High Myopia - Lasik Surgery & effects in old age

Hi All,

I am of the age 35 and have short sightedness 8.0 D in the left eye and 4.75 D in the right eye. I use monthly disposable Bosch & Lomb contact lenses since about the age of 16 for almost all waking hours of the day since then. The same is constant since the age of about 20. I am a working lady and have a super active lifestyle with some sports and physical activities like gym, squash, occasional swimming, thrown in my daily routine. I've never had any discomfort in conducting any activity. However, I wanted to know about the long term effects of my high myopia as under:-

- What are the long term effects of high myopia in old age, say 20 - 25 years henceforth?
- If corrected through lasik surgery, whether myopia's adverse effects could still be seen in the future.
- What is the possibility of any adverse effect like sight loss?
- Is high myopia heriditery ?

Any personal or professional practice experience would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and Regards

Gungunn

 

Usually by your age myopia has stabilized, though there is sometimes slight change over the years. Of more concern is that in your 40s presbyopia sets in which is when people start needing reading glasses (or multifocal contact lenses) when the eye loses its ability to accomodate well enough to see close. Accommodation =changing focus from far to near. You gradually lose the ability to accomodate throughout life but during your 40s is when it becomes a practical concern and you begin to need stronger and stronger reading glasses. There are various experimental methods for correcting for presbyopia using surgery, but one is "monovision" where one eye is adjusted to see near and the other far. You may not have trouble yet, but its worth talking to the doctor to decide if you want to adjust for this now to prepare for the future.

If you wait a few years they are working on artificial lenses to replace your natural lens which will accomodate as well as you do at your age now so you'd likely have good vision without glasses the rest of your life if you don't have any other eye disease. People right now have Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) surgery to correct myopia where your natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens. The artificial lenses aren't yet as good as a natural lens, so its not really useful for someone who doesn't have presbyopia yet to use that approach, but reports are that if clinical trials go well the FluidLens may be approved in Europe in 2013 (though it takes a few years for the US to approve lenses after the rest of the world gets them). The lens powers aren't always exact, so sometimes they do use a LASIK touchup afterwards.

I've been reading about it since I was hit with a rare early cataract in my forties so I need my natural lens replaced, though I can' t wait for the better lenses.