Photography eye problem?

JumboBeef

JumboBeef

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My wife has been suffering with pains in her right eye for about six months or so. She has had lots of eye tests at the doctors and opticians. No one can find anything wrong anywhere, but still the eye problem continues.

After a bit of lateral thinking, we are now wondering if it is been caused by her camera. When she takes a photo, she closes her right eye (the one which gives her problems). We are wondering if she is straining her eye in some way doing this. Her left eye is fine.

I know this might be clutching at straws but everyone is baffled as to what it might be.

Does anyone else out there suffer eye problems?

Thanks.
 
I do. I call it Photographers Eye!

When i've been shooting all day long - thousands on frames(closing my left eye), I often find that my left eye gets very lazy and focusing on anything is very sloooow.

I have never had pain with it, just the strange sensation of being completely blurred in the left eye for up to 30minutes of completing.

Since we got another photographer working for us, we take shifts on the larger events and thus the problem hasnt come back.

My left eye has always been weaker and used to wear glasses to correct it. I just live with it now :)
 
YES!! I had it for over a year until someone here said about keeping your right eye open whilst looking through viewfinder with the left. It takes some practice, we are so used to screweing our non-viewfinder eye up. IF I had been out for several hours with the camera, the muscles round my right eye felt really tight and achy - these days its not a problem. I just keep my right eye open most of the time. Tell her to give it a go, no guarantees, but nothing to lose trying. ;) << ironic smiley :lol:
 
Hi, I am sorry to hear about your wifes eye problem, it must be worrying for both of you.

Have you mentioned the fact that your wife closes her right eye when taking photographs, to the experts?

Logic may suggest that if photography is the problem then the pains would be worse after your wife has been taking pictures for a while. Is this the case or is her pain constant?

Does your wife suffer with headaches/migraines?

I am by no means an expert on eyes and there are probably people more qualified to comment.

I would however advise in persisting with seeing her GP and optician and if necessary request a referral to an eye specialist.

I hope that you can get some explanations soon.

Regards,

Alan
 
I would have thought that the fact that she closes her right eye when using the camera would eliminate any possible strain on that eye?

Is she naturally left eyed using the camera or has she swapped to the left eye as a result of these problems?

Does she wear specs normally and does she wear them when using the camera?

What camera is it?
 
OK, thanks. My wife is going to keep both eyes open from now on. She has always used her left eye to look through the viewfinder (she is right handed, is this unusual?) The pain may have nothing to do with the camera but we are just trying to work out what it might be.

She has a 300D but has her eye (pardon the pun) on my 400D once I get either the 450D or the 40D.
 
JumboBeef, by all means encourage your wife to keep both eyes open from now on, BUT please keep in contact with the healthcare professionals as problems with eyes MAY be indicative of other problems.

Good luck when you go for the 450D or 40D :):)
 
after a football match I always have a problem focussing lol... but I cant remember which eye.. wether its the open or shut one...

But still... even if you think photographers eye could be the problem... persist for more answers from the doc.
 
I used to get really dull painful headaches after using my camera for any significant lengths of time due to keeping one of my eyes closed - I also had the blurry eye thing too for a while afterwards. I keep both eyes open when photographing now & have done for quite some time (you miss less at fast paced events too :thumbs:)

I couldn't even begin to think about using the opposite (left) eye to look through the viewfinder as I would find that really awkward & can practically guarantee that it'd result in me trying too hard to focus on everything, concentrating too much & resulting in a banging headache. If it's not too ingrained then I'd recommend trying a switch to the right eye & seeing if it makes any difference (only after seeing what the medical pros think first though, don't want to aggravate the problem with bad advice)

Hope your wife feels better soon :thumbs:
 
I use my right eye on the viewfinder and screw up my left. I find that if I have been taking shots for hours.....yes, it does happen!....then I get to a point where the muscles on my face just give up and I can't do anything at all for a few mins. But no pain. I agree with Hooky...keep in touch with the medics. Hope she is ok soon.
 
My wife is right handed but left eyed, she had a go at archery and the instructor wondered what the hell was going on until he asked her to sight with her left eye. I don't think it's a very common thing.
 
I found that when closing my left eye when looking through the view finder, especially on long days (weddings or photography days out), it would take a while to focus properly. After a an hours rest though it was fine.

I now make a point of keeping it open - which also makes it easy to see if anything is going on! (not an issue though if using a 10mm end of the wideangle :lol: )
 
Just ask Patrick Moore.

The finest example bar none, I think!
 
If she has a problem with keeping both eyes open when using the viewfinder then let her try using an eye patch on the "unwanted" eye during shots. One of my friends uses that method when using microscopes in the course of his lab work.
 
Having a dominate eye on a different side to your handedness is quite common. You see it a lot in archery as a lot of people shoot to their eye dominance instead of thier handedness (are those even words?).

I am cross dominate, I can use either eye to equal ability and when doing eye dominance tests can change which is dominate. It would be much rarer than people with a dominate eye on the other side. Im right handed yet I shoot a left handed bow because it feels more relaxed and the dominate eye doesnt seem to really affect me, I can use either eye in the viewfinder to the same ability too.
 
To give yourself peace of mind I would encourage your wife to go for a eye test and specifically mention the problem she has.

I didn't have any severe symptoms of any kind but a routine eye test showed signs of pressure being low in my eyes. I was referred to a specialist through my doctor and was diagnosed with glaucoma. It was caught in the early stages but as I'm not yet 35 its a scary thought to have such a serious condition. Luckily its treatable very easily.

If anything, the tests will put her mind at ease.
 
Thanks for the replies.

madferrit said:
To give yourself peace of mind I would encourage your wife to go for a eye test and specifically mention the problem she has.
Click to expand...

We've already done that twice (at two different places) and her eyes are near perfect.
 
i shoot archery too. right eyed and right handed.
i have a lasy left eye, due to childhood squint (yes i was the kid with a patch on his joe 90 specs). so can easily shot with my left eye open. my mrs does complain occasionaly of a fuzzy (non viewfinder)eye when weve been shooting a big wedding.
must be common.
if your getting pain in the eye tho, its def time to see a spcialist.opthomologist?opthal..... eye doctor.
 
Hiya. For the past few months I have kept both eyes open when looking through the viewfinder, lol.........I would normally use my right eye to view and close my left, but for some reason I've kept both open recently, and feel that it has improved lots with regard to a slightly aching eye. I am a spectactle wearer, and have my eyes checked upon each recall, but can't really say I have big probs with my eyes when using the camera. I just put everything down to tiredness and too many late nights. :lol:

Hope your wife gets an answer to her problems soon though. Good luck. :)
 
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