Desperate for answers

[drakkan2001]

Hey everyone,
Basically I wanted to ask if anyone can give me some "real" answers. I'm 20 years old, nearsighted at around 9 diopters (despite the fact that I try to take care of my eyes). Since 3rd grade my eyes have been worsening at around 50-100 degrees every year. I've been going to my optometrist for several years and everytime I ask him if I can prevent this condition from worsening, he says "no, it's genetic" and when I ask him what's actually happening to my eye he replies with "it's getting bigger". I'm starting to doubt the validity of his statements because he "promised" me that it'll stop when I finish puberty. So I implore those who have an OD and others who are knowledgable about this to finally give me an answer that will end my frustrations. I know there isn't a cure to this but can I possibly stop it or will my eye fall out??? Also, is there any place for me to gather more information about it? I'm trying to learn and be as well educated as I can be about my near sighted condition. Thanks for all your input and help.

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[cpw]

Your OD is right it will stop eventually. Most people's eyes stabilize around the age of 22 or 23. I didn't believe it till it happened to me either. There's not much you can do to slow it down. There is some research that shows RGP contact lenses can slow the progression of myopia, but as soon as you stop wearing them your eyes will slowly get worse again.

Don't worry.. your eyes WILL NOT fall out! Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[drakkan2001]

Thanks a lot but do you know where I can find some more info on it? Any research articles in the scientific literature?

 

[cpw]

you might want to try a pubmed search for RGP contacts and myopia progession. One of the doctors on the study.. her last name is Perrigin if that helps.

happy hunting!

 

[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by cpw
Your OD is right it will stop eventually. Most people's eyes stabilize around the age of 22 or 23. I didn't believe it till it happened to me either. There's not much you can do to slow it down. There is some research that shows RGP contact lenses can slow the progression of myopia, but as soon as you stop wearing them your eyes will slowly get worse again.

Don't worry.. your eyes WILL NOT fall out! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Unfortunately, RGPs may show little promise. However, this research only looked at children with -1 to -4 diopters of myopia. For high myopes, there may be some effect. Here is a recent paper just published at Hopkins:

A randomized trial of rigid gas permeable contact lenses to reduce progression of children's myopia.

Katz J, Schein OD, Levy B, Cruiscullo T, Saw SM, Rajan U, Chan TK, Yew Khoo C, Chew SJ.

Am J Ophthalmol. 2003 Jul;136(1):82-90.

Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2103, USA. [email protected]

PURPOSE: To test whether rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens wear can reduced the rate of myopia progression in school age children. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. METHODS: SETTING: Single clinical center. STUDY POPULATION: Both eyes of 428 Singaporean children. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 6 through 12 years of age with myopia between -1 and -4 diopters, astigmatism, no prior contact lens wear, no other ocular pathologies.Intervention: Spectacle or RGP lens correction for myopia. After a 3-month adaptation period, 383 children were followed, and 298 (78%) remained after 24 months. Outcome measures: Cycloplegic subjective refraction, keratometry, and axial length measured at 12 and 24 months. RESULTS: Children who adapted to contact lenses wore them for a median of 7 hours per day, but no more than 40% wore them at least 8 hours per day, 7 days per week. Spectacles were worn for a median of 15 hours per day at the time of the 24-month follow-up. There was an increase in the spherical equivalent of -1.33 and -1.28 diopters (P =.64), and axial length increased by 0.84 and 0.79 mm (P =.38) over 2 years among children randomized to contact lenses and spectacles, respectively. Adjustment for baseline differences between the groups and for hours per day of contact lens wear did not alter these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Rigid gas permeable lenses did not slow the rate of myopia progression, even among children who used them regularly and consistently. It is unlikely that this intervention holds promise as a method by which to slow the rate of progression of myopia in children.

 

[MPS]

It's very difficult to say with any certainty how your eyes will change over the years. Most predictions about changes in refractive error with age can only be applied with any certainty to a population, and not to an individual. The current evidence would suggest that you'd be best served by wearing an up to date prescription (see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2002/11/20/ecnspecs21.xml).

Certain, but not all, rigid contact lenses have a tendency to flatten the cornea; this is likely to be at the heart of the discrepancy in the findings of the London and the Johns Hopkins studies that were alluded to earlier.