Question about prescription strength

Hey everyone

Not sure if this is the right spot for this, so bear with me if I'm out of line.
I wanted to get some quick thoughts here before I start digging deeper online.

So, I took my six-year-old sister to an eye doctor today, and they found out her right eye has really poor vision—basically almost blind. It’s sitting at somewhere around -16.

I feel like I read somewhere that laser surgery could fix stuff like this, but the doctor is saying it's just a congenital issue and can't be cured.

Anyway, if anyone has any info, links, or can point me toward a specialist, I’d seriously appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

www.medicaid.gov

I'm not responsible for the fallout 😎

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/

Jesse Ortiz4 said:I’m not responsible for the fallout😎

😁

Roger Wright said:I think I read somewhere that laser surgery can fix this. But my doctor is insisting it’s just an inherent defect and there's no cure.

Fix what with a laser? A -16 prescription isn't a diagnosis.

You can fix nearsightedness with LASIK.

But high myopia—that heavy prescription—can stem from all sorts of things.

You're likely talking about amblyopia, aka lazy eye. If a kid has a squint during early childhood, they basically "neglect" one eye, and the visual cortex doesn't fully develop for it. By age six, you're running out of runway to fix it. You could try patching the good eye to force the brain to use the weak one, but don't expect miracles at this stage.

Roger Wright said:Hey everyone!

I wasn't quite sure which sub to post this in, so I'm dropping it here—hope that's okay!
I wanted to get some initial thoughts from you guys before I start digging deeper online.

So, I took my six-year-old sister to an eye specialist today, and it turns out her right eye has very low vision. It’s sitting at around -16 diopters.

I remember reading somewhere that laser surgery might be an option, but the doctor told us that since it's a congenital issue, it can't be cured.

Regardless, if anyone has any info, helpful links, or could point me toward a specialist, I would be incredibly grateful!

Thanks in advance!

I've heard the pediatric ophthalmologists at the VA Hospital are top-notch.
First, try to find a truly great specialist. It might not be as dire as it seems at first glance.
It's way too early to consider laser surgery for myopia correction. Generally, doctors don't even recommend it until someone stops growing, usually around age 18. Plus, it's still considered a relatively newer method, so there isn't enough long-term data to guarantee how well it holds up over many years.

Out of all the local guys, Malcom X is the only one worth your time—just steer clear of everyone else. Honestly, just head into New York City and try to track down Vlahović somehow; he lives nearby and he’s basically the gold standard for kids.

At 6 years old, you're way too young for laser eye surgery.

Hm, looks like I'll be heading toward New York City in a couple of days.

Thanks for the tips. 😢

This is my response from yesterday regarding the same topic over in the science forum, so I’m pasting it here (though I see Stephanie already posted something similar):

Go get a second opinion. Seriously, consult another ophthalmologist.

Though, based on what you described, this doctor is likely correct.

The visual cortex in the brain develops during childhood, and its maturation depends entirely on the clarity of the images being sent from the eyes. If there is even a minor misalignment in early childhood—say, one eye drifts just slightly—the image transmitted to the visual center will be blurry. If that isn't corrected within the first three years of life, the brain's visual center will permanently learn to decode images in that blurred manner. In such a case, correcting the optical hardware with glasses, contact lenses, or even laser surgery won't fix anything, because the brain itself is still decoding everything through that flawed lens.

This condition is known as amblyopia, or what people commonly call "lazy eye." You should look up that term online to learn more about it, provided that is indeed what your sister is dealing with.