Constant weakening of eyesight

[niceboy]

Hi ! I am 21 years old male. I was diagnosed with "Marfan's Syndrome. My eyesight is constantly getting weaker day by day.I have no other defect , other than "Myopia". I have(-6.0) power of both eyes. My vision is quite hazy or blurred. I want to know that what effect "Marfan Syndrome" has on my eyes? Sould i opt for "Lasik" surgery or any other Treatment? Will this have any side effects due to syndrome? I presently use spectacles . When will my eyesight become stable. My weakening of eyesight is giving me lot of problems in everything i do like driving etc. Waiting for your response.


Thanking you......

[nickppatel]

I assume that when you say you were diagnosed with MFS, you were diagnosed by a physician knowledgeable about the condition.  I assume that when you say "no other defect," you're talking about your eyes.

MFS patients have very high myopia because the axial lengths of their eyes are increased due to the weakness in the sclera of the eye.  You should not get laser surgery.  There's no way to tell when your eyesight will become stable.

Myopia in MFS has a pathological basis.  The goal would be to stop the pathology, thereby stopping the myopic increases.  Are you aware of the latest treatments using ARB drugs?  Click on my screenname and look at my old posts about ARB and aortic aneurysm.  ARBs (like telmisartan) are drugs that have been shown to stop aortic dilatation in MFS patients because it reduces the signaling that causes the aortic dilatation.  I believe this is the same signaling that causes myopia in MFS, so if you halt the signaling with ARBs, you might halt increases in myopia just like you halt increases in aortic size.

I don't have MFS, but perhaps something similar and I have very high myopia.  I started taking ARBs 3 years ago and my prescription stabilized in one eye and improved by 0.5 diopters in the other eye.  You should be checked for aortic dilatation and investigate ARB drugs with your doctor.

Finally, Dr Brian Ward in California has been performing posterior pole buckling surgery for patients with very high myopia with great success.  Search for posts by "dukey" on this website.

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

When you say you "have no other defect", do you mean that your nearsighedness is the only sign of Marfan Syndrome?  In this case, you do not have Marfan Syndrome.  First, do a web search for Marfan Syndrome (start with wikipedia) and educate yourself about that condition.  Whether you have it or not is critical to any suggestions regarding your vision.  Second, -6 myopia is only moderate myopia.  People with Marfan Syndrome usually have extremely high prescriptions, often with high astigmatism.  So this doesn't fit either.  Third, if you really have Marfan Syndrome that is affecting your eyes, under NO circumstances should you have laser refractive surgery.