I just need to hopefully get some comforting words. I'm 27 years old and my vision is -7.5 and -8.0. I was under the impression that my vision would start stabalizing when I reached about 20 or so but I still have to keep getting changes in my prescription. I'm very scared. I feel sick to my stomach whenever I take out my contacts or take off my glasses at how bad my eyesight is. I'm still so young and wonder what sort of future lies ahead for me with the way my sight is going. This constantly weighs on my mind and often brings me to tears. I hate to wear my glasses out in public due to what others might say with the thickness of them. I feel that this disability is really dragging me down. I had once had hopes with the laser surgery but with my high level I realize how much of rish it would be. I'm just looking for advise from others with high levels of myopia an how you deal with it. I would like to start having children but its scares me to think that one day I might not be able to see them. Can my severe myopia lead me to blindness? Many family memeber say I"m silly for acting the way I do about this but they don't have to look through these eyes everyday. Please help.

Don't stress so much about your myopia. It will stabilize. As a LASIK survivor, I can tell you that I would give anything to have my old myopic vision back along with my old glasses. LASIK is not a mature procedure and I would advise you not to consider it. Better technology is sure to come along and you have youth on your side.

You might start doing research on ICLs as an alternative to LASIK (at least the procedure is reversable), but I wouldn't consider one just yet. Let the technology mature and don't be impatient because, in the end, you'll pay. Remember, it's your vision.

You may find this shocking, but your current myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) vision is considered only moderately high. Many people have vision equal or worse than yours.

Small changes each year can be normal. In addition to annual exams with your optometrist, I recommend that about every 2-3 years you get an exam by an ophthalmologist (medical eye doctor) who can more comprehensively evaluate the health of your eyes.

This website is about Lasik, but Lasik is not appropriate if your eyes are changing. Stability is needed. When you have had the same prescription (within 0.25 diopters) for two consecutive years, then investigate laser eye surgery.

High index plastic lenses can really reduce the thickness of your glasses. Smaller frames will reduce the thickness of the edges of the lenses even more. Of course, contact lenses will eliminate the need for glasses altogether.

Everybody is different and some people's eyes stabilize at a different time of life than others. If your doctors determine your eyes are otherwise healthy, then there is no need to expect changes that cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts. Some people are short, some are tall, some are myopic, and some are not. Everyone is unique.

Glenn Hagele
http://USAEyes.org
Lasik Patient Advocacy & Surgeon Certification

I am not a doctor.

Rose:

I am very Myopic with a -13.00 and -13.75. My vision was bad enough at 20 to keep me out of the military and did not stabilize until I was 35. Every year, it just got worse. Now, I have been stable for more than 5 years and I am looking into phalic lens implants. Some people stop growing at 16 or 17 physically and some people later. I think it is the same with eyesight. Some people take longer to stabilize.

I can relate. My eyes seemed to get worse every time I went to the eye doctor but in reality only a fraction. I am 33 and had lasik 3 months ago. I was worried that my eyes had not stabalized enough as they did change more than .25 in the last two years but only in the one eye. So far so good - my vision has stayed strong at 20/15 and my eyes are more or less healed from the surgery. My weakest eye, that had an astigmatism is now my strongest eye. Good luck and I agree, don't stress, at least there are options available and once stabalized you can get lasik. There are risks but it's well worth it. Just make sure you are well informed.