Major ghosting in right eye, please help!

I'm a 23 year old male, and had this constant ghosting in the right eye for around a year. The ghosting image is above the actual image, not as clear and less opaque; but the original image remains clear. Like what I've read from other posts in the forum, the ghosting is also better when I wake up, and deteriorates as the day goes on (the ghosting image becomes sharper and more opaque. But this condition is much better if I wear soft lenses.

I remember when I first experienced this ghosting effect. It was sudden, and I'm not sure what the causes are.
For a month and a half prior to this, I have been working at a consulting firm where I have to use a laptop a lot (I was wearing glasses at the time, so this could not have been caused by contact lense overwear).

Now, a day or two before the incident, I took some medicine for my asthma+allergy. I have never been prescribed with so many pills to take at once and I don't know if they could have caused this ghosting. I will list them nonetheless:
1. Prednisolone 5 mg: 10 tablets
2. Singulair 10 mg: 14 tablets.
3. Clarinase 24 hour: 6 tablets.
4. Arcoxia 20mg: 10 tablets for my wrist injury

The opthalmic surgeons that I went to see didn't know much about drugs that I took, but decided to take a corneal topography and a bunch of other tests. Turns out that I have top and bottom part had orange areas, meaning that my cornea is not smooth. He explained that the ghosting goes away after I squint because I would use the middle of my cornea, the smooth part, not the top or bottom part. He concluded that these were the causes of my ghosting, after having ruled out all the other conditions, such as cataract.

I also have a high astigmatism in both eyes, more on the right eye, which is about 2.0. My shortsightedness is about 5.0 in both eyes.

The only solution that he gave me was that I should start wearing HARD contact lenses. And I did, and this gives me NO ghosting at all. A somewhat good solution, but this is barely practical. I find them very uncomfortable and difficult to use them in normal daily life.

A consultation with another opthalmic surgeon concluded differently, that I just overworked my eyes and that nothing could be done. The eye muscles were the problem. But if they were really my eye muscles that caused the ghosting, why then, does ghosting disappear as soon as I pop on my hard contacts? He had no answer to that.

He said that I could try using LASIK surgery to remove my astigmatism altogether and this may remove ghosting altogether (as my cornea is thick enough to do this lasik surgery).

Who is right? And what should I do? As I've been typing this, my ghosting worsens already! Please advise!

James

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

This type of problem is common if the contact lens are warping the cornea. Usually its recommended to stop contcts for several months to see if the ghosting stops and the cornea returns to a normal shape.

JCH MD

[Jp_86]

I have tried what you said for a month or so. It didn't improve at all, in fact I would say that it had gotten slightly worse. You see, when I wear glasses, the ghosting gets really bad that whenever I tried to read anything, I would get a headache because the ghosting image would be exactly on the line above. So naturally I will end up squinting alot which isn't a very good idea...

Are there any chances that a lasik surgery to remove my astigmatism may help with ghosting?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Contact lens ghosting can take 3-6 months to clear. The contact makes the ghosting better because it "masks" it but still is the cause.

I suggest you see a corneal Eye MD ophthalmolgist and get a corneal topography test.

Find one near you at www.aao.org

JCH MD

[Jp_86]

Thank you for your reply!
I have taken 1 corneal topography last year, and another one recently. The areas on the left and right side are green. But the top and bottom part are orange, and abit of red. This is somewhat worse for my right eye.

I don't quite understand how contact wears can cause ghosting? I've never heard of this before.

James

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Its extremely common. The contacts warp the cornea and cause irregular astigmatism which glasses can't correct.

JCH MD

[Jp_86]

Thank you very much for your time doctor!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

you're welcome
JCH