Blindness/loss of depth perception

I have permanent double vision so I wear a reading contact lens in my less dominant eye in order to stop it interfering when I ride. Not the same as being blind but I manage fine.

It was loss of depth perception mounting biking that alerted me to my cataracts, it is weird that was the only thing I noticed even though I had become nearly blind in one eye.

Thyroid Eye Disease here, also causes double vision. I wear a patch over my less dominant eye. This affects depth perception initially but it's amazing how quickly the brain adapts. I had to slow down a bit on singletrack, the rapid changes in focusing caused some hilarity, but no problems on fire roads or wider tracks. No problem on the road.

I've always had an imbalance due to a lazy eye/weak eye from birth- struggle to catch balls/play pool etc.

I've subconsciously corrected for it on the bike. When I ride with glasses it means I hit things.

More than +3 difference between my good eye and my errr other eye, when corrected. Never found it to be an issue for depth perception, but I’ve not known anything different to be honest. We live in a three dimensional world and moving the head around gives some depth perception.

Things get a bit strange if I put a contact lens in my poor eye, and the brain really struggles with which eye needs to be used.

having grown up with "monocular" vision I've gotten use to it, the brain compensates enough that I could play most ball sports even hit a fast moving cricket ball on occasion.

Seems to really affect my cat, I don't think she has enough brain power to compensate. Plus it's a fairly recent condition for her. Sorry, this doesn't help a lot...

I feel your cat's pain. Mine came on 18 months ago. Couldn't see where I was putting my feet, walking into shop glass doors, falling off curbs, bumping into furniture. Hilarious not. Thyroid coming out and a few hours with the squint surgeon to look forward to this year.

I get double vision due to my MS and wear an eye patch to manage it. Road riding is fine. MTB is difficult but that is due to other MS symptoms. I sometimes need it for driving too which is a lot less of a problem than you’d think although manoeuvring can be tricky. Basically there is nothing that can’t be managed.

having grown up with “monocular” vision I’ve gotten use to it, the brain compensates enough that I could play most ball sports even hit a fast moving cricket ball on occasion.

My Dad has had monoscopic vision his entire life. He’s not a ball sports person, but has no problems otherwise.

He’s got ‘wonky’ eyes, but the strange thing is that I adjusted to them. I don’t notice unless I see his image in a mirror.

Having a three month wait between having cataract surgery on each of my eyes, it certainly brought home to me just how much our lives can be impacted by something fairly small. It certainly made me realise just how bad my vision had deteriorated, it was only having a fairly high-strength contact lens in my left eye that really helped me be able to drive safely and just get around. Walking down stairs was the most problematic, having to be really careful not to catch my heel on the edge of each step, and going head first down the stairs.

my Dad had both his done a year or two back (not together, about 3 months apart as CZ)

It was Covid times so i couldn't go in with him, I had to wander into town and then come back when he was done. As I got back to the centre (although done on the NHS it was at a private / outsourced clinic, on a business park just outside the town centre) he was stood in the car park, but I couldn't work out what he was doing. As I got closer - he was alternately covering either eye, and then uncovering it at which point amazed by how bad his vision was on the unfixed eye.

We then called in at the supermarket to get some stuff on the way back. When I took him for the consultation we'd done the same and he'd picked up everything and stared at it intently from about 6 inches to read the use by dates. This time - he was reading out the shelf labels from the other side of the shop to anyone that would listen. It was like shopping with a toddler. He's 85.

I’m densely amblyopic in my left eye since childhood. Classic lazy eye picked up too late. Counting fingers vision in that eye. As I’ve got older I think it is affecting me more especially at night. Never really thought it affected me cycling but I’m atrocious at ball sports. Badminton is particularly difficult. Also put paid to any surgical aspirations I had early on at med school- “cut that suture, no THAT suture”!🤓

I don’t wear glasses to try and compensate for it- no point as if the left eye was in focus the image would be a much different size to the one in my right eye so I’d still not be able to see it.

i am blind in my right eye. from birth.
it is like looking through a extremely steamed up bathroom window.
saw specialists as a kid. wore glasses with one side blacked out, last specialist threw the glasses away, telling my mother it was unfixable. i was 7.
about 5 years ago i went to see a eye consultant at LGI. outcome was the same. my eye is not connected up to my brain somewhere causing the problem.

driven all my life. i would fail the eye test nowadays.cant read a eye chart through the eye.
managed ok at rugby for 25 years, but no good at other ball sports. hitting a ball with a bat/club is impossible for me.
sometimes get intense migraine over my good eye. take meds for it. eye strain maybe ?

IIRC the stereoscopic vision for depth perception only actually works over a fairly short range so is not a factor over longer distances. I don't think you would fail the eye test Ton - my 88 yr old mother just had to have her vision checked for driving as she has gone blind in one eye - she passed.

I've got a lazy eye which means my left eye is rubbish, like i couldn't read this sitting here if i close my good one.

I don't know if it affects me and explains my incompetence, but it doesn't seem to and i've ridden/raced both MTB and motorbikes over the last 20 years.

Same here after an eye operation to correct a lazy eye at birth. Up until 40 did fine, my brain just used my good eye and ignored the poor input from the other. But then I started getting ocular migraines that impacted driving, especially at night, so had some varifocal glasses with massively different prescriptions made up, and after a short adjustment, they really help. Have a number of pairs now, including ones for biking.

I can read this with my left eye and glasses. Just a blur without. 3D TV and those magic pictures never worked for me.

Yeah it’s only hgv drivers that need to be able to see well with both eyes to drive!

Interesting what you say about distance TJ. That is my experience- I can see things clearly a long way off and judge their distance, and speed of approach fine. Ask me to hit a shuttlecock or ping ping ball and you’ve no chance.
I believe it’s easier if you’ve never had stereoscopic vision- harder to cope with the loss of vision in one eye if it occurs later in life. I am absolutely paranoid about protecting my good eye though. Especially as mum is now blind due to glaucoma

I am absolutely paranoid about protecting my good eye though

Yep. Eye surgeon mate told me this. A side benefit of wearing glasses all the time now.

Seems to really affect my cat, I don’t think she has enough brain power to compensate. Plus it’s a fairly recent condition for her. Sorry, this doesn’t help a lot…

I'm surprised that your cat can reach the handlebars. 😀

I can't remember the exact  distance at which stereoscopic vision is no longer if factor but IIRC its a couple of metres or so.  Beyond that you are using scale and parallax and so on

That makes sense. I can bowl but not bat