Eye care for high Myopia

[jyoty]

I am a 21 year old female with very high myopia right from the age of 10.It started with a -2 now it is -14 with severe astigmatism of about -3.5 or more.The eyesight in both my eyes are slightly different.
I am an engineer and so unavoidably I have to work on computers long hours.In the past few months I realised how my eye sight decreases with such strain.I am really scared where this will land me in. Anyways how could i keep my eyes healthy for my lifetime?Can you suggest some strengthening exercises?
Also what are the different options apart from Lasik available to me?Is Lasik possible?

[Houman Vosoghi, MD]

There is some evidence that relaxing your focus every once in a while may help slow the progression of myopia in people younger than 25.  You could also get a pair of weaker glasses for reading and computer so that you are not straining as much for those distances.  Breaks of f-10 minutes every half our or 15 minutes per hour are good assuming you either close your eyes and relax or focus into the distance.  Should be addressed with a competent ophthalmologist who deals with progressive myopia.

HV

[lijah403]

Truthfully, I would like to avoid any kind of eye surgery for as long as possible, but the fact that I am having so many problems with contact lenses and am pretty much in glasses full time at the moment is quite depressing. If my glasses didn't look like coke bottles I wouldn't mind wearing glasses but wearing thick glasses has a massive effect on my self esteem, confidence and happiness. High myopes like myself have a greater risk of complications when it comes to refractive surgery but I totally understand why people still go ahead with surgery. Unfortunately, we live in a superficial world where we are judged on looks. As a 29 year old, I still very much care about how I look. Someone at work actually commented on how thick my glasses look from the side the other day. It's moments like that when I feel so tempted to get some kind of surgery :(

[lost_in_despair]

You want to get LASIK done for your high myopia? With no offense, are you nuts?

Your long eye balls are already at high risk of early posterior vitreous detachment. You want that process to occur early by undergoing LASIK which involves suction cup that puts pressure on eye and induces PVD? PVD can also result in retinal detachment, for which risk is already higher in your eyes. On top of that, your retina might have lattice degeneration, since you are a high myope, and that will only worsen your problems.

I say, save your dollars, invest them in some natural herbs and supplements like lutein and a nice pair of glasses.

[lijah403]

Hi Sheila, is it Visions of Canada? I've seen some of their glasses online and they do look pretty thin. I think they are thin because they are made out of 1.9 high index glass. I don't think you can get glass specs in the US because of the safety implications if the glasses smash while you are wearing them. Think you can only get up to 1.74 high index plastic lenses in the US. I myself live in the UK and I think you can get glasses made out of glass here. It really does surprise me too how we have not made advances in the eye care industry that much. With all the amazing technological advances out there, you would think they could make glasses that are thin, light weight and don't make your eyes look tiny :( It really is quite depressing. I honestly wouldn't mind wearing glasses if they were thinner. My current glasses aren't too bad as I have plastic frames which hides most of the thickness. Are your glasses pretty thick or are they ok? I wish I was eligible for lasik or there weren't so many risks with the ICL. I had no problems with contact lenses at all until recently :(

[Shelia428]

I wear toric soft contact lenses most of the day and then put on my glasses at night.  I have considered ordering a pair of glasses from Canada since they can sell glasses w/ an ultra then lenses for those of us with high mypoia.  I'm not sure why the type of lens they sell is not available in the states.  I do not have the name of the company with me, you can find them on the web.  I feel like my day is coming that I will not be able to wear contacts.....my vision can only be corrected to 20/35 and 20/40.  So, I'll need some type of glasses that do not look like coke bottles.  It is really surprising to me that we have not made more advances in severe myopia in the US.  

[lijah403]

I too have reasonably high myopia (-6.5 sph and -0.5 cyl) in both eyes. Until recently I had no idea of all the risks involved with high myopia such as macular degeneration and retinal detachments. This led to me feeling very anxious so I can understand your fears. All I can say is try and eat healthily, avoid too much sunlight (because of higher risk of cataracts),, avoid contact sports (because of risk of retinal detachment) and take regular breaks from your computer/ close work. There is a lot of contradictory opinions on whether close work increases myopia. In my case, I believe that it has made my eyes worse. I think some people are more susceptible than others. I now use a weaker pair of specs when reading or while on the PC.

As for surgery, the ICL may be an option for you but bear in mind that it has been known to increase liklihood of cataracts at a young age and cataracts surgery has been known to increase chances of retinal detachment. It may also increase eye pressure (risky for glaucoma). Personally, I would avoid any kind of surgery for as long as possible. I have thin corneas and large pupils and therefore Lasik may not be ideal for me. The ICL seems a bit risky so I will only consider that when I absolutely have to. You could have lasik/ lasek/ prk to reduce your level of myopia but would still need thinner glasses or contact lenses to fully correct your eye sight.

Can I just ask... Jyoty,Sheila and Mattie, do you wear glasses or contacts? I previously used to wear contacts all the time, but I have recently developed Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis so I have had to wear my glasses most of the time and wear contacts for special occassions. I feel quite paranoid about the glasses because they are quite thick and would be interested to know how others cope wearing glasses.

[jyoty]

Thank you Mattie :) .I won't rush into any procedure without checking.I will get my retina examined.

[jyoty]

Thank you.I will start researching on it.

[Mattie90]

I think that the best option is consulting your retinal specialist, both of you. If u have a weak retina or retinal degeneration the ICL or IOL can be a risky operation. I have 31D both eyes. I have contact lenses all my life + glasses and i am a graphic designer.

My point is that, if u maybe are not a good candidate for implants don't worry, u will do good anyway. With lenses or glasses. The eye health is in the first row.

[Shelia428]

Hi, I am also have very high myopia (-11 and -14), and I work on computers all day long.  My profession is auditing/accounting and the work is a big stress on my eyes.  I went to the Wilmer Eye Insititute in Baltimore a few years ago for a complete eye exam.  The best advice they provided about stress on the eyes was to take 15 breaks every hour when working on the computer.  During that 15 minutes give your eyes a complete rest....no reading, etc.  I have never found the eye exercises to work, but it may for some people.  The best thing you can do is to make sure you are seeing a very good and experienced doctor who treats high myopia.  It took me years to find someone who knew what they were doing.  

I am not a candiate for Lasik, and you probably won't be either.  I've been reading about the ICL (contact implant) and I am considering looking further into this option.  I think there is some risk there, but at your age that might be a good option for you.  If you do, just make sure you find the best of the best to do the work.  

Good Luck