my rx and contacts or surgery?

[alanj]

I just got back from a visit with my eye doctor and she was unsure as to whether or not my eyes would benefit from either corrective surgery or contacts. She recommended either hard lenses or toric lenses, but said to talk with the doctor who specializes in contracts, who was not in today.
My question being, with my RX numbers listed below, what are my options? More specifically, i want to be rid of glasses.Ideally I would like corrective surgery, but i am willing to put that off for a few years if I can wear contacts. I am 23, a student, and involved in sports (swimming, baseball, cycling) so I would really really prefer a soft contact lens that I could wear all day (during exercise, while swimming etc).

My rx is:
DV     spherical          cylindrical          axis
OD     -10.00              +2.75                89
OS     -9.75                +3.25                90

[JodieJ]

You really need to consult an eye care provider who has lots of experience with contact lenses.  Overnight wear of contacts is generally not advised.  (It's not that difficult to remove your contacts at night and re-insert the next morning.)  You would need to wear goggles if you left your contacts in for swimming (or risk losing them.)

Generally, hard contacts provide crisper vision than soft toric lenses for people with astigmatism, because some brands of toric contacts tend to rotate when worn.  (In my own case, both types were equally good--and much better than glasses.)  There are new hybrid contacts called SynergEyes (google) which are marketed to be more comfortable than regular RGP lenses--probably worth looking into.

It would probably be worth consulting an ophthalmologist about the possibility of laser vision correction.  Please don't choose a doctor who advertises on billboards or the comics section of the Sunday paper.  You want a respected refractive surgeon with lots of experience.  You could get recommendations from another ophthalmologist, use the CastleConnolly directories (google), or select a senior staff member at a major medical center who specializes in refractive surgery.

[alanj]

Thanks to both of you for your help.
I feel better now cause when I met with my doctor yesterday she mentioned I might be out of the range of both contacts and surgery.
I feel better knowing its not a total loss. Iv been wearing glasses all my life and I honestly hate them now. My rx is so strong that without wearing my glasses, everything is just a giant blur. I hate not being able to enjoy swimming, or going to the beach, or even showering without having to hold the bottle directly in front of my face to see what it is.

Just generally, are there any contacts (either soft or hard)in my rx range that would allow me to go swimming, or leave in at night for say if I go to the beach for a weekend, i would ideally like to put my contacts in before I leave, leave them in all weekend, and take them out after a few days

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear alanj

I would recommend that you seek the care of an eyeMD and undergo a consultation to determine whether or not you are a candidate for laser vision correction.  

Dr. Feldman

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

[JodieJ]

There are both soft disposable contacts (such as Proclear torics) and RGP contacts available in the powers that you need.  You should consult a contact lens specialist (probably an optometrist) to test drive your options in order to determine what would work for you.

If you're interested in laser vision correction, you should consult an experienced surgeon to advise you about the feasibility of this option in your case.