Prism glasses for PSP

[Greenkerrycounty]

My husband has been diagnosed recently with PSP. His eyesight is impaired because of it. Has anyone used prism glasses? The neuro ophthalmologist said my husband could drive if he had them. Thanks

[Heady]

Hi, don't know too much about prism glasses. S was given a pair at the beginning, but has never used them. As for driving with them, well you are a braver person than me! Our consultant said S couldn't drive at all. Not that I had let him for some months before diagnoses anyway! The only thing I can say about the glasses, is, S's grandson loves them! Thinks they are really cool, basically, because he can't walk in a straight line with them on!!!

Lots of love

Heady

[Greenkerrycounty in reply to Heady]

Thanks for reply.

[peterjones in reply to Greenkerrycounty]

hi greenkerry country so now you know matey if you have someone with psp or you have-=it yourself just think about it , to be sure to be sure peter jones queensland Australia psp sufferer

[jzygirl]

Brian has got a pair of prism glasses. But you can't see ahead in them. They help with looking down

[Christine47]

I imagine each individual's benefit -- or lack there of -- is different, but prism lenses were put as part of my husband's regular prescription. They did not help. His issue is double vision. He has no trouble looking down.

[NannaB]

No, no, no, please don't let him drive. Would you drive while looking through a periscope? That's what prism glasses are like. My husband did find them very useful for a while but even though they helped him read, they didn't help him look from left to right. His eyes still didn't move. When first diagnosed my husband asked if he could still drive. The neurologist didn't say no, he said many PSP patients are first diagnosed after being involved in serious accidents injuring or killing them or others. I drove home from the appointment and from then on. I had been terrified of being in the car with him for ages, especially when going round roundabouts. I know some countries don't have them I wouldn't risk it. It's awful having to give up driving but better than having a serious accident.

X

[Greenkerrycounty in reply to NannaB]

Thank you. I appreciate your advice.

[jzygirl in reply to NannaB]

NannaB your reply has made me shudder with fear. I too got to the stage that i thought of every journey as a white knuckle ride (hanging onto the seat) i kept thinking i will have to say something. But fate interseded and he wrote the car off. Thank god nobody was hurt but it was such a shock all round. And the next day we sent his licence to the dvla. We got paid out and i bought single beds with the money. Janexx

[NannaB in reply to jzygirl]

It is scary to think what could have happened and how many undiagnosed folk are still driving. Although I knew Colin shouldn't drive, I dreaded it as I didn't like driving and only went very short distances ( 8 miles at the most to see a friend).

Now it doesn't worry me at all, apart from the M25, I'm not too keen on that road but as long as I have my sat Nav I'm OK....sort of; recalculating, recalculating! I still manage to go the wrong way.

x

[cabbagecottage in reply to NannaB]

sounds exactly the same as we were Deb . . I always felt completely comfortable with Johns driving until he started having problems .

I started to hold my breat and hold onto the sides of my seat , I even closed my eyes once , We didn't have an accident but started to have a few bumps and scrapes while turning corners or kerbs .

I mentioned a few times to him , was he aware his judgement wasn't as good but he really didn't realise . once I told him I thought it safer for everyone that he stopped ,he did so immediately .

yes you do miss it a lot , I don't drive myself now but you do get use to it .

[abirke in reply to NannaB]

The bumps and dings on my car are a testament that those with visual impairment such as in PSP should not/ cannot drive!AVB

[Doglinton]

I don't know about prism glasses. No-one has suggested them to C., although he can't look down. Uses a mirror to see his dinner.

Our neurologist said he should not drive. As he had had a couple of accidents due to slower reactions he agreed to stop. It was a huge wrench but you can't risk others life, even if you're prepared to risk your own. I had been concerned for a while as he was a bit casual about lanes, so it was a relief, although a pain to have to do all the driving.

Jean

[Duffers]

Hi there, my husband was told that prism glasses were for watching TV and not safe for outside use at all, not that he could use them because his eyesight had deteriorated too much by then. Sorry not much help

[Hidden]

Dear Greenkerrycounty, when my wife, Roisin, and I lived in Co. Kerry (Kenmare) her first PSP symptoms appeared; she started to misjudge distances and to damage our car. After the fifth scrape in as many months, Roisin - an excellent driver until then - agreed to stop driving. It was eighteen months before her PSP was diagnozed; by then her eyesight had deteriorated and she had great difficulty moving her eyes. Prisms were prescribed but they were not helpful.

It was just as well that Roisin stopped driving because, soon after, she began to see the lines at the side and in the centre of the road veer to the left or the right; if she had been driving, the car would have followed what she saw and been driven into the on-coming traffic or into the ditch! So my strongest advice is persaude your husband that he should not drive ever again. It isn't just the actual health of the eyes that is the problem, it is the messages received by the brain that hinders recognition.

With best wishes, Christopher.

[PUTLAND]

The day my husband was diagnosed with PSP he was told by the consultant he could not drive again. I was so relieved as he had many near misses before that, and it was a relief he stopped driving before causing a bad accident. Please have your husband assessed for his driving skills the Parkinson Society have facilities to do this.

[Amilazy]

Margaret used prism glasses for a short period early in PSP stages for eating and reading. Definitely not for driving as they do not allow proper binocular vision and no periferal vision all essential for driving. As her vision deteriorated and head moved backward the glasses became to disorientating. Try them in the house but not for driving.

Best wishes Tim

[Finoni]

My husband can read using prism glasses - for a while anyway, til his eyes get tired - but no way could he drive with them! His primary care doc made him promise to take the driving test when I was getting worried about his driving. The instructor stopped the test before they were out of the car park his driving was so bad!

[Greenkerrycounty]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about driving with prism glasses. It's a very sad day.

[Robbo1]

My husband was prescribed prism glasses, but they were of no use to him. He had to stop driving because his reactions were impaired as well as his sight, (his eyes are ok, they just don't focus properly because of PSP). It took him a long time to accept that he could no longer drive, in fact, I don't think he has really accepted it. Our children kept telling me to talk to him about it as they thought he was no longer safe, driving. In the end, I told them to talk to him, as he just thought I was over-anxious. It was a stressful and sad time for us . Now, unfortunately, I have to do all the driving .

[Tz2388]

Sorry, but prisms didn't work for Tal and the very first neurologist that got a correct diagnosis said absolutely no driving. He still drove for a few month, then one day he said to me, (wife Jill) , " here are the keys, you'd better drive." He never drove again. I figure there must have been an incident of some kind. He's never said. And now he can't.

Some docs who aren't familiar with the disease don't pick up on that eye movement problem, or they would never say it was okay to drive. Sorry, it's tough, we know!

[Greenkerrycounty]

Thanks. Did the prisms help with any eye problems?