Live action role play: Glasses, gaming & diabetes!

There must be millions of others out there like me, playing games, table top role-playing, computer and L.A.R.P. (Live Action Role Play) who have to wear glasses to be able to see their dice, their miniature or another person tearing towards them in an Orc mask…but not all of them are diabetic as well!

I sometimes use gaming and role-play as a way to escape the humdrum of everyday life. If I can roleplay and be Lorrila Littlefoot (my forest gnome/druid) during a game of Dungeons and Dragons once a week, then this helps me through. Sometimes pretending to be someone else for a while gives you that sense of freedom and excitement to go on in your own adventures in life, no matter how they may appear.

Therefore, with all this activity between working life and gaming life, clear, precise vision is highly important to me at all distances. Distance vision for TV, console and L.A.R.P, mid-distance for desktop, tablet and mobile and near-distance for character sheets, minis and dice.

With this in mind, a quality pair of specs with a high quality anti reflective blue lens is an absolute must when you are looking at screens or any digital device all day long, whether for gaming or work.

Sometimes it’s very easy to forget in this day and age how long we spend looking at these devices (bear in mind though, that it is important to try and look away from the screen about every 20 minutes or so to exercise your eyes). The Neva Max UV Blue lens is a great addition to any gamer’s gear.

Although these lenses are really amazing, a great quality brand of contact lens would be a much better choice, especially, if like me, you are an active L.A.R.P.er. They are by far a much more convenient and safe option (for you and your beloved specs) to see while in the field of battle. However, this is not always an option if you are a diabetic like me. For all available options, please speak to your local optometrist who will be able to advise you of your personal choices.

At one stage I started to question why my glasses were wrong, as every time I put them on my vision was blurry, especially my distance, which is the reason I had glasses. I also struggled with the brightness of the screens I was playing on, as well as car headlights at night which caused me to squint and shield my eyes. So, I took them back to my opticians (where I now work) and asked the optical assistant why this would be happening. At first, they were unsure so they checked the prescription in my glasses, this was correct and so I then had a re-check. The results were the same.

However, the optometrist had suggested that it could possibly be my diabetes affecting my vision and not my glasses. This proved to be correct; my glucose levels had been unchecked for a little while and were not the best they could be.

Due to fluctuating blood glucose levels, some days I can see perfectly clear with or without my glasses but on bad days I end up with headaches, migraines, flashes and floaters and blurry vision whether or not I am wearing my glasses. Now that I monitor my blood glucose levels carefully and my diabetes is under control, my vision is usually good. However, if I had not asked the optical team about these problems, I could still be struggling with these symptoms more so than I am today. If you have any similar symptoms to this, then have them checked out.

Having regular eye exams is very important, even more so if you are diabetic like I am. I go for regular 12 month check-ups.

If you want to make an appointment to see an optician and you are working full time like me; you don’t have an awful lot of time during the day to ring around trying to book one, so being able to book online is a massive help. Using this website, you can book any time of the day or night and choose a date and time that suits you best. There are also a lot of answers to F.A.Q’s on the website that can give you peace of mind.

If you have any questions regarding diabetes and your vision, or any other sight related queries, please contact your local optometrist and/or your diabetic consultant for the best possible advice.