Do HD Vision WrapArounds Really Live Up to Their Hype?

[Greg Bernhardt]

These are sunglasses that claim to give you HD vision (whatever that means) and enchance your vision. Just saw a TV ad for them and it was ridiculous. How anyone could actually be inticed to buy these pieces of junk is beyond me. One lady in the ad claims they look like designer glasses, when really they look down right silly.

https://www.hdwraparounds.com

 

[K.J.Healey]

Looks like they:
Decrease brightness/filter.
Encase your eyes so your pupils adjust to the lower light amount. (any leakage and these would seem like normal sunglasses.)
This = Less washed out colors from it being too bright out, but your eyes compensate for the low intensity.
Seems like at most they may increase color depth, but no way does it have anything to do with HD.

 

[mcknia07]

They so don't look designer, that's for sure...

 

[NoTime]

They probably work well with the DVD Rewinder

 

[turbo]

These look like the cheesy cheap sunglasses that ophthalmologists dole out to old folks after cataract surgery. Anybody who has a clue about physiology and optics knows that decreasing the amount of light to your eyes results in pupil dilation, with exacerbates all the optical defects in your eyes' lenses. If you are in bright light and are nearsighted with astigmatism (as I am) you will see WAY better than if you are wearing sunglasses or are in a dimly-lit environment.

AS an ABO-certified optician, I used to consult with patients regarding coatings, tinting, etc, of the glasses that I made for them, and it's WAY more complex than these cheesy ads portray.

 

[Moonbear]

These look like the cheesy cheap sunglasses that ophthalmologists dole out to old folks after cataract surgery.

:rofl: They do! :rofl:

They have amber lenses. That particular color does make things appear brighter. I've encountered that color (in a more stylish version) in my trials of sunglasses over the years, and my experience was it was also pretty crappy for functioning as sunglasses...I'd still be squinting in the sunlight when wearing them.

 

[turbo]

:rofl: They do! :rofl:

They have amber lenses. That particular color does make things appear brighter. I've encountered that color (in a more stylish version) in my trials of sunglasses over the years, and my experience was it was also pretty crappy for functioning as sunglasses...I'd still be squinting in the sunlight when wearing them.

I have used amber shooting glasses from Busch and Lomb and they are OK. I would recommend clear or lightly-tinted lenses with good UV coatings for anybody who spends a lot of time outdoors or on the water. They allow enough light to your eyes to constrict your pupils (good for sharper vision and restriction of UV to the interior of the eye) and the additional coatings cut the UV even more.

 

[mgb_phys]

II would recommend clear or lightly-tinted lenses with good UV coatings for anybody who spends a lot of time outdoors or on the water.

Isn't polycarbonate pretty much dead below 400nm, do UV coatings really do much on plastic lenses?

 

[Moonbear]

I have used amber shooting glasses from Busch and Lomb and they are OK. I would recommend clear or lightly-tinted lenses with good UV coatings for anybody who spends a lot of time outdoors or on the water. They allow enough light to your eyes to constrict your pupils (good for sharper vision and restriction of UV to the interior of the eye) and the additional coatings cut the UV even more.

What's the point of clear lenses? No thanks, I think I'll stick with ones that would actually allow me to open my eyes outdoors, that's the point of sunglasses.

 

[turbo]

What's the point of clear lenses? No thanks, I think I'll stick with ones that would actually allow me to open my eyes outdoors, that's the point of sunglasses.

Sunglasses are great if they are properly designed. If they are cheap glasses that attenuate visible light without attenuating UV, they will harm your eyes. Your eyes have evolved to dilate in the absence of light and to contract is an excess of light. The problem with this simple evolutionary model is that reducing the visible light to the eye results in more-open irises and more exposure to UV damage to the eyes. I am not an ophthalmologist, but I worked for a very large consortium of them and built their public presentations so that they could make their cases to optometrists and the general public.

 

[mesocyclone]

HD Wraparounds - maybe not that bad

For a couple of years, I have used a "advertised on TV" type of sunglasses, and I love them. They are brown/amber and fit over my regular glasses. The brown color highlights colors by blocking blue, but is not as harsh as yellow "blue blockers" so the overall effect is pleasant. If you have never tried glasses of this shade outdoors, you might be surprised at how good the effect is.

I used these both for sun shade and for watching clouds when storm chasing.

As for UV protection, my regular clear prescription glasses provide those.

The "HD Wraparounds" appear to be similar to what I have. If so, for some people, they will indeed be a useful product.

 

[Evo]

Thre best sunglasses I've ever had were a pair of prescription glasses with polarized lenses. They were a dark purple that looked almost black, but didn't make things look dark. I quite often forgot that I had them on when I went indoors.

The amazing thing about them were how they made colors so vibrant. I've never seen grass so green. Everything just looked so much more beautiful with them on. The dog ate them. I hope I can find another optometrist that knows what made them so unique. You can't buy anything like them over the counter that I've found.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

• Enhance your vision
• Just like High Definition TV

If your vision is "just like" an HDTV, its pretty horrible. This is one of many products that plays on the B.S. catch phrase of the year, "High Definition." If it isn't HD, it must be crap!

 

[Cherylyn]

I have Saltzman's Nodular Degeneration, something about bluish gray nodules floating around in my eyes, I'm obviously not a doctor, but my biggest issue is glare. My glasses are transitional lenses, they have anti-glare, are polarized, whatever can be incorporated in a pair of glasses is there. I also have prescription sunglasses that I use when driving, and they help, but the glare is STILL a problem.

I was going to try these "HD Wrao Arounds" since they fit over my regular glasses, and they are only 20.00, so even if they help a little, hey, I'll go for it.

From what I've been told, Saltzman's is somewhat rare, and my current doctor really doesn't know how to treat it, so he just sees my every 3 months or so, and I've been using steroid eye drops for several years, so I feel like I'm on my own here. I'll take whatever help I can get.

 

[turbo]

If you have been properly diagnosed, you have small nodules growing on your cornea - the outer surface of the eye. They can be surgically removed to re-establish proper curvature and restore good vision. You should talk to your doctor about this.

 

[WarPhalange]

What would happen if you wore those while watching TV in HD? Would your eyes just melt from the clear picture?

 

[turbo]

What would happen if you wore those while watching TV in HD? Would your eyes just melt from the clear picture?

Yes! I had a '65 Jeep CJ5 and I loved JC Whitney. I bought all the fuel-saving devices they offered, and I had to stop every 20 miles or so to siphon the extra gas out of the tank so it wouldn't overflow. That was a pain in the a$$. Had to get rid of the Jeep because it was too small to carry the gas-cans.

 

[Cherylyn]

If you have been properly diagnosed, you have small nodules growing on your cornea - the outer surface of the eye. They can be surgically removed to re-establish proper curvature and restore good vision. You should talk to your doctor about this.

I'm pretty confident about the diagnosis, it came from a doctor at Doheny Eye Instute here in Los Angeles, he's a corneal specialist, and I had confidence in him.

If you'll bear with me, I'll give you my story, as briefly as I can. Since I've got your 'ear', LOL.

Unfortunately, I belong to a Blue Cross HMO. The whole thing started because my very astute optometrist wrote me a note that said she suspected some kind of Keratitas(sp?) she told me to give the note to my primary physician, which I did, after several months I rec'vd a referral to the ophthalmologist that is part of the HMO. He took a look, said he thought the optometrist was right, and he said it was 'very unusual' and he felt I'd qualify to see the specialist, due to the rarity. After several more months I rec'vd the referral to see Dr. Song at Doheny Eye Institute. He had some impressive equipment, anyway, he immediately diagnosed it as Saltzman's. He said there were several options, the first being steroid eye drops "Alrex". I followed up 3 months later, the nodules looked much better, they were gathering together into one and I had marked improvement, but they didn't disappear. I followed up a few more times, and while there was no more improvement, they didn't get any worse. I was expecting to go on to another option, instead Blue Cross declined the next follow-up, and sent me back to the original ophthalmologist. I liked that doctor, but he was of advanced age, and felt some of the options, like surgery were too extreme, he told me it wouldn't get better, that his goal was to make me comfortable. I didn't get a vote. He retired a few years later, and I rec'vd a letter that a new ophthalmologist was under contract, I've been seeing that one for the past year. I told him I had conflicting opinions on the course of treatment, and asked him what he thought, he literally shrugged. He said to continue the Alrex, and follow up every 3 months. They've taken lots of pictures of my eyes, but haven't told me what to expect, or what my options were, nothing. Until my last visit. I told him the glare problem was worse, I noticed a decline in my vision, and that my eyes felt more strained lately after working on the computer. He told me the nodules looked about the same, that it might be normal fluctuations. However, I did tell him it was getting to be more of a problem, so he said 'let me take a look at the surrounding tissue. Then he said well you 'have a couple of small cataracts' WHAT? !?? I said 'isn't that really bad?' 'something very elderly people get?' I'm 48, not young, bit I will need my eyes for many years to come, I'm a Teacher Librarian. He said no, everybody has them, it's like a wrinkle. But you know, I remember the other doctor saying the Alrex might possibly cause cataracts. He also said the nodules are getting closer to the pupil. Then, out of the blue, he said "We might have to consider a corneal transplant'...uh, let's just say I was shocked, since he had been pretty laid back and unconcerned in the past. I told him the Doheny Doctor had said there were options, including surgical removal, he said "oh, I can write another referral, if you'd like' well, needless to say, I very much wanted that, he wrote the referral, and I'm now waiting to see if Blue Cross will approve it.


To his credit the current ophthalmologist, had prescribed Restasis to combat the dry eye associated with Salzman's, and, of course, Blue Cross declined the prescription. The last time I saw him was Friday, and he now had samples, so he gave me a month's supply, I've been using them twice a day like he said. So...there you have it, another HMO nightmare. and here I am, looking into HD Wraparounds...

 

[Evo]

Here there is a community "fund" that pays for prescriptions for people that aren't covered by their insurance. You might want to check around. Also check with local medical schools that might deal with your problem. Also, most hospitals work with charities and have other options to help pay for what is not covered by insurance. Unfortunately, too many people don't know to even ask about these options.

Good luck!

 

[turbo]

I'm pretty confident about the diagnosis, it came from a doctor at Doheny Eye Instute here in Los Angeles, he's a corneal specialist, and I had confidence in him.

If you'll bear with me, I'll give you my story, as briefly as I can. Since I've got your 'ear', LOL.

Unfortunately, I belong to a Blue Cross HMO. The whole thing started because my very astute optometrist wrote me a note that said she suspected some kind of Keratitas(sp?) she told me to give the note to my primary physician, which I did, after several months I rec'vd a referral to the ophthalmologist that is part of the HMO. He took a look, said he thought the optometrist was right, and he said it was 'very unusual' and he felt I'd qualify to see the specialist, due to the rarity. After several more months I rec'vd the referral to see Dr. Song at Doheny Eye Institute. He had some impressive equipment, anyway, he immediately diagnosed it as Saltzman's. He said there were several options, the first being steroid eye drops "Alrex". I followed up 3 months later, the nodules looked much better, they were gathering together into one and I had marked improvement, but they didn't disappear. I followed up a few more times, and while there was no more improvement, they didn't get any worse. I was expecting to go on to another option, instead Blue Cross declined the next follow-up, and sent me back to the original ophthalmologist. I liked that doctor, but he was of advanced age, and felt some of the options, like surgery were too extreme, he told me it wouldn't get better, that his goal was to make me comfortable. I didn't get a vote. He retired a few years later, and I rec'vd a letter that a new ophthalmologist was under contract, I've been seeing that one for the past year. I told him I had conflicting opinions on the course of treatment, and asked him what he thought, he literally shrugged. He said to continue the Alrex, and follow up every 3 months. They've taken lots of pictures of my eyes, but haven't told me what to expect, or what my options were, nothing. Until my last visit. I told him the glare problem was worse, I noticed a decline in my vision, and that my eyes felt more strained lately after working on the computer. He told me the nodules looked about the same, that it might be normal fluctuations. However, I did tell him it was getting to be more of a problem, so he said 'let me take a look at the surrounding tissue. Then he said well you 'have a couple of small cataracts' WHAT? !?? I said 'isn't that really bad?' 'something very elderly people get?' I'm 48, not young, bit I will need my eyes for many years to come, I'm a Teacher Librarian. He said no, everybody has them, it's like a wrinkle. But you know, I remember the other doctor saying the Alrex might possibly cause cataracts. He also said the nodules are getting closer to the pupil. Then, out of the blue, he said "We might have to consider a corneal transplant'...uh, let's just say I was shocked, since he had been pretty laid back and unconcerned in the past. I told him the Doheny Doctor had said there were options, including surgical removal, he said "oh, I can write another referral, if you'd like' well, needless to say, I very much wanted that, he wrote the referral, and I'm now waiting to see if Blue Cross will approve it. To his credit the current ophthalmologist, had prescribed Restasis to combat the dry eye associated with Salzman's, and, of course, Blue Cross declined the prescription. The last time I saw him was Friday, and he now had samples, so he gave me a month's supply, I've been using them twice a day like he said. So...there you have it, another HMO nightmare. and here I am, looking into HD Wraparounds...

Cherylyn, your diagnosis (if accurate) has a reliable surgical remedy. It's probably only mildly more complex than that of a patient who who needs surgical re-shaping of their cornea for purely visual correction, but your case has to be individually evaluated by an ophthalmologist. Dry eye and associated side effects associated with your condition can bring on other problems that can result in vision loss, and your doctor should evaluate your condition seriously in regard to such possibilities. Please see another ophthalmologist for a second opinion, and ask him/her to interact with your insurance company. Loss of sight is a very serious issue with medical insurance companies, and they may well be willing to cover the cost of surgery if the procedure is properly prescribed and the diagnosis is properly documented and coded. (Don't get me started on medical coding!) I wish you the best. Please seek further help. Best regards and best wishes.

 

[Cherylyn]

Cherylyn, your diagnosis (if accurate) has a reliable surgical remedy. It's probably only mildly more complex than that of a patient who who needs surgical re-shaping of their cornea for purely visual correction, but your case has to be individually evaluated by an ophthalmologist. Dry eye and associated side effects associated with your condition can bring on other problems that can result in vision loss, and your doctor should evaluate your condition seriously in regard to such possibilities. Please see another ophthalmologist for a second opinion, and ask him/her to interact with your insurance company. Loss of sight is a very serious issue with medical insurance companies, and they may well be willing to cover the cost of surgery if the procedure is properly prescribed and the diagnosis is properly documented and coded. (Don't get me started on medical coding!) I wish you the best. Please seek further help. Best regards and best wishes.

I will do that, thank you so much, to think that this can be corrected is encouraging. Thank you so much.

I should have sought another opinion long ago, I'm usually pretty assertive about important issues like my vision, I just got caught up in the complexity of it all I guess. Now that the school year has ended I'll have time to find another ophthalmologist, and take on Blue Cross. I'm sure the surgery would be less costly to BC than continuing to see the ophthalmologist every 3 months and prescribe the Alrex the rest of my life. Anyway, again, thank you, you have no idea how hard it has been for me to get information or insight. There's not much help on the net either. Funny how things work, I happened upon this site while looking at HD Wraparounds, go figure

 

[Cherylyn]

Here there is a community "fund" that pays for prescriptions for people that aren't covered by their insurance. You might want to check around. Also check with local medical schools that might deal with your problem. Also, most hospitals work with charities and have other options to help pay for what is not covered by insurance. Unfortunately, too many people don't know to even ask about these options.

Good luck!

Thank you, that is good to know. I will pay on my own if necessary, but without insurance I'm sure I could only go so far on a teacher's salary. I'll give Doheny a call, since I've never asked them, just to see if they might have some advise for me along those lines.

Hey, you guys have been so nice and helpful, I'll bookmark this site, and let you know the outcome, if that's okay. I'm into books, we need a final chapter.

Bye for now!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Please do visit again.

 

[Mr Noblet]

The night vision glasses that come free with these seem just as outrageous as the HD glasses.

 

[Cherylyn]

Thank you, that is good to know. I will pay on my own if necessary, but without insurance I'm sure I could only go so far on a teacher's salary. I'll give Doheny a call, since I've never asked them, just to see if they might have some advise for me along those lines.

Hey, you guys have been so nice and helpful, I'll bookmark this site, and let you know the outcome, if that's okay. I'm into books, we need a final chapter.

Bye for now!

Hi, Back! I saw the corneal specialist @Doheny Eye Institute in August, he said it was time to cut the nodules out, but before he proceded with surgical removal, he told me to see the laser specialist for consultation, that he might be able to remove the lesions through PTK(Phototheraputic Keratectomy). I rec'vd a thorough work up, this doctor said he thought I was a good candidate for the surgery. He prescribed a stronger eye drop, "Prednisolone" and an antibiotic, some low level type, since he discovered I had clogged oil ducts under my lower eye lids. He said he'd like to get me in good shape for surgery. Then, of course, it went to Blue Cross for authorization. Doheny HATES HMO's, that's understandable, since they have so many requirements, but after all, that's why I have insurance, so the doctor sent a letter, and I took the meds in the meantime, I feel like my vision has improved with the stronger eye drops, but it improved with the milder drops at first too, so I don't expect the improvement to be permenant without the surgery.

Well, miracle of miracle, I rec'vd authorization from Blue Cross today, I'm very happy, although, I wish it hadn't taken so long, and been so difficult. I actually think my vision will get better, the sensativity to light has been the most difficult issue for me, bright sunlight is excrutiating to me.

According to the authorization letter, my preliminary diagnosis: 371.46, nodular cornea degen.
service to be performed: Phototheraputic Keratectomy Turbo 1: Special thanks to you, I felt more confident about speaking with the doctor at Doheny, and you were right, there is an effective treatment. I don't know about the 'coding, and documentation of the diagnosis" but I hope they got it right, because I'm clueless about such matters, and Blue Cross restricted approval to 1 visit. Come to think of it, I have 2 eyes, I thought they'd do the procedure to one eye at a time... LOL, whatever, step by step I guess.

Thanks again to all of you.

 

[Anticitizen]

Congrats, Cherylyn! Blue Cross has saved money by preventing stress-induced heart failure from you having to worry about your vision :)

 

[Anticitizen]

I'd like to add that I find this to be a valid product, and that the problem is in the sales pitch and terminology (there's nothing 'HD' about it). Glasses like these (which are nothing new) simply reduce contrast (and by extension glare) and normalize what's being viewed so a bright region on, say, the leftmost part of your field of vision doesn't make you miss the pedestrian on your right. The sun visor in your car does the same thing but clumsier.

 

[vettemaster93]

These HD Sunglasses are nothing more than a re-release of an old product from the past. Does anyone remember about 10 years or so ago the "BLUBLOCKERS" which all they do is removes a blue color out of the light spectrum using layers of filters in the glasses from an atricle from a Eye Doctor that I just read. Its amazing how an old product never dies it just gets reinvented.

 

[Pengwuino]

One lady in the ad claims they look like designer glasses, when really they look down right silly.

... and the distinction is?