Hi -

Here's my prescription:
-7 -6.5 x36
-9 -6.5 x157

Off the cuff, does this sound like I might be a candidate for Lasik. My optomitrist tells me that I am a borderline candidate, but that I should check with Lasik specialists.

I've worn contacts for about 25 years. I started with soft lenses and then, as my astigmatism progressed, moved to toric soft lenses. Later I switched to standard hard lenses. Due to my high astigmatism, I currently wear MacroLenses, a large hard lens that's slightly smaller than a scleral lens.

They provide excellent vision, but are really rough on the eyes. Often times, I just can't tolerate them because my eyes get really scratched up and sore. So I'm hoping to get lasik. My optomitrist has checked me for KC, but doens't think I have this condition based on the topographical photos he's taken.

From perusing the board, it sounds like I need to find out my pupil size and corneal thickness. Is there anything else I need?

Thanks very much!!

First - talk with your optometrist or ophthalmologist about Restasis - which is the only FDA approved medication for dry eye. It helps a great deal for patients who are having problems with tolerating their contact lenses.
As for whether or not you are a candidate - your refraction is very, very high. You may not qualify. There still might be options - like a toric phakic IOL to start, followed by laser treatment to correct your residual refractive error.
Obviously - your next step is to get an evaluation from a local opthalmologist. There are some great options in San Fran - I could mention many names. But some to consider:

Ella Faktorovich, MD
Pacific Vision Institute
One Daniel Burnham Court
San Francisco, CA 94109
Tel:

Neil Friedman MD
900 Welch Road, Suite 402
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Tel:

And many others

I hope this helps

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL