High index lens materials available for -21.5?

I recently purchased some new glasses after too many years with crown
glass lenses at -21.5. We tried Vision Ease 1.8 index glass, but we went
with -20 as we were told that was the limit. It's just not quite enough
correction, however, and we are getting together next week to decide
what to try next. Besides, the chromatic problems are just awful. I'm
not sure what the abbe number is, and I know any high index material
will have issues, but I would rather not deal with this much if at all
possible.

I have found quite a few other materials, both glass and plastic, but
it's difficult to tell whether they will work with my prescription. Is
there any resource out there that includes the levels of diopters a
material is available in?

I've chosen frames that give me the smallest lens I can get away with,
but would still like the additional help that a higher index would give
me...

Thanks,
Johnny

 

Have you looked into wearing a combination of contacts and glasses
simultaneously? This is how I get around a combination of high
hyperopia and moderate to high astigmatism. In fact, I have separate
'over Rx' glasses for near work and for distance vision. The
combination actually seems to induce less optical aberration than full
Rx glasses do.

Good luck!

Neil

 

Robert,
Thanks for the ideas with respect to the lenses. Reading over my post
again I see it as a little misleading. I have worn contacts for about 30
years as I get much better acuity and can drive with contacts
(barely....) The glasses are pretty much exclusively for around the
house as I just have an easier time with near vision with the glasses.
Contacts have always been a necessary evil; I can tolerate them when
needed, but just have to get them out when I get home. I'm looking for
the new glasses mainly to get some weight off my nose as the current
frames allow much smaller lenses than when I bought my preent pair. I
know the density of the high index glass is higher, but they are still
quite a bit lighter than what I have.

I looked at CLE but ended up deciding to wait. Benefits would be great,
but I'm not at all comfortable with the level of retinal detachment
risk. The studies I've seen show a RD rate up to 8% overall and probably
higher for people with my axial length of 33 or 34 mm. I'll wait until
cataracts give me no choice...
Thanks,
Johnny