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Topic: Blurry eyes syndrome... |
Jon den Boer
From:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 8:31 pm |
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Does this happen to anyone else here?... I find that after playing lap steel for extended periods I come away from it with my vision blurry for a while. I'm guessing it's because of the constant focus on the fretboard, my eyes take a while to adjust to anything else... I'm not describing it too well, but I'm just wondering if I'm alone here...
Jon |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 8:32 pm
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I often feel like my eyes are going to fall out of my head after playing. Seriously, I thought it was just me.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 8:35 pm
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| Same here....& I thought it was just me also! |
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Jon den Boer
From:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 8:40 pm
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| This is good to know... not that I wish it upon anyone else though. I often wonder what can be done to avoid this issue... I thought I was well on my way to needing glasses actually. I can play guitar for hours, and nothing. Lap steel for 20-30 minutes, and it's blur central... |
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 8:59 pm
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You mean it's not just me??
Maybe consciously moving your gaze around a bit will help. I find it helps me a little.
I thought it was just making me relaxed and I was drifting off, but now you've got me thinking about it.
I got rid of my Magnatone Lyric D8 because the clear plastic fretboard overlay and the angles of everything made me unable to see where I was playing the top string. That eye fuzz effect just put me over the top on it.
This forum is incredible. I thought it was just me... |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2008 11:10 pm
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 Wow...I'm not alone!
I have a very strong prescription in my glasses, so when I have trouble foucusing, my eyes are trying to focus elsewhere on the lens, which could be adding to the eye strain problem I've been having...?? I'm sure staring at a computer screen for long periods doesn't help either.. |
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Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 12:04 am
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| Maybe the cure is to not look down at the steel when playing so much. |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 2:59 am
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| Hey, and I thought it was just me... Strange, indeed. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 9:22 am
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I have had that happen to me before, usually when I'm concentrating too hard on what I am trying to play. I find if I look up regularly while playing it allows me to focus on something other than the fretboard, and it allows me to communicate with the other musicians.
(If you're playing alone, put up a poster of your favorite pinup, landscape or whatever, and look at it once in a while.)
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 9:50 am
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| It's common to have eye fatigue from keeping your eyes at one focal length for a long period. Your eyes are like a zoom lens that can rack focus on objects either close or very far away. When I'm in an 8-hour video edit, I try hard to move around the room through the day so that my eyes are at different focal lengths. Otherwise, I get the same feeling Mike describes. Unfortunately, you cant put your steel guitar fretboard 15 ft. away while also playing it. If you can look around the room and focus on other stuff when you're not playing that can help. |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 10:28 am
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Mine do the same when practicing at home or a dimly lighted dance hall. But, I never have had any problems when playing on brightly lighted stages during shows, such as oprys.
Seems to progress more with age, oh well...
Thanx,
Jim |
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Craig Prior
From:
National City, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 12:45 pm
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I have the same problem. If I play a gig lasting 2 - 3 hours I develop "tunnel vision." Wearing glasses doesn't seem to alleviate the problem. Only regular breaks help.
Another problem: sitting and basically hunching over a lap steel resulting in back pain. I find it's better to stand with the guitar on a stand (I rigged up a keyboard stand with "industrial strength" velcro). Anyone else suffer back problems related to lap steel playing? |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 8 Apr 2008 1:30 pm
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I suffer from constant double vision, so my view of the world is always blurry. The degree varies, at its worst it can be a problem when playing lap steel...
Steinar
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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Mark Mansueto
From:
Michigan, USA
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Carroll Hale
From:
EastTexas, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 4:44 am
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not a med doc, but taught anatomy/physiology for 20+ years.....talked to bro n law...(opthamologist)...
problem is a "muscle issue"....as we get older, the muscles that control and move eyeball get weaker and cannot make changes as fast as when you are young..
your eyeball adjusts its shape to allow vision up close or at a distance.....blurriness results after a long time looking at something and then changing to something else....fretboard.....to tv across room or other....amount of light can also cause problems..
my comments...fyi |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 4:51 am
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| I have the problem on both lap and pedals, but only since my cataract surgery. With the artificial lens, it's like a fixed focus camera. My eyes feel like they're crossing at times from staring at the fret board. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 5:36 am
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I have found the solution: Learn to play without looking! The only problem is that the ears suffer....
Seriously, I'm going to focus on playing without looking.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Jon den Boer
From:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 6:18 am
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| Me too... but boy, my ears will suffer! And anyone elses within earshot... at least for a while I'm guessing. |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 8:27 am
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I suffer from the same problem Steinar does...double vision. If I sit at my pedal steel or lap steel at a certain angle I see a double set of strings. Talked to my eye doctor about this and he couldn't find anything wrong with my eyes (and no I don't drink).  |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 8:38 am
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| Quote: |
| Maybe the cure is to not look down at the steel when playing so much |
Yeah, it is called playing by ear or learning to play by ear.  It protects the eyes! 
Playing long hours is not a problem for my eyes, but sometimes for my neck.
Aloha, 
Don |
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Tracy Sheehan
From:
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 8:55 am eye strain:
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| I agree with Mike.Do not look at the fret board so much Develope and learn to depend on your ears. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 9:36 am
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I just started wearing glasses so the neck looks like its floating around and changing shape at the moment. I am more used to blurry. I guess I don't stare at the neck that much though. Gigs with dancing young women broke me of that habit.
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Bob |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Apr 2008 9:42 am
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| I end up looking all around as I have to look between the neck, my sheet music and directing and communicating with players on stage. SO i don't get too much of an issue. i get neck cramps more. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 10 Apr 2008 5:10 am Not looking at fretboard...
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It can be done...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJcjBbQeNmc
But of course, it helps to be a virtuoso on the instrument first.
_________________
Todd James Weger --
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, E13, A6); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Custom-made 25" aluminum cast "fry pan" with vintage Ricky p'up (C6); 1938 Epiphone Electar (A6); 1953 Oahu Tonemaster; assorted ukuleles; upright bass |
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