Depth Perception

[Hiking with Kat]

I have never had any depth perception. This obviously causes some problems while hiking over rough terrain and hoping over rocks. The best compensation I've found has been using my poles to try to gauge distance before taking a large step. I'm wondering if others who have this problem have any other compensation techniques.

 

[MadRiver]

Although I do not have a depth perception issue per se, I do hike without my glasses most of the time which limits my ability to see obstacles clearly. Most of the time it isn’t an issue, except when I’m hiking down a very steep trail and need to have the next foothold in focus. And yes, I do hike with poles.

 

[MichaelJ]

Not generally, but I did have interesting experience once while trying to cross a deep brook. There was no bridge, just two logs. I had a dSLR camera hanging on my chest. It meant I could not see my feet. I couldn't do the crossing. I took one step onto the logs and that was as far as I could go. The solution was to unclip the camera. As soon as I could see my feet again, I was good to go and cruised over the brook without incident.

Have you tried watching your feet? Can that feedback from an actual body part help any with convincing your head of how far away things are?

 

[Hiking with Kat]

As Mad River said, down is the worst. I find the rocks on the Northern Presidentials with the green moss the hardest to navigate.

 

[AMF]

Wow... I think I need new glasses. I thought the title of the thread was DEATH perception, and it took several reads to get it straight. No perception needed - you are or you are not!

 

[erugs]

More than once I've stepped on a rock that wasn't really there. It's no fun and a little embarrasing to fall on "nothing." Poles do help a great deal.

Not quite a depth perception problem, but I learned that it is very important to have the line in my bifocals at the right level. Two pair ago, the ones I had were awful and I preferred hiking without any glasses. Since then, when being fitted for glasses I've been very specific about needing to see where my feet are going. I've tried the progressive but they didn't work well for me. (The doctor felt my complaints against the lenses were psychological because I was too literal, but I like to be able to see what's there when I glance in a direction.)

 

[Little Rickie]

I have more of a problem when I have to take off my glasses due to fogging. Hiking with bifocals can be a problem too.

 

[weatherman]

I have an old hiking buddy from downeast ME who has been legally blind in one eye for a very long time. He hasn't let this stop him from working in trees his whole career. He has a big, stout hardwood staff that is about 7 feet long that he uses almost as a lever to propel him from rock to rock, over any terrain at all (Knife Edge, no problem!), faster than most people can hike. Without his staff, he's perhaps half as fast. Worth a try!

 

[audrey]

I think that gauging distance with your poles is about as good a trick as any. It's what I do, since I hike with my progressive lenses and they make objects under my nose look closer. My brain has mostly compensated for this but every now and then I'll take a step that's too long or too short.

 

[Chip]

Anyone reading this thinking wtf is the big deal should try driving with one eye closed, you won't last 30 seconds. My older son and father both have (had ?) strabismus resulting in no binocularity. It's difficult to talk about it with my son because he doesn't know any difference. He did know he was missing things when he saw Avatar in 3d and his friends were reacting to things he missed. As far as hiking goes, he's done fine but it hasn't been anything too technical. I think the poles are the best bet for added help/stability.

 

[kerry13]

I had bilateral retinal detachments in 03. One eye had a macula off condition. I lost all sight in what was to be my good eye. After several surgeries for additional retinal detachments, in the remaining eye, I am left with about 20/70 to 20/100 corrected vision. I have no depth perception, basically see outlines of objects rather that sharp images and I have very poor balance. I rely totally on my trekking poles. I broke several pairs of Komperdell and have now gone to BD elliptical which are much more rugged and I never worry about the poles collapsing. The best advise I can give you is hike, hike, hike. When I started hiking again a year after all the surgeries I had a real difficult time. I couldn't read the slopes of rocks, constantly miss stepped, twisted many an ankle, fell at least a couple times per hike, walked into stuff, walked off trail. It was very frustrating time and I almost gave up hiking. For protection I always carry a full pack. In winter I always wear microspikes at a minimum. So many times, especially early on, I would slip and fall backward. The pack protected me from serious injury and when ever I hike I carry it. Hiking with visual impairment requires 110% concentration all the time. I won't win any races but I can still motor along at about 2 mph, so I am happy.

An interesting side note. I took some friends up Mt Washington last Saturday in the fog. On the way down Gulfside we ran into a couple guys heading up. We stopped to let them pass. One of the guys had a seeing eye dog. It's folks like that that inspire me.

Keep at it, you'll see improvement and you'll come up with your own ways to meet the problems you encounter.

 

[Hiking with Kat]

Thanks for your story Kerry, I was born with lazy eye, so I've never had depth perception. I imagine its a lot worse when you lose something you have had.

Thanks for all the advice, I guess I'll stick with my polls and remain slow but steady.

 

[Adk_dib]

I wear glasses but hike without them for various reasons. I carry those cheap reading glasses you get at the drug store is I need to read something. When I do hike with my glasses on, I have the dept perception problems. Maybe becasue I am used to hiking without my glasses.