High Mypoia

I am a 48 yearold female with -15.00 in my right eye and -14.50 in my left.  I also have astigmatism greater than 2.00 diopters in both eyes. I have worn toric contacts lenses for 10 years with success, however, within the last 2 years my vision has gotten worse and I no longer can see as well with the lenses.  My vision was stable for 10 years (right eye was -10.0 and left eye was -9.50) and within one/two years my vision went to what I noted previously.  My doctors have said they have done all they can do and that's it!  They indicate they can't fit me with another toric lense because no comapny makes a contact that will correct the amount of astimatism I have.  I feel like I have been left out to dry and on my own to find a solution so I can keep working as an accountant/auditor.  I am worried that my vision will continue to get worse even though I have been told that I have "healthly" eyes.  

Any advise?  I am thinking about making an appointment at the Wilmer Eye Institue for a complete exam and follow up.  I am not totally confident in my doctors here in Mississippi.  

Thanks

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear Sheila428,

I would recommend that you make an appointment with an eye specialist that specializes in fitting contact lenses in patients with diseases of the eye.  Since your prescription is high, you will need a doctor who is really a specialist in contact lenses.  

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[JodieJ]

Dr. Feldman has given you an excellent suggestion.  I have a couple of other ideas, too.

If it turns out that there really isn't a contact in the power you need, I'm wondering if some refractive surgery would be helpful.  I'm not talking about making major changes that might eliminate your need for glasses.  I'm thinking more in terms of something like limbal relaxing incisions (a safe, relatively inexpensive in-office procedure), which might reduce your astigmatism by 50% or more.  This might make the difference between wearing contacts or not.

You might also post your question on the google group sci.med.vision.  (It's free!)  Lately this group has been bombarded by advertisements.  However, there are still several very knowledgeable eye care professionals (optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians) who sometimes respond to questions similar to yours.      

[JodieJ]

One more idea:  For the time being, why can't your eye care provider give you the best possible correction with contacts, and then wear glasses (with thin lenses) over the contacts to correct the remaining refractive error.

[dukey]

That is absolutely NOT true. I have far worse astigmatism in my left eye (>3) and have had contacts fitted all my life, custom made but not too expensive ($85) yes, but they work great. It's not perfect but can usually get 20/25, although it can vary as the lens tends to move around on occassion. You need a good OD who will have patience to fit and re-fit to get the perfect one. It usually takes 3 or 4 tries to get it as perfect as it can be. I am also a high myope with -10 in both. As with all medical care, it's about finding the right people to help you out.

As a side, I am assuming you have had a retina exam to rule out any un-correctable myopic changes in your eye.  

[indi1664]

Hi Sheila.
              Like youself I was high myopic(-20 both eyes incl -2 cyl)...till recently...I am now -0.5 and +0.75...I had lens excnge surgery and please to say worked out well....prior to operation I wore ciba toric lenses and were available in high powers....find a  experienced Optom...who knows the availabilty of toric lenses....you may also have to research yourself....
Yes your prescription can increase but this not a huge issue as it is very slow to increase and can fluctuate from time to time...