Craft Edge

This is such an odd problem that I'm probably the only one affected!
I was VERY shortsighted -11.5 and astigmatic -7.5 and 9 months ago I had an implanted fixed focus lense in the -11.5 eye and laser surgery on the better eye only available in France at my prescription, Basically I have big eyes and they let too much light in so in dim light /looking at light i get dazzled and see a starish shape not a small laser dot. The fixed lense is a bit like cateract surgery and I have no close/reading vision in that eye.
I Turned my car over at night a few years ago when I was dazzled before the surgery. I also ell down the stairs and broke toes in the shower a lot . When very short sighted your brain does not know exactly where your feet and extemities are so they tend to get knocked a lot.
When you are very shortsighted (in my case legally blind without glasses from the age of 7) your eyeballs are too big and the image focus is not correct on the retina. It is common to have problems with night driving etc. I also need more overhead ight to see what i'm doing, my kitchen is lit like a lab!
ANYHOW
I allready had issues withthe 'halo effect' with lights (especially at night driving) but if I shut the left (fixed focus implated lense) and wear reading glasses I can see the red laser dim a bit but it is still 'big' i.e. not a small dot, to me and hard to see if it dims /alingne the registration marks.

I was just wondering if any others had a similar problem and if so what you do...............filters, magnify,change the color of the laser?? I have got cut/print to work but it isn't as accurate as if my eyes were working correctly.

Reading this back I realise there is way too much information but i'm not good at concise:)
Excel is so much easier, but no way as much FUN!

Donna, I can empathize with you. I've worn glasses since I was 7 as well, although I am not legally blind. I do have astgimatism in both eyes.

I have a large very clear monitor that allows me to enlarge the screen image quite a bit. I also have a very bright desk lamp short with a flex arm pointing at my keyboard. I also use it for P2C since I can't see the + that prints on the paper once the paper is on the mat for aligning. I have taken to using a fine line black marker to not only make the mark darker but wider and taller so I can see the marks when I point my lamp right on it. I am fortunate that my cutter, printer, computer all all close at hand. I can see the red laser cut tho. I also keep a flashlight on my workspace for close up looking or pointing at small things.

A magnifying glass does not work for me as things blur if I get the glass too close to the paper.

I use only my iPad for reading. I buy ebooks and subscribe to the newspapers I like.

The eye dr says "old eyes" as I am OLD.

Don't know that this helps you but know others fight this battle in some form or other with crafting...I rarely paper piece for the same reason. Just can't see well enough to line layered pieces.

Good Luck to you and hope to see what you are able to do with the eclips,

This is not a laughing matter, but it sure sounds like you have a GREAT sense of humor about it. I'm sorry, I don't know about ecal but I do have to use magnifier glasses and magnify my screen at times. I don't have ecal so can't respond to that specifically.
I hope you find an answer that will benefit your situation and I wish you well that you may enjoy your crafting.

How is your hearing? There is a change in pitch when the laser is over the dot, so you might try listening for that.

Thank you ladies, making the dot larger with a black marker does work and also I had not noticed that the pitch of the laser changes. Problem solved! This really is the place to be
I should clarify 'legally blind' is my uncorrected vision. There is a funny example on my blog http://mistressofthemessydesk.blogspot. ... erfly.html



I just got a new monitor, 60cm wide, massive. I also have a daylight/s.a.d lamp, a desk lamp and a huge overhead office light in my craft/pc room. I hadn't thought of a torch.
Correction for High Myopia extreme (shortsightness) makes everything smaller. I now have duel PC glasses that have +1.25 at the bottom and + .75 as I was getting headaches after the surgery. The opthalmologist reccomended the PC glasses at £200 !!..........so I got a pair on Ebay for £16 and they work really well. as I am 'only' 49 I hadn't needed reading glasses before as I was just used to print being small, I didn't get "arms to short to read" syndrome until after the surgery On the plus side my distance vision is so good now that I can see the road signs clearly and don't dislike driving so much. Passengers in my car don't seem to be so terrified now

HeatherM wrote:How is your hearing? There is a change in pitch when the laser is over the dot, so you might try listening for that.

WHAT DID YOU SAY (sorry could not resist )

I have followed your blog for ages, great inspiration.

hahaha...great smile here first thing this morning...thanks.
OH, and I must say that your cards are BEAUTIFUL, so you manage quite well. Thanks for sharing!