marye20019 said:
I completely understand your problem, Judy. I have the same trouble with glasses. I get the absolute thinnest lens possible and the lightest plastic frame I can find. It still hurts my face a bit, but not as much as metal frames with those darned nose pieces. I've bought 3 pr of glasses in the last year that I had to give away because I just can't tolerate the frame.
Oops! I did not know there was already a Mary E. Anyway, I can relate to the glasses issue. I have an added problem in the glasses category. I have found in the past that plastic frames sit closer to the eye and my eyelashes hit the lens and made my eyes very sore. I believe that is why I have dry and irritated eyes. That was a long time ago and I guess I should bite the bullet so I can wear the plastic frames without the nose piece. Cutting my eyelashes seems like such a minor thing compared to the pain that all of you are experiencing. I also have to go around the house without eyeglasses when I get a flare up or wear my really old pair of glasses that are very loose and not as painful.
I absolutely have the same problem. I keep wondering if a different style of glasses would help- a lighter frame, perhaps? I'd get contacts if I weren't on such a strict budget since I'm going out of state for surgery for my Geniculate Neuralgia at the end of the month. Some days when the pain is the worst I just can't wear my glasses, even though I'm mostly blind without them.
I'm so sorry you hurt from your glasses too. If I hear of anything that might help, I'll let you know!
RueAnn
I just got a new pair of glasses because my others fit in such a way that they laid (sp?) on my cheek where I have my worst pain. Despite my rx for coke-bottle thick lenses, which they can only make so thin and so beveled these don’t hurt my TN cheek/pain area or touch it at all. It really helps.
I can't stand glasses sometimes. And I wear my hair short but then the bangs grow out and I have to use headbands. I found a package of them with 2 that are lose fitting. Sometimes I use one that is tighter when I wash my face and forget to take it off and then my temples ache, my ears hurt and my ATN and atypical GN flare up. Very sensitive to anything that presses to hard on the area in front and behind my ear! Sharon
it is interesting that you asked this. Yes I think my glasses nose grip touching the side of my left nose makes my TN worse or kicks it in. I can't wear contacts because my eyes are to dry. And if I want to see I have to wear my glasses. Perhaps one day my ship will come in and I will be able to afford the surgery to correct my vision.
Thank goodness I just saw this post. I have had TN for 2 years now and I have MS. This latest flare has some of the strangest TN symptoms. I thought I was going nuts with not being able to wear eyeglasses. Just knowing I’m not nuts makes me feel better. Need to call my Neuro now.
I have almost completely quit wearing glasses, but my eye sight is good enough I can get away with it. My nose was fine, but where the ear piece hit the side of my head in front of my ear I had problems. I had to wear them for 2-4 hours before I really noticed an increase in pain, it would build sorta slowly. I normally had them on all day, so that was a problem. I can slip on sunglasses for short periods, but I don't really like to do that. I hope you can find an answer. Good luck!
Yes, I have the same problem with my glasses on the left side of my nose. Lamotrogine (Lamictal) helps but when I get a flare, it can be excruciating. I keep thinking about going to plastic frames that do not have nose pieces. The problem with these type frames are they sit closer to your face and eyelashes and can be a problem with your lashes hitting the lens. This happened to me years ago and I believe was the beginning of my dry eyes (therefore no contact lens).
UUGH!!! Thanks for letting me vent.
How I wanted to hear someone with TN symptoms triggered by the weight of glasses on the bridge of the nose...even hats! No matter how lightweight the glasses or hats, pain is still triggered.
Glass nose pieces only exacerbate TN pain; but glasses that distribute weight evenly across the bridge of the nose seem to reduce it. I have yet to find glasses that help completely avoid TN pain, but I will avoid nose-pieces from now on.
Exercise seems to help reduce my TN pain, but I am still experimenting with it.
It’s funny John you say you have problems with hats, I had it with my hair. I use to wear my hair waist length but I ended up cutting most of it off as just the weight of it could trigger a flare. That one I could make sense of it was the glasses that freaked me out.
I finally went to the glasses store and tried on different pairs until I found one that was very light weight and then was able to have them bend it so that it doesn’t touch my painful cheek at all. Because the frame is made from a newer light weight metal it is strong enough to hold it away from my painful area.
Hi TL,
I am really happy for you. I need a new pair soon and hope I have good luck. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one. I am legally blind but have to wear my glasses 24/7. The pain on the side of my face and ear pieces is excruciating. The only thing I have found that helps a little is putting a little piece of foam between my face and the earpiece and behind the ear. At least it helps a little
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I thought it was just because my lenses were so strong which makes them heavier. I can not wear contacts and have to wear glasses to see at all. I explained my situation to a very helpful nurse at the doctor's office where I order my glasses. We tried larger frames to shift the weight and made the outer edge much farther from my cheek. This helped so much!
Good luck and God bless you!
Wendy