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Football Officiating => General Discussion => Topic started by: NorCalMike on November 12, 2011, 01:41:05 AM
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For the first time ever, I found I had difficulty reading my game card. Seems I am suffering from that dreaded condition of people in the late 40's called presbyopia, loss of near vision due to age. I have wore reading glasses for about year now but had always been able to read my game card until about the last half of this season.
Any one already go through this? Did you start wearing glasses during the game? Not sure the best way to handle this.
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You're not alone. Am looking forward to any suggestions that pop up in the thread.
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Doesn't seem like anyone wants to admit to having old eyes.
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Can someone quote the original post in larger type for me? Thanks.
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I replied the other day but it apparently got gobbled up into the ether.
I started wearing glasses over 5 years ago for the same problem. The very first varsity game I wore them, a lineman ambled into me, way after the play, and my glasses broke right at the hinge- $300 down the tubes.
After that, I found some reader type safety glasses to wear. Over the next couple of years, I found my prescription seeming to change rather rapidly. I was referred to an opthomalogist , who determined that I had cataracts. I had two separate laser procedures in Nov. 2007 and April 2010 to remove the cataracts. During that period I continued to wear the safety style glasses for protection as well as to read.
I eventually broke down and had a pair of Oakley sunglasses made with an extra set of clear lenses made in my RX but this was pretty expensive.
The problem with glasses is they tend to fog up during the early part of the season due to the humidity. I've tried dish detergent and Cat Crap and other anti-fogging substances but nothing really seems to work during those sticky August and early September nights.
Now I just carry a pair of Walmart readers in my front pocket and get them out during time-outs. They still fog a little from exposure to cooler air but they are serviceable. A 3 pack is like $7.
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I had to acknowledge that my arms were not long enough any more- which is odd because most people would say that my knuckles drag on the ground when I walk ;D -so I could no longer just hold the card at greater distance.
For most things, I use the type of reading glasses that HLinNC mentioned, though I have not yet taken them out on the field with me. I have started writing a LOT bigger, and using regular note cards on which I write pertinent information rather than the pre-printed game cards.
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Great thread. Looking forward to the prostate thread. eAt&
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Great thread. Looking forward to the prostate thread. eAt&
LOL
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Great thread. Looking forward to the prostate thread. eAt&
Should be an insightful thread, since most coaches think we have our heads up our azzes anyway.
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Fine, but they won't be wearing blue whistles in Washington state nAnA
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Go to dollar general and buy a coupke dozen reading glasses. Put a pair in your pocket and pull them put to read/write ypur card. This is not really a big problem.
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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.215471,-117.402429
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Sure is nice to be young and not have to worry about this kind of stuff nAnA :sTiR:
But when I get old...I will reference back to this for advice ;D
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Sure is nice to be young and not have to worry about this kind of stuff nAnA :sTiR:
But when I get old...I will reference back to this for advice ;D
Only if you can remember it pi1eOn
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just go to the eye doctor and order a pair of contacts instead of wearing glasses
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I have worn glasses everyday of my life since I was 8 years old - horribly near-sighted for years and the last ten years having to have bifocals. Tried to play football in college with contacts and my eyes were just to dry. I currently use the lineless progressive bifocals for everyday, but have just used the distance vision glasses for officiating. Some of that is because I am cheap, and as was previously noted, bifocals are a lot more expensive to replace than single vision. Working U primarily, I was constantly getting my glasses knocked around, and once received a pretty good cut above my eye when they were hit breaking up a skirmish.
I switched to athletic/safety type glasses about 12 years ago and find it works better for me. Currently, I have a pair of frames from Wal-Mart that sell for $45 that were designed for outdoor/athletic wear. They came with a strap, but I don't use it. They fit tight around my head and do not get grazed by those dang shoulder pads of linebackers and tight ends crossing in front of me. I use the black frame instead of the grey and they dont really look that much diferent than the original Oakleys that came out a few years ago. The dispensing optician says she sells a lot of these to bicyclists and motorcyclists also. I only have single vision lenses, and like previously said, have switched to 3 x 5 notecards instead of a standard game card. I also use a black Sharpie to keep the ink from smudging on hot days when I sweat through my shirt.
As an aside, I paid for the Transition lenses in this set. During night games, there is no tint, and while wearing a hat they do not get very dark for day games as the uv rays are deflected. I can then use these on overcast days playing golf instead of prescription sunglasses.
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I wore glasses on the field for years. When I went to no line bi-focals I decided to try contacts. I wear one for near vision and one for far vision. They work great for me on and off the field.
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I wear bifocal glasses, but don't like bifocal contacts, so I use contacts that only correct the far off vision. That means I need a pair of readers for up close. I found a pair of clear-colored, flexible-frame readers in the proper strength in a Walmart store. I carry them in one of my front pants pockets, and if I need to record a foul or a time out, I just take them out the same way I do the game card. No bigee.
Most day games I can get by without using them, but night games these days, they are a must have. When not in use on the field, they stay in the "shaving kit" with the flags, whistles, etc.
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For the first time ever, I found I had difficulty reading my game card. Seems I am suffering from that dreaded condition of people in the late 40's called presbyopia, loss of near vision due to age. I have wore reading glasses for about year now but had always been able to read my game card until about the last half of this season. Any one already go through this?
Did you start wearing glasses during the game? Not sure the best way to handle this.
I was an optician by trade for about 8 yrs. If you have not already been to an optometrist or opthamologist, I would definitely recommend that you begin there. You are more than likely correct in your self diagnosis, but an eye exam could detect early stages of many eye conditions. If you have not had one in the past 2-3 yrs you really should schedule one ASAP.
Once you have the examination and you have a prescription, PM me if you would like and I will give you my recommendation for glasses/contacts/readers etc.
I will help in any way I can. Afterall, the last thing we need is coaches/fans complaining about ANOTHER official on the field who can not see, and them actually being right. ;)
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After about 12 years of football officiating and baseball umpiring, I too, found that I was going to need glasses to read the cards. My distance vision was OK. I got an athletic pair of bifocals. Since I only had to read my card or the lineup card, my glasses guy suggested putting the line lower for the reading and still leave a good field of vision for the action. It has worked well now for the last 12 years..
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I was an optician by trade for about 8 yrs. If you have not already been to an optometrist or opthamologist, I would definitely recommend that you begin there. You are more than likely correct in your self diagnosis, but an eye exam could detect early stages of many eye conditions. If you have not had one in the past 2-3 yrs you really should schedule one ASAP.
Once you have the examination and you have a prescription, PM me if you would like and I will give you my recommendation for glasses/contacts/readers etc.
I will help in any way I can. Afterall, the last thing we need is coaches/fans complaining about ANOTHER official on the field who can not see, and them actually being right. ;)
I've have been to the Optometrist. Definitely presbyopia. It's been about 18 months so it is time for a recheck. Vision is still changing.
I have been wearing progressives for work. I have no far vision problem at all so the upper part have no correction. I can't use regular readers as I can't go from reading a map book to looking out the front window of the fire engine with readers.
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Great thread. Looking forward to the prostate thread. eAt&
haha, fantastic.
just hope the doctor is a lanyard guy and not a finger whistle guy. :o
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I've have been to the Optometrist. Definitely presbyopia. It's been about 18 months so it is time for a recheck. Vision is still changing.
I have been wearing progressives for work. I have no far vision problem at all so the upper part have no correction. I can't use regular readers as I can't go from reading a map book to looking out the front window of the fire engine with readers.
Based on your statements that I have bolded, I would recommend that you first return to the optometrist for an examination and refraction to make sure that you have a prescription that best corrects for your current vision deficiency(ies). I would do this approximately 6 weeks before the season starts to give yourself and the optometrist time to make any adustments that are usually necessary with the fitting of contact lenses.
If that prescription looks something like this:
OD +0.75 - 0.25 X 90
OS +0.50 - 0.50 X 110
Add 1.25
Then you are most definitely not a good candidate for contact lenses as the italicized portion of this prescription represents the amount of correction needed to correct a condition called astigmatism. If the astigmatism corretion is minor as is the case here, it is almost impossible to acheive a visual acuity with contact lenses that is > the acuity that you would be able to acheive with glasses.
If your prescription has not changed much and looks more like this:
OD PL
OS +0.25
Add 1.25
Then you would be an excellent candidate for contact lenses. If so, I would recommend that you wear one bifocal contact in your non dominant eye (to be determined by your optometrist). Most optometrists and opticians who fit contacts like this will fit the non dominant eye with a conatct that only corrects for near vision in the non dominant eye, but I recommend a bifocal contact in the non dominant eye as this gives you good distance vision in both eyes but also allows you to be able to read when you need to.
Glasses are extremely hard to keep clean and fog free if worn during a game and also move slightly while we are moving to maintain proper mechanics. Progressive lenses are not a good idea on the field as the constant changes in focal distance and turning of the head to maintain visual contact of the ever changing action is a difficult task at best without having to overcome the "swimming" effect caused by progressives.
If you just can not wear contacts for whatever reason, I would try the bifocal glasses that the previous poster has used that have the bifocal segment set at a lower than standard height that affords you a bigger field of vision for distance viewing but also gives you the correction needed for reading in a smaller segment for occasional use during the game.
I have fitted many patients with glasses made with the bifocal segment lower than standard fitting height and on the outside corner to be worn while golfing and they love the lower unconventionally placed segment because it allows them to look down at the ball without getting into the bifocal segment.
I will not even get started on why I do not like over the counter "readers". I will save that for another discussion.
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Nice info 4eyed.
I wear progressives for normal everyday wear and you are right, they just don't work well for active use. I recall the OD assistant telling me when I first started wearing them to "point my nose at where I am reading/looking."
While you may not like readers, I'd sure rather pay $7 to replace them than $357. BTDT.
I am contemplating just using plain index cards and a Sharpie next year.
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Or do like I do, get a young backjudge and let him record everything................ ;D
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Or do like I do, get a young backjudge and let him record everything................ ;D
At least us young guys are good at SOMETHING, right?
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Zebra
Thanks for the info. I will be seeing the optometrist after the holidays. I need to be get some new glasses for reading. I will discuss your recommendations with him and work something out for next season.
Mike