To any opticians out there. Is a -7 prescription strong?

Question

I was at Specsavers last year and the lady who tested my eyes said they had got a little worse since my last test and I was a minus seven.

She said that there are people who have a stronger prescription than I do (therefore worse eyesight) but not many. How true is this? Please, it's worrying me. If my eyes are steadily deteriorating (even though she said the eyes themselves were very healthy) and this might increase with age (I'm 41). How long do you think I have until I'm officially blind? Without my glasses I am now, effectively, as things have to be only an inch or two from my nose to make it clear.

From childhood all my opticians have told me that contacts are out for me because they would need to be quite thick and that is impossible for lenses.

However, a few years ago, a Specsavers person did say that they could do them thinner but they would cost over a hundred pounds.

Answer 1

-7.00 would be considered a moderate to strong perscription, and yes she is right that there are people with much stronger perscriptions. I have one patient with -20.00 and several in the minus teens who all have good vision.

What is more important than your spectacle prescription is the general health of your eyes. Someone can have -10.00 glasses and have very healthy eyes and fantastic vision with glasses or contact lenses. Likewise someone could not even need glasses and have unhealthy eyes.

Your optometrist would have done all the necessary checks for any eye disease and would have advised you if there was anything you needed to worry about (ie that would put you at risk of blindness). Make sure you have regular eye exams (every 2 years or less) and if you ever feel there is a change in the way you are seeing go back sooner.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a crystal ball and could tell what your eyes will be like in a few years? So your glasses might be a little thicker or a little thinner, I wouldn't loose sleep over it.

Out of curiosity, have you ever discusses contact lenses with your optometrist?

Answer 2

Sight is measuered in diopters ranging from "plano" to -or + 1,2,3 7, 14, etc... you get the idea. as long as your healthy and not blind- be happy and don't worry so much about it.K?