What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

ashmedi · 13-06-06 18:03:46

Macular Degeneration - Check your eyes often.

Since most people will not be able to visualize what I have tried to explain in the past as what I can or can't see, I have taken some photos and then modified them to show the effects as they exist in my eyes. The current examples have been uploaded to 2 webshots albums, one is Hi-Res and one is Lo-Res for dialup connections. Even the Lo-Res should be adequate.
The pics all have the following naming scheme, ex NNN descriptor.jpg where ex is example, NNN is from 001 to 016 and descriptor is left, right, both, or real. Real is the actual untouched image as seen by camera and depending on light conditions and time of day will vary from light to dark.
The emulations for the left eye should show some elements higher than “real” and distorted. The distortion displayed got better as I learned how to apply the software formatting so that 001 is less accurate than higher numbers. Since I am not aware of peripheral objects when I focus at the center, I haven’t made any adjustments for distortion outside the central view.
The emulations for the right eye were a logistics problem as I am attempting to create an image that looks like what I see, but I am working on a monitor abnormally bright with an eye that already sees darker than normal and the left eye is patched as it is just in the way. I have no idea how close to reality the final versions are.
The benchmark photo would be 001 and the right eye image should be dark enough to just barely make out the pictures hanging on the wall. If you can’t see the pictures then I have over-compensated and if you can see the pictures easily, then the image should have been darker to match my actual vision.. The same darkening effect was used across the board on all other emulations.

ex 001 was taken at 11 PM with only one small lamp turned on.
ex 002 thru 005 – various daytime shots for left eye distortion
ex 006 & 007 – inside evening with interior lighting
ex 008 – an outside anomaly, the red circle vanishes within a split second.
ex 009 to 015 – a series taken at 5 minute intervals as it gets darker, Filenames indicate time taken, 9:00, 9:05, 9:10 etc, right eye examples of the dark curtain
ex 016 – yesterdays newspaper, I am focusing on the word Montreal in the byline.

Lo-Res Images 750x500, all between 45 kb and 100 kb
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos? … ity=qyzstO

Hi-Res Images 2160x1440, all between 300 mb and 700 mb
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos? … ity=rZNUDR

Last edited by ashmedi (13-06-06 18:05:15)

Burlesque · 13-06-06 18:19:32

If the pictures are an accurate depiction of what you actually see (and judging from what you wrote about the "benchmark" one, it would appear that they are), then the vision in your left eye appears to be somewhat better than I had thought as regards sharpness and clarity, but the distortion must be an intolerable nuisance
Please correct me if I have misinterpreted this. However I hope that I'm right, because it would make me feel slightly better about your situation.

You have said that your vision seems to be better some days and worse others, but also that you judge your laser procedure to have been a success inasmuch as your "good" eye doesn't appear to be deteriorating further (I think your "bad" eye went at horrifying speed?). How does it - pardon the word - look right now? Improvement? Status quo? It's hard for me to know, since this is the first time I have been able to see through your eyes, as it were.

Thank you for this thread and the photos.

Burlesque.

ashmedi · 13-06-06 18:54:58

Burlesque wrote:

If the pictures are an accurate depiction of what you actually see (and judging from what you wrote about the "benchmark" one, it would appear that they are), then the vision in your left eye appears to be somewhat better than I had thought as regards sharpness and clarity, but the distortion must be an intolerable nuisance
Please correct me if I have misinterpreted this. However I hope that I'm right, because it would make me feel slightly better about your situation.
You have said that your vision seems to be better some days and worse others, but also that you judge your laser procedure to have been a success inasmuch as your "good" eye doesn't appear to be deteriorating further (I think your "bad" eye went at horrifying speed?). How does it - pardon the word - look right now? Improvement? Status quo? It's hard for me to know, since this is the first time I have been able to see through your eyes, as it were.
Thank you for this thread and the photos.
Burlesque.

Good afternoon Burlesque
When I said functionally blind for the left I should have clarified by saying I can see bright and contrast OK, it is dead in the center and heavily disrted. If that was my only eye, I could walk and get around, driving would be suicidal, reading is virtually impossible and feeding myself would be difficult since I couldn't focus on the fork.

So your interpretations are correct.

For clarification my left "functionally blind" eye I consider the bad one. I consider todays failing right one as my good one since it still sees better than the left even tho it is darker.
I am not sure how fast the left one went because the documentation indicates you can have the problem for years and not know it. The brain selectively decides which eye images you will see. Most people see a blended combination. My brain would have ignored the failing left eye 9 years and I never knew it was happening. My brain has ignored the left for the past 9 years until the right one failed and then the brain said WTF, I will give you both images and you figure it out.
But you are correct in that what you call bad eye and I still refer to as good eye did go at an alarming speed. And once again, if I still had a good left eye, I might still be unaware of my right problems as the brain would quit using those images and only give me the best ones.

Current status quo is I believe the right eye is better than it was before the laser procedure. But maybe I have just learned to adapt. Benchmarking a sense is virtually impossible.

But I am glad you were able to see thru my eyes as it were.

Burlesque · 13-06-06 19:28:42

Your work for our benefit on this subject is highly interesting to me, and I hope you don't think I'm being morbidly curious. My eyes are not those of a falcon either, but I see fairly well with the aid of spectacles or lenses (depending on the situation), and your photos is the closest I could come to understanding what your life is like, living with this problem.

Thank you for the clarification - I suppose one would have to live with your condition for a while to realise which eye works best for practical purposes.

I'm glad that at least your impression is that of improvement, and let's hope that your Macular Degeneration has done its damage and has retired to a life of leisure.

Burlesque.

ashmedi · 13-06-06 20:30:50

Burlesque wrote:

Your work for our benefit on this subject is highly interesting to me, and I hope you don't think I'm being morbidly curious. My eyes are not those of a falcon either, but I see fairly well with the aid of spectacles or lenses (depending on the situation), and your photos is the closest I could come to understanding what your life is like, living with this problem.
Thank you for the clarification - I suppose one would have to live with your condition for a while to realise which eye works best for practical purposes.
I'm glad that at least your impression is that of improvement, and let's hope that your Macular Degeneration has done its damage and has retired to a life of leisure.
Burlesque.

Not morbid at all. I am posting this as a warning and hope that people make use of this info to protect themselves.

I don't know if I referenced this anywhere, but if not, google Amsler Grid and use it periodically. If you have a hidden problem this will bring it to your attention.

Warmtouch · 13-06-06 20:43:40

These are works of art.

Many famous artists created works whose content reflects their suffering of a physical or mental condition; Van Gogh being the classic example, of course.

You should go out into the world and visit places of beauty or importance, or people who mean something to you, and continue to document what you see -- especially as it changes over time. You would not only be doing a service to fellow sufferers, but also to caregivers who don't necessarily understand what you're experiencing, and to the world in general.

Thank you.

ashmedi · 13-06-06 20:51:18

Warmtouch wrote:

These are works of art.
Many famous artists created works whose content reflects their suffering of a physical or mental condition; Van Gogh being the classic example, of course.
You should go out into the world and visit places of beauty or importance, or people who mean something to you, and continue to document what you see -- especially as it changes over time. You would not only be doing a service to fellow sufferers, but also to caregivers who don't necessarily understand what you're experiencing, and to the world in general.
Thank you.

I thank you very much. While I considered the images to be interesting and maybe helpful, I had not really considered them as works of art.
But in the interests of self analysis, I will probably track my condition and document it as best I can, and pass that on for general reference to whoever may wish to view it..

Warmtouch · 13-06-06 22:39:01

What is art but another way of seeing, a unique perspective upon the world that the artist chooses to share?

blissed · 14-06-06 17:22:22

Ashmedi, I thought that was really interesting. It's amazing that our eyes can take 2 images like that and merge them into one vaguely comprehendible reality. I suppose your brain gets used to the distortion and compensates when calculating exactly where things are in space, like your hand, a teapot and the cup, so you can pour it. Actually does your brain do that or do you find it difficult to do those things.

ashmedi · 14-06-06 19:58:31

blissed wrote:

Ashmedi, I thought that was really interesting. It's amazing that our eyes can take 2 images like that and merge them into one vaguely comprehendible reality. I suppose your brain gets used to the distortion and compensates when calculating exactly where things are in space, like your hand, a teapot and the cup, so you can pour it. Actually does your brain do that or do you find it difficult to do those things.

Blissed, have been out all day or would have replied sooner.

My understanding is that the brain takes 2 images as you say and blends them for short/long range focus and depth perception.
My left eye has been essentially useless for 9 years and my brain basically ignores the left eye except for left peripheral vision which the right can not see. For 9 years I have had trouble putting screws into things and have compensated. You have 2 eyes and basically 2 views, I have one eye so I look at what I'm doing from 2 angles to guage it correctly.
My current problem occurred when the brain could no longer determine which image was the best and under some light conditions (dusk and dawn) I get a blended image of both the right and the left. In your case this is good, it sharpens things. In my case this is bad because the images are distorted differently causing additional blur and unsharpness.
I learned to compensate for the depth perception but now with the failing right eye even 2 views isn't necessarily good any more. I have poured coffee on the counter instead of in the cup, and my depth perception close is shot, always filling the cup too high to get milk in or putting too much milk in so I can't pick it up.
When I miss the cup I notice it right away so it;s not a big mess just inconvenient and not the way it was.
And yes, now more than ever, I cannot guage where anything in space is, but only inside a 5 to 10 foot central vision sphere. In good light for large objects, depth perception is still as it was, I know how far the car in front is away from me, just don't ask me to change the licence plates.
It's actually strange and I don't have all the answers. I can see stairs to walk up them nut have trouble seeing my face to shave. I can home in and pick up a fork from the drawer, but can't align it to food on my plate I want to eat. I should start making a list of all these strange anomolies, maybe I could comprehend it better myself

Any more questions feel free, I seem to feel better talking anout it from a teaching perspective.

#1 13-06-06 18:03:46

What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#2 13-06-06 18:19:32

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#3 13-06-06 18:54:58

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#4 13-06-06 19:28:42

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#5 13-06-06 20:30:50

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#6 13-06-06 20:43:40

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#7 13-06-06 20:51:18

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#8 13-06-06 22:39:01

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#9 14-06-06 17:22:22

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

#10 14-06-06 19:58:31

Re: What I See - Way off topic and posted as a curiosity

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