I’ve known that I’ve needed glasses for some time, ever since I found myself struggling to read the whiteboard in school about ten years ago, and as I’ve found it increasingly impossible to read football scores and news tickers on the TV, I finally took the plunge last week. It turns out that my eyesight didn’t even meet the DVLA standard, so if I was taking my driving test today I’d have failed it. Oops…
The first night I had them I watched Hot Fuzz on Blu-ray, which has been noted as being particularly handsome but failed to blow me away when I dipped in for a look, and the difference was night and day. What were once flat-looking skin textures were suddenly beautifully flawed and pitted, and I could see individual hairs or threads in clothing. Since then I’ve watched several HD films and played some of this generation’s most beautiful games, and I frankly can’t believe that it took me this long to get my eyes checked out.
Seriously, if you have any doubt about your eyesight, get an eye test. It might not be your TV that’s the weak link in your setup.
Of course, Freeview looks like compressed arse now, so it looks like Sky HD or Freesat is on the agenda again. You win some, you lose some.
Go for contacts! If glasses take you from VHS to DVD, contacts up it to HD.
Good lord that’s a sad analogy.
If you’re brave enough you could go in for laser eye surgery; I had it done last year and am v. pleased with the results – was -1.25 in both eyes (moderately short sighted) and am now 0, -0.25; strangely though according to the charts I have 20:15 vision i.e. better than normal 20:20 vision. It’s pricey at around £2500 for Lasik Wavefront + Intralase.
Despite that, I’m afraid the terrestrial channels will still look crappy whether or not you get SkyHD ;)
PS. As people get older they have a tendency to become long-sighted so you may just want to save the cash and wait until you’re 40+; by that time Blurays should be quite affordable and SkyTV will still be arse ;)
It’s not a matter of bravery so much as the price. If I had a couple grand to spend on it I’d totally go and get it done. I know from my parents – both been wearing glasses for ~35 years – that you can easily spend more than that much over a lifetime of wearing glasses, so it’s something that I might look into.
I’m -1 in one eye and -1.25 in the other, so pretty similar to yours; plus I’m slightly astigmatic in one of them. Oddly I’m finding that as I get used to the glasses I find it harder to see without them, which is a bit annoying. At this rate I’m going to be blind by the time my next eye test comes around.