Eyesight and aging ...

[Anonymous]

I'm unfortunately on the higher myopic end (-9+ in each eye), and I started wearing glasses at age 11. Luckily, it seems my eyesight has mostly stabilized since entering my 30s (later 30s now), but I can't help worrying if it will get worse. My father had very bad eyesight, though my mother and brother (3 years older than me) are quite strong. I know this is mostly individual, partly familial, and many other factors can weigh in, but I guess I'd like to hear what others have experienced. I know that the near vision starts to become weak with age (thus, need for reading glasses), and that frightens me too because the only "good" vision I still do have (though it's at a very close range), is [i]the near vision (being myopic). Thanks in advance for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Don't bother with laser surgery. It's better to get it when you are younger because you have more time to enjoy the benefits. My doc says you will still need glasses when you get into your 40s after having had surgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't bother with laser surgery. It's better to get it when you are younger because you have more time to enjoy the benefits. My doc says you will still need glasses when you get into your 40s after having had surgery.

Need glasses for what? I am in 40s and considering the surgery. I am also quite myopic but think it would be worth just having to use glasses to correct for reading.

[Anonymous]

OP,
Ask your doctor about Lasik. My sister had it done, she's in her 40s, she doesn't need reading glasses. She loves it!

[Anonymous]

"Myopic (nearsighted) people who are close to the age (mid- to late-forties) when they will require either reading glasses or bifocal eyeglasses may find that they still require reading glasses despite having undergone refractive LASIK surgery. Myopic people generally require reading glasses or bifocal eyeglasses at a later age than people who are emmetropic (those who see without eyeglasses), but this benefit may be lost if they undergo LASIK. This is not a complication but an expected result of the physical laws of optics.

Although there is currently no method to completely eradicate the need for reading glasses in this group, it may be minimized by performing a variation of the LASIK procedure called "slight monovision." In this procedure, which is performed exactly like distance-vision-correction LASIK, the dominant eye is set for distance vision, while the non-dominant eye is set to the prescription of the patient's reading glasses. This allows the patient to achieve a similar effect as wearing bifocals. The majority of patients tolerate this procedure very well and do not notice any shift between near and distance viewing, although a small portion of the population has trouble adjusting to the monovision effect. This can be tested for several days prior to surgery by wearing contact lenses that mimic the monovision effect. Recently, a variation of the laser ablation pattern called PresbyLASIK, has been developed to reduce or eliminate dependence on reading glasses while retaining distance vision."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, thanks for responding. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with LASIK. It's a permanent change, and though many have had success I'm still a bit afraid of this.

What I was hoping was to hear from others who may also be in the same higher bracket for near-sightedness, to learn if it is common for the eyes to get even worse, or are people finding in general that their vision has stabilized as they progress in age. Thanks, in advance, for any additional comments.

[Anonymous]

With age you should get more far-sighted, not near-sighted. Your vision might actually improve slightly, though at your correction, not enough to make a real difference.

I would suggest talking to an eye doctor. Ya know?

[Anonymous]

I can't help much because I'm considerably younger than you, but my eye doctors told me with my extreme near sightedness my vision may actually improve as I age.

I've also started one of the vision vitamins at my grandmother's insistence, though I have no idea if it does or would help...it's mostly to keep her happy and since it has C and zinc in it it helps keep the colds away.

[Anonymous]

18:65 - I have heard about what you mention, and of course, I would (and will) consult with my eye doctor, when required. This thread is just to hear from others, learn what they have gone through.
PP, That's good to hear that ... wouldn't it be so wonderful to have improvement.

[Anonymous]

[oops ... talking about vision (long day) .. obviously, I meant "18:25" (!)]

[Anonymous]

My vision is extremely poor. I asked my eye doctor at my last visit if there is any way to predict if if a person's vision will continue to deteriorate at a relatively slow rate in middle and later age or suddenly take a turn for the worse and he said no. I am in my mid-40s by the way, and although the rate of deterioration slowed once I became an adult, my eyesight continues to get worse. I have to have my prescription adjusted every year.

[Anonymous]

This segment on LASIK was just on the news last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtl9Bj0gskI

I definitely recommend watching it for someone considering LASIK!

[Anonymous]

PP again, and one more link:

http://www.lasiknewswire.com/

[Anonymous]

18:42, thanks for writing and sharing your experience. I've always been afraid that my vision would keep worsening, and it has in the bigger picture still proceeded that way, though the increments are (thankfully, so far) very small (e.g., one eye needs a slight adjustment versus what it was say 2 years ago.)
PP, I'll take a look ... thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP, I've worked in the ophthalmology field for years. I actually used to be an ophthalmology tech. And, I'm a -10 prescription myself. So, even though, I'm not an expert, I think I am somewhat qualified to answer your questions!

Honestly, I wouldn't be too worried in your situation. After 40, everybody experiences some form of presbyopia (which means you need reading glasses). They're not sure if the lens in our eyes gets thicker/less flexible or the muscles that control the lens just don't work as well. But, for whatever reason, people over 40 lose some focusing ability.

However, being nearsighted is actually a blessing with regards to this. Being nearsighted actually gives you your own built in magnifying glass. So, you'll NEVER lose that ability to see well up close. The only difference is that, if you wear contacts, you'll need to wear reading glasses when you have your contacts in. But, without your contacts/glasses, you'll still have that same super duper high magnifying power because of your -9 prescription.

Personally, I'm not a LASIK fan. Most people do see better, but we find that after 10-15 years, people end up needing some sort of glasses/CLs correction anyway. It's just not worth it to me.

Also, down the line, when you need cataract surgery (almost everybody does), if you've had LASIK, it affects your corneal measurements, which they think might lead to less accurate cataract surgery results.

The FDA is currently doing a study on long-term LASIK results, and it'll be interesting to see what comes of that.

Anyway, OP, I wrote all this just to offer some reassurance. Like I said, I'm a -10, and I'm not to worried about the over 40/presbyopia thing. I'll just pick up some cheapo, cute readers and wear them over my contacts, or switch to bifocal glasses. If your -9 prescription has been pretty stable, I tend to guess it'll stay that way.