
sunnies, or whether just to get a cheap pair of sunnies, and go
without optical correction while riding.

--
TimC
That [Tim-Tam] would be the Classic. Not to be confused with the
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, and Double Chocolate flavour.
(Personally, I prefer Cadbury's Doubles myself. Tim Tams don't taste
enough of chocolate.) -- Faceless Man on ARK

TimC wrote:

Meanwhile, I'm weighing up whether I want to spend a couple of days to
go to Dubbo and spend a grand to get a new prescription and riding
sunnies, or whether just to get a cheap pair of sunnies, and go
without optical correction while riding.

I don't have a strong prescription and can actually ride with just a
pair of sunnies mostly, but find the most difficult time of day is dawn
or dusk when the light is not great. I need to wear my prescription
glasses at those times but my special pair of light sensitive tinting
glasses just broke recently, so I'm eager for a pair of these:

http://www.deanwoods.com.au/store/prod2137.htm

Two for the price of one!

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

Bean Long wrote:

Two for the price of one!

Note: You still need to get a pair of prescription lenses put in!!

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying