OT: YTer that has bad vision -11 ish??

[Mayzoo]

I read a post by someone with bad vision. They mentioned their doc said -11.00 was as high as glasses correction goes. I do not recall who it was, sorry.

I wanted to talk to them a bit to let them know my kiddo has -15.5 (saw doc today and it is up from -14.75) and is correctable to 20/80 with glasses for -15.5.

Please PM me if you wish.

[Mayzoo]

I just rechecked her old script and it was for -17.5. So getting better instead of worse. Yippee!!

[capt_noonie]

I do believe that was me. That is my contact lens rx though. I don't recall my glasses rx. My eye dr told me that contacts only go up to -12.00 in my preferred brands (or maybe all?). I think that glasses can correct higher than contacts. Usually eyes get worse from childhood until teenage, then get better in middle age. I've never met anyone w eyes worse than mine!

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I do believe that was me. That is my contact lens rx though. I don't recall my glasses rx. My eye dr told me that contacts only go up to -12.00 in my preferred brands (or maybe all?). I think that glasses can correct higher than contacts. Usually eyes get worse from childhood until teenage, then get better in middle age. I've never met anyone w eyes worse than mine!

Only one of her eyes is that bad. The other one is -1.00. This creates huge depth perception issues, but at least she can see 😃

[Mayzoo]

Contacts, from my brief research, do seem to go up to from -7 to -12 depending on the brand. I checked on about a dozen brand specs.

[capt_noonie]

Wow, that's crazy. Is it something that insurance will cover with lasik or something since it is so bad? That is legally blind in that eye isn't it? I thought legally blind is after wearing corrective lenses you still aren't 20/20. I am able to get to 20/20, even though I have bad astigmatism, I'm not considered legally blind. My dad has one eye that sees close and one that sees far. His eyes have been messed up since he was a kid.

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Wow, that's crazy. Is it something that insurance will cover with lasik or something since it is so bad? That is legally blind in that eye isn't it? I thought legally blind is after wearing corrective lenses you still aren't 20/20. I am able to get to 20/20, even though I have bad astigmatism, I'm not considered legally blind. My dad has one eye that sees close and one that sees far. His eyes have been messed up since he was a kid.

We think the desparity between the eyes is because of a birth trauma she sustained, but we are not sure. Either way, it has been this way since she was born. The eye is visibly deformed (elongated/misshapen) when an MRI is done. No, she does not qualify as legally blind in that eye, at least not yet.

No eye doc I have spoken with will consider any type of corrective surgery until she is 18. By then, her insurance will likely not cover it, but who knows. At that time, it is possible they can put a crystal lens in, or just remove her lens, or whatever else is possible by then.


Legal blindness is a level of vision loss that has been legally defined to determine eligibility for benefits. The clinical diagnosis refers to a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction, and/or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

Blindness Statistics from the American Foundation for the Blind - American Foundation for the Blind

[capt_noonie]

Oh wow. Yeah didn't think of it that way, no surgery until 18. My eyes are also misshapen/elongated to the point my eyes are bulgy. I hate it. It's very hard for me to shop for glasses bc my eyes are bulgy and most of the time my eyeballs hit the lens or frame. Plus I'm Asian so I have a low/flat bridge on my nose. Doubly cursed.

I was told with my vision even if I got lasik I would be at a -3 or -5 is I was lucky. So I've never looked into getting it done. Paying $2000+ for surgery, then still having to wear glasses and contacts. Not worth the money to do it. Maybe in the future if technology advances enough where it would correct my vision all the way, then I would consider it. But with all the money I've spent on glasses/contacts/exams all these years for sure I would have already paid for the surgery.

[Mayzoo]

Yeah, and kiddo needing to wear glasses, her eye looks really funky. We buy the thinnest lenses possible ($$$$$), but the glasses make her bad eye look really tiny compared to the other one. Obviously, kiddo is not eligible for contacts even if she were mature enough for them.

She does not know any different, and we home school, so no one has made her feel self contentious about it thankfully.

[capt_noonie]

Yeah I also get the thinnest lenses and it is still thick as hell on the outer edges. How old is she? I started wearing glasses in second grade and contacts by fourth grade.

That's good that no one can tease her about it. My friends teased me but I knew they were joking. They tried on my glasses and said "I can see into the future!"

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Yeah I also get the thinnest lenses and it is still thick as hell on the outer edges. How old is she? I started wearing glasses in second grade and contacts by fourth grade.

That's good that no one can tease her about it. My friends teased me but I knew they were joking. They tried on my glasses and said "I can see into the future!"

She is 13 but emotionally maybe 8 or 9. Smart as a tack, and smarter than mommy most days, but delayed in several areas none the less.

She started wearing them at 4, but should have been wearing them much earlier and maybe we would not be where we are. She was at -8.00 before they wrote a script for her. I was not aware. At 3 her vision was -5 I think, but they did not tell me. I found it in her records when I requested them. She was being seen for bi-lateral strabismus. She had surgery for that at 18mo.

[capt_noonie]

Oh wow. Yeah I had no idea I needed glasses when I was that young. My uncle dropped me off at my class in second grade, first day. I was a bit late so I had to sit I the back. He asked me if I could read what was written on the board. I said, there's nothing on the board! That's how he knew I needed glasses. I have no idea if I needed them sooner than that.

But they should have told you at -5 and that young? -5 is pretty bad already!