Grumble Thread

[Petrushka]

I used to get migraines - triggers were tiredness , chocolate , cheese , going to the cinema in daylight. I rarely get them now - one definite trigger cream teas.

Quite a few people above appear ro be describing so called visual migraines - often there’s no pain but flashing lights in one eye that last about 15 to 30 mins. It’s important to get these checked out by an opthamologist as they can also be the symptoms of a detached retina. The same eye will often have “floaters “ as well . Specsavers will do this check same or next day for free. I’ve had these twice in the last year. One result of the tests is I appear to have so called 20/20 vision.

There were no flashing lights in my 'visual migraine', just a wavy kaleidoscope like pattern and blank spots in the vision. My optician warned me about flashing lights when I went to see him about floaters a year ago. If I got the lights he told me to get in touch with him straightaway as it was a sign of a detached retina.

[Roger Webb]

I used to get migraines - triggers were tiredness , chocolate , cheese , going to the cinema in daylight. I rarely get them now - one definite trigger cream teas.

Quite a few people above appear ro be describing so called visual migraines - often there’s no pain but flashing lights in one eye that last about 15 to 30 mins. It’s important to get these checked out by an opthamologist as they can also be the symptoms of a detached retina. The same eye will often have “floaters “ as well . Specsavers will do this check same or next day for free. I’ve had these twice in the last year. One result of the tests is I appear to have so called 20/20 vision.

This is the exact problem that causes my having to give up the forum from time to time! I have detached retina in both eyes which obscures my vision. I've had it for years now...it gets worse with excessive screen time....both TV and, particularly my tablet. The 'visual migraine' element - flashing, jagged patterns, as EH suggests, is intermittent and seems to abate with a lie down in a semi-dark room, but the 'floaters' you mention are there all my waking hours in both eyes. I've discovered that I can temporarily move them, one eye anyway, so that I can read for a minute or so, and then they float back in!

Like you my actual vision, when not impeded, is good enough not to have to wear glasses. I've learned to live with it....at 75, apparently it's not uncommon.
I've been told that treatment in my case won't necessarily improve things.

At present it's as good as it's likely to get!

[Ein Heldenleben]

There were no flashing lights in my 'visual migraine', just a wavy kaleidoscope like pattern and blank spots in the vision. My optician warned me about flashing lights when I went to see him about floaters a year ago. If I got the lights he told me to get in touch with him straightaway as it was a sign of a detached retina.

It’s a tricky diagnosis isn’t it as I’ve had both wavy lines and flashing lights. Had them both checked the next day and given the all clear.

[Serial_Apologist]

Mention of getting accustomed to these eyesight issues makes me think of the tinnitus I first discovered I had upon finishing a degree course in 1997. At the time I became seriously depressed at the prospect of having this ultra-high whistle permanently marring my life, forgetting John Cage's account of experiencing "silence" (or rather, not experiencing total silence) in a soundproof chamber; later one became aware that it did not always constitute an unwanted presence, sometimes being more to the forefront of ones awareness because it was louder than at most other times. When something unexpected changes in one's sensory apparatus one tends to notice other things that may or may not have been there previously - in my case, too, the optical effects drew my attention to the "floaters", which at first I had assumed to be particles on the surface of the retina, before finding out that they are actually inside the eyeball. Now that the symptoms have disappeared, so has my concern with whether or not so have the floaters. What I have discovered, however, is that objects seen through my left eye appear narrower than through my right; and it occurs to me to wonder if this is just recent or whether it has always been the case. The conclusion I have arrived at is that it has probably always been there, and my brain has adjusted my vision so that both eyes together give me an image that is halfway between that of each eye separately - a sort of compromise and one with which I am appropriately reconciled!

[smittims]

I've had a tinnitus for several years: a very high-pitched sine tone in my left ear. I think the cause was my wearing wax earplugs every night for several years because of Neighbourhood Noise Nuisance : I'm a very light sleeper with hypersensitive hearing . I was once woken in the night by the footsteps of a spider walking across a poster on the wall above my bed, the surface of the poster, standing out about half an inch from the wall, acting as as soundig-board.

Curioiusly it doesn't interfere with my music listening, probably because it's faint and I'm so used to it that I don't hear it . After all, I used to work in a music store where, on the floor above, were nineteen grand pianos, one of which was always being tuned on a sort of 'painting the Forth Bridge' rota. Customers used to say 'doesn't this noise drive you mad?' and I'd say 'what noise?'

[Old Grumpy]

When the (then) new Sage Gateshead opened I would sit in the main hall and curse the constant high pitched whine in the hall which I attributed to the amplification being left on...

... until I finally realised that the whining loudspeakers were in actually in my ears. I've had tinnitus for years now - sometimes more noticeable than others, but one gets used to it.

[Petrushka]

I also have glaucoma, a late inherited present from my maternal grandfather. In his day there were no treatments and he gradually lost his sight. Fortunately for me, a strict regime of eye drops controls the high pressure in the eyes which affects the optic nerve.

The problem with applying the drops is that life constantly gets in the way and as I'm supposed to take a total of 7 drops in the course of 24 hours it's not always easy. Sometimes it can be impossible. With something like 16 waking hours that comes down to one drop application in both eyes every two hours or so. I also have band keratopathy (look it up!) in my left eye as a result of the glaucoma and that will eventually need surgery or laser to remove. All good fun!

[Dave2002]

Now for something a bit different, though I sometimes get visions which look a bit like a pile of baked beans. Usually go away after a few seconds.

We have PV panels and we still get FiT payments. These are currently handled by Ovo - who seem really quite incompetent regarding their admin.

Before Christmas I had a note to send them a photo of our meter - I think by 26th December. I did - several days before - and I had an acknowledgement. I also asked them to note the reading - rather than having to send a separate input with a reading.

Some while ago - this year - so after 1st January, I had an email again requesting photos. So now it's the 12th January, and I had another letter through the post - asking for the same photo.

OK - so I did phone up, and it seems that everything has been taken care of - but the amount of extra work seems to have been quite a problem for this company.

[Serial_Apologist]

Now for something a bit different, though I sometimes get visions which look a bit like a pile of baked beans. Usually go away after a few seconds.

We have PV panels and we still get FiT payments. These are currently handled by Ovo - who seem really quite incompetent regarding their admin.

Before Christmas I had a note to send them a photo of our meter - I think by 26th December. I did - several days before - and I had an acknowledgement. I also asked them to note the reading - rather than having to send a separate input with a reading.

Some while ago - this year - so after 1st January, I had an email again requesting photos. So now it's the 12th January, and I had another letter through the post - asking for the same photo.

OK - so I did phone up, and it seems that everything has been taken care of - but the amount of extra work seems to have been quite a problem for this company.

I imagine what looked like a pile of beans had been put there by a lot of Ovo positors!

[oddoneout]

Why am I getting this email?

Someone registered for an Anima account or reset their password with your email address.

If this isn't you, you can simply ignore this email.

And I'm supposed to have confidence in my GP surgery's handling of my personal details????
This was my first encounter with the new way of trying to get an appointment(a previous attempt 4 months ago for a different matter couldn't even start as the IT had fallen over for both in surgery and at home use and stayed down until it closed for the weekend) and fell at the first hurdle as 'triage is closed for today' I was told. However the receptionist did what she could, and I might hear from someone tomorrow, but at some point during this interaction a verbal confirmation of my email address has translated into this Anima thing.
And yes I have looked up on the surgery site and seen some promo stuff about it, but the fact still remains that this has happened without any explanation or my informed input.

[LMcD]

Yesterday there was a sandwich board in the centre of the reception area at our local Health Centre which, I assumed. contained some urgent or important information. On one side the message was black on a dark green background and on the other black against a dark red background.

[smittims]

The lettering on the Decca Sviatoslav Richter box set individual sleeves is very small, white on yellow, requiring a strong light to make it readable.

[Roger Webb]

The lettering on the Decca Sviatoslav Richter box set individual sleeves is very small, white on yellow, requiring a strong light to make it readable.

The lettering on the rear of the French CD label Timpani is often/usually illegible.....either light coloured lettering on light background, or dark on dark. To read the track info it's necessary to hold under the brightest light in my music room, don my strongest specs, aided by my stamp-collectors magnifying glass!......but the musical rewards are worth the effort.

The trouble with graphic designers and art depts in general is they always want to 'do' something!

[oddoneout]

Yesterday there was a sandwich board in the centre of the reception area at our local Health Centre which, I assumed. contained some urgent or important information. On one side the message was black on a dark green background and on the other black against a dark red background.

The Met Office website has a similar issue for those of us who want the old(proper) forecast display. The small message at the top of the page which has the link to the old display format is in a fairly dark blue and, depending on what background colour they've chosen that day(shades of grey through to black) is either difficult or impossible to read. I can understand that they want to make people look at their new version rather than the old and, given the barrage of criticism of the new version, wouldn't want to make it easy to go back but, as government body aren't they supposed to demonstrate decent standards of accessibility? Making it difficult for someone with even reasonable eyesight to see the link doesn't do that and suggests that it wasn't checked before going live. I was doing reasonably well using a bit of dead reckoning to narrow down the search but recently the page has been displaying slightly differently and the location of the message has changed with it so it's back to 'where's Wally?' again. Today's background colour is mid-grey, and the font chosen seems to have changed so a bit easier to read.

[Old Grumpy]

Yep Ooo, the Met Office App on my phone has now changed to v 3. whatever.

I agree with you, the previous version was perfectly good and much better!

I can't see an option to change back to the old version anywhere on my screen, change in colour or not.