I have amblyopia and I'm scared of going blind

[AraK]

I've had strabismus since I was a child. I had two surgeries between 2 to 3 years of age, and wore eyeglasses until about 8 years old at which point I appeared to be in pretty good shape. I am now 25 years old, and over the past fourteen years have spent a ridiculous amount of time on the PC, however it wasn't until the last 5-6 years that I started I to notice progressive vision deterioration in my left eye. I never really paid too much attention to it, but now it's gotten really poor and I'm very worried.

I went to an eye doctor about a year ago, and it turns out I also have keratoconus, but according to my doctor it was not bad and wasn''t advised to wear intacs or anything. At the time my vision wasn't all THAT bad, I can't remember the exact numbers, but in short I was told that wearing glasses would be completely optional since I didn't necessarily need them yet, and that it was my choice. So obviously I chose not to wear them.

Since then I've noticed vision in my left eye has gotten worse. I did some research on my own, and now I'm thinking the vision loss may be due to amblyopia (although she never mentioned amblyopia at all to me) as I definately tend to use my right eye more than my left. I hear patching eyes as an adult does not help, but I would be willing to try it, in fact I did try it for a few hours a day, and it almost feels as though the vision in the left eye is gets worse the more I try patching the right eye, though I could be wrong.

My questions are as follows:
1. Am I going to go blind? Is there a way to slow the vision loss?
2. Can trying the eyepatch method to encourage use of my left eye be detrimental to me in any way? Even if I have kerataconus?
3. Is it possible to determine how much of my poor vision is related to kerataconus and how much is related to amblyopia?
4. Would wearing glasses/intacs help me see better? To be honest, the last time I tried wearing prescription glasses years ago glasses they didn't help me all that much, but maybe I was given a weak prescription?
5. Does eye vision therapy (maybe even pencil-pushups) help with improving vision in amblyopia or does that only treat strabismus and eye alignment? I don't really care about the aesthetics of my eye, I'm doing ok with that, I'm just really concerned about vision at this point.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just incredibly worried about my progressive vision loss and am not convinced that my eyedoctor was all that concerned with my wellbeing last time I went in.

I've been reading promising experiments (such as the administering of fluoxetine, or exposure to complete darkness for prolonged periods of time) which have restored eyesight in amblyopic rats, and although it is encouraging to know that there may be hope in the future for me to recover my vision, my priority in the mean time is to prevent further degradation if possible. Seems the general concensus is that there isn't much that can be done to treat amblyopia, but I'm willing to try anything as long as it's safe. Heck, I'd patch my right eye for days if need be, do pencil pushups for hours, whatever it takes.

[AnnaE]

Hi, I am a community leader here not a doctor. I have a lot of experience helping eye patients including myself. Welcome to our community.
Dr. Hagen will answer your post.

Write back anytime.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

1. You won't go blind unless something new develops and is left untreated. Don't worry about it as its highly unlikely. See a corneal Eye MD ophthalmologist yearly.
2. Patching won't help
3. The best indication would be your past records of what your vision was BEFORE the k-conus developed.
4. Only an exam can tell. Be absolutely certain that your "eye doctor" is a MD ophthalmologist physician, ideally a corneal specialist. If you saw a non MD non physician limited training optometrist you did not get optimal care.
5. Vision therapy is worthless

It's likely that your amblyopia and strabismus were caused by farsightedness and as you've gotten older your vision without glasses will normally worsen and you become dependent on glasses or contacts. That happens to all farsighted people

JCH IIMD

[AraK]

Thank you so much Doctor. I will rest at ease now knowing I won't go blind just from the amblyopia/keratoconus :)

I think it's time to go look for another specialist.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

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