My husband is due his 2 yearly eye test , although he wears glasses his eyes have until recently not been too bad. However he now says his eyes are " much worse" and he has had a couple of issues of double vision.
I am wondering first of all how I am even going to get him to the opticians chair and also worried cause I shall have to explain the illness to the optician , I'm sure . We normally go to Boots opticians , my daughter says he should go to a proper optician. Aren't they all qualified ????!? Anybody got any thoughts or views or experience of psp and eye tests .please. Thank you all so much .
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gypsywoman1947
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We went to Boots originally and C was able to stay in his wheelchair. His eyes are rarely open for any length of time now and he doesn't speak so we haven't been for some time. The optician we saw had a relative who had PSP but it was a coincidence but a good one. Others may be able to tell you about specialist opticians.
I believe opticians are there to help with eye sight not abnormalities of the eye. They fit glasses. An Ophthalmologist concentrates on disease of the eye and other abnormalities....They can perform surgeries.
I took my husband to an optician and she semi argued that B's vision was just fine. As his test was basically seeing letters up on the wall, he was able to see them with a fair amount of clarity. This was right before or after B were assessed by the neurologist . Iwas not real knowledgeable . Now I am a little more knowledgeable and understand that the optician would not know what PSP-eye is let alone how to deal with it.
I say all this just to help you make a decision on drs. It may be better to go to an ophthalmologist.
My husband had been going to Specsavers for several years before diagnosis so we just carried on with it. They have been excellent and made sure we saw the senior optician at the branch who took a lot of extra time with us. He was able to advise about glasses and prescribed two pairs instead of the varifocals D had been wearing for years (now no longer suitable because of the fixed gaze). In addition to going there D also went to ophthalmologists at West of England Eye Hospital and also to two different orthoptists to consult about double vision, soreness etc. and they were happy to liaise with Specsavers.
I have just made a new appointment for a further check up but now that we have moved it will be to a different branch. When I spoke to them on the phone I explained all the difficulties and extra complications caused by PSP and they said they would get all the records and information from the previous branch.
We have always been very pleased with the service there and we will see whether the new branch is as good - going in two weeks so will let you know! I should think that Boots ought to be equally good.
Sorry for the blank I pushed the wrong button. My wife was eventually referred to the orthoptics department of Glos. Hospital where they did their very best to help correct the double vision with the aid of plastic prism material that was stuck over the lenses of her original glasses. It helped a little but sadly due to the progressive nature of PSP, not for very long. If PSP was diagnosed early then I'm sure the benefits would last longer.
We we To the opticians last week, explained G had PSP, optician was great, very patient, knew a little about the disease, asked if double vision was a problem, advised G stopped using varifocals and enter to distant and then reading glasses which we are going to pick up this afternoon. We go a an independent opticians and haven't been let down.
Maybe you could send this booklet to Schools studying the eye and places like, Boots and other eye offices....?
No one else can get the word out there better than us. Like you said they sit in their labs trying tofigure out what we already know....WE are the perfect lab...this site....let them study us and our findings.....! and with the help of PSPA and CurePSP.org, maybe we don't need any lab rats! We are the lab rats....hahaha
and to think I'm only on my first cup of coffee!!!!
Is it raining there? I woke myself up talking about the rain and thunder that was happening this morning. after falling back to sleep, I woke up in a start thinking I had left the windows open in the car...whew all good there and finally it let up enough to walk dog....till the last 10 yards..hahaha
If/when I know where to look for your download, I will gladly go to there . Have a great day
Shasha, maybe you could send that fact sheet (Istill don't know where it is ) to Schools of Medicine and or Eye-ologists (don't know the right word sorry)!
I JUST REPLIED TO YOU AND I HIT THE WRONG BUTTIN AND IT AKLL WENT ///..... I THINK IKIT CAME FROM THE PSPA WHEN I REQUESTED A RESONSE TO A QYESTION I HAD ABOUT WHETHER I WOULD GET ATTENDANCE ALOWANCE WHEN I RETURN TO ENGLAND - I THIINKK THAT IS WHERE I GOT IIT SORRY TO BE SO VAGUE --- ITS ALL PART OF THE PSP; !!!
It's ok baby, I have written the most" exciting experiences and revelations" that all would die to read, only for them to be canceled..."NO NO NO! How will anyone survive" ......hahahha!
However, were you able to download info to this site?
we had a home visit from if I remember rightly Spec Savers. at the time he was having a good morning so answered promptly and to all purposes APPEARED to answer correctly . they made some glasses up for him , at a cost which was fine . they were not a bit of good and he never wears them
is your husband still able to read , follow the text . .?
over the years before he was ever diagnosed whenever he went to optician they only made him not very sitting glasses . In fact they use to say sometimes they were even better .
sent him for glaucoma test . Back and fore forgive the pun keeping an eye on it .
In his case there has never been anything wrong with his sight other than he has Parkinson's . he cannot track Nd his gaze drops further and further
they have never tried him with the PRISM , that must be worth trying. .
so the opticians got it wrong , same at the hospital , he even had two knee ops , not successful. Once agin it was Parkinsons .
of course all that's in hindsight .
everybody is very different . It's worth trying anything , what's to lose .
the people on here are the experts . good luck and keep trying .
We have a very good ophthalmologist who is interested in doing all she can as far as prisms and changing the prescription, prescribing special eyedrops for dryness and so on, but my guy only intermittently sees properly at all, and he wants to blame the prescription, so we are always going back to get a new prescription, and it has been very frustrating. He wears his old pairs and then his newer pairs and sometimes thinks one works better than the others, but it never lasts. His eyesight seems to come and go. He can't focus and can't really process what he sees anyway. The inability to read is hard to cope with. it's heartbreaking to see him reach for things so far from him there's no chance he could get a hand on. He nearly pitched through the door at the top of a flight of stairs the other day when he launched himself through intending to catch himself on the door frame, missing it by several inches. Luckily I was on the stairs to catch him. He said I had gotten in his way. Oh well!
Thank you all very much for the input , I knew some of you would have had similar experiences, you are all so helpful , I feel I will be able to deal with it now putting some of these ideas into practice. X
I read somewhere on line . Not sure if it might have been Parkinsons UK wher it said to ask to see the optician at the hospital I can't think the name of it they are different ones
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Sudden loss of ability to move?
Gratefulness for the love and support this group has for each other. 
Fed up with this now!
Mom is at her wits end.
