vision too bad for contacts?

[jesseisagangster]

my prescription power for my left eye is -15.50 and in my right is -13.50. i have astigmatisms in both eyes, and my vision is still not good enough to legally to drive at night. everything is so microscopic through these glasses due to the strength. I cannot find disposable contacts to fit these needs and im not sure they exist. does anyone know?

[KKinTX]

problem with soft lenses is your astigmatism.  I'm lucky because I have no problems with gas perm.  I've worn them for over 23 years.  I did start out with soft but when i switched opthamologists the new one couldn't get me 20/20 with them.  but i love my gas perms.  my current perscription is OD sph -12.00 cyl +.75 axis 90 OS -15.50 cyl +1.25 axis 80.

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

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[kg17]

JodieJ is correct.  You will need to seek out person experienced in fitting contact lenses (generally not available at your Walmarts or Lenscrafters).  Gas perms are the best for vision correction for high prescription and astigmatism.  However, I could not tolerate them and found that Acuvue 1-day daily disposables are the most comfortable and provide best vision (I'm a -17 diopters).  They come in -12 and then I use thin glasses as an overrefraction to correct astigmatism and residual myopia when I need best vision.

An additional issue is that your extreme myopia puts you at high risk for pathological/degenerative myopia which results in retinal deterioration.  You can search the archives on this site to read more.  These changes to the retina can also affect your best corrected vision.  In my opinion, you should be under the care of a retinal specialist who has knowledge of this condition and be seen at least once a year for exam.

[JodieJ]

You need to consult an eye care provider who is very experienced in fitting contact lenses.  This will probably be an optometrist, and it might be possible to get a referral from a nearby school of optometry.  I took a few minutes to check out one of the "buy contact lenses online" sites, and it appears that Precision UV weekly disposables by Ciba Vision comes in powers as high as -16.  There are probably other contacts that come in this power range, too.  It might even be possible to get soft contacts made in your exact prescription with astigmatism correction.  Another option would involve wearing glasses to correct residual refractive error over your contacts.  I'm sure that you can find something that will work for you.

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

You will probably need to settle for gas permeable contacts.
JCH MD