Severe myopia

So, I’m highly myopic. 😢
My prescription sits at -9.5 and -10.5. Honestly, it hasn't been a massive issue for me up until now. My routine is pretty standard: contacts in the morning, out at night. When I'm without lenses or glasses, I basically just stumble from the bathroom to my bed. My vision started declining when I started school back when I was seven, and it’s just steadily worsened over the years. It actually stayed stable for about three years, but lately, things have started sliding again. I really thought it had finally leveled off—I'm 23, after all; it should have stabilized by now, right? To make matters worse, my contacts are starting to irritate my eyes; they feel drier than usual...
I'll admit, I'm a little spooked.

I've decided I need to do whatever is possible to finally stop this progression. However, cutting back on reading or screen time isn't an option since that's literally my job.
I remember hearing about those eye exercises that were supposedly popular for a while—the ones that claimed to actually reduce your prescription. Does anyone have actual information on whether that works? Or perhaps some other way to protect my poor eyes?
Laser surgery is off the table for now because my vision isn't stable yet. Besides, the idea of something going wrong terrifies me. I rely heavily on my sight, and I am not willing to take even a one percent risk unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

Laser surgery is the only way to go, and even then, only once your prescription stops changing. Don't waste your time with any of those fake vision exercises.

Terry Gray60 said:So, I’m highly myopic. 😢
My prescription sits at -9.5 and -10.5. Honestly, it hasn't been a massive issue for me up until now. My routine is pretty standard: contacts in the morning, out at night. When I'm without lenses or glasses, I basically just stumble from the bathroom to my bed. My vision started declining when I started school back when I was seven, and it’s just steadily worsened over the years. It actually stayed stable for about three years, but lately, things have started sliding again. I really thought it had finally leveled off—I'm 23, after all; it should have stabilized by now, right? To make matters worse, my contacts are starting to irritate my eyes; they feel drier than usual...
I'll admit, I'm a little spooked.

I've decided I need to do whatever is possible to finally stop this progression. However, cutting back on reading or screen time isn't an option since that's literally my job.
I remember hearing about those eye exercises that were supposedly popular for a while—the ones that claimed to actually reduce your prescription. Does anyone have actual information on whether that works? Or perhaps some other way to protect my poor eyes?
Laser surgery is off the table for now because my vision isn't stable yet. Besides, the idea of something going wrong terrifies me. I rely heavily on my sight, and I am not willing to take even a one percent risk unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

There are actually a few threads on the health forums covering this.
The local specialist runs his clinic and offers quick workshops for about $3,000-$1167
Apparently, while you're doing the exercises to try and lower your prescription, you aren't allowed to wear any corrective lenses at all, which honestly sounds impossible for someone like you!
If your prescription is up to -5, you can still get around okay, but anything higher than that makes life pretty dangerous.

From what I've read and remembered, most people say they see some slight improvement, but everything just goes right back to normal once you stop the exercises.

😢
I tried those eye exercises. I remember reading about them on some forum once, but looking here, I only see a few posts mentioning a Dr. P-nesto from Washington, D.C., whom people are calling a fraud. We’re probably talking about the same guy. My question is: are his specific exercises useless, or is the concept of eye exercises just a myth in general?

Dammit. I honestly feel like my prescription is never going to stop getting worse. I really want to find a way to help myself; the thought that I might be completely powerless to stop this progression is just awful...

I’m on that P-nesto
basically Mladen Pavić at the Spanish restaurant

I’ll try to dig up those topics for you tomorrow morning—the forum is acting a bit sluggish tonight, so I can't really call anyone just yet

All in all, I’m not sure if there’s actually an effective way to stop your prescription from getting worse
for me, it stopped changing🤔 right around age 27
I can't say for certain when my vision stabilized after 30, though I did recently pick up about +0.75 in age-related farsightedness😬

Laura Williams4 said:Laser surgery is the only way to go, and even then, only once your prescription stops changing. Don't waste your time with any of those fake vision exercises.

Please, I beg you, don't post things like that unless you're speaking from direct experience. Personally, I actually did those exercises and managed to reduce my prescription significantly (by about -2.00 and 1.25), and I haven't even done them for a month or two now... nothing has reverted back. I think it's mostly nonsense, probably just some fluff spread by a rookie optometrist who doesn't want people helping themselves. I guess it’s more in their interest to have people constantly buying contact lenses or glasses for $200 or more, only to replace them again a few months later.

People often start these exercises, but maybe they aren't reading the instructions carefully, or perhaps they just don't stick with it long enough. If someone is thinking about starting, I suppose they need to clearly understand the goal of the routine, as well as what they have to give up—like wearing corrective lenses, some time, and maybe 20 minutes every morning and evening.

If you have a very high prescription or if you've worn contacts or glasses for a long time, it's quite likely it will take much longer for you to see results than it did for me. In my case, I saw a change in my prescription after about a month of consistent daily work.

Laser surgery is permanent and you might run into issues like dry eyes or issues with astigmatism. No, thank you. This approach doesn't cost you anything to try, I guess. Good luck.

Taylor Flores6 said:Please, I beg you, don't post things like that unless you're speaking from direct experience. Personally, I actually did those exercises and managed to reduce my prescription significantly (by about -2.00 and 1.25), and I haven't even done them for a month or two now... nothing has reverted back. I think it's mostly nonsense, probably just some fluff spread by a rookie optometrist who doesn't want people helping themselves. I guess it’s more in their interest to have people constantly buying contact lenses or glasses for $200 or more, only to replace them again a few months later.

People often start these exercises, but maybe they aren't reading the instructions carefully, or perhaps they just don't stick with it long enough. If someone is thinking about starting, I suppose they need to clearly understand the goal of the routine, as well as what they have to give up—like wearing corrective lenses, some time, and maybe 20 minutes every morning and evening.

If you have a very high prescription or if you've worn contacts or glasses for a long time, it's quite likely it will take much longer for you to see results than it did for me. In my case, I saw a change in my prescription after about a month of consistent daily work.

Laser surgery is permanent and you might run into issues like dry eyes or issues with astigmatism. No, thank you. This approach doesn't cost you anything to try, I guess. Good luck.

I’ve been wearing contacts since I officially joined the "blind as a bat" club. 😁

If those aids are actually useless, then the whole method is a waste of time. I can't exactly lock myself in an empty room for a month just staring at walls to train my eyes. When you're sitting at a negative ten prescription, you can barely navigate a flight of stairs.

jadesailor14, until you're 30?!... Good grief. If I keep going at this rate, I won't just be dealing with age-related farsightedness; I'll be looking for a cane with stripes on it. 😢

Taylor Flores6 said:Please, I beg you, don't post things like that unless you're speaking from direct experience. Personally, I actually did those exercises and managed to reduce my prescription significantly (by about -2.00 and 1.25), and I haven't even done them for a month or two now... nothing has reverted back. I think it's mostly nonsense, probably just some fluff spread by a rookie optometrist who doesn't want people helping themselves. I guess it’s more in their interest to have people constantly buying contact lenses or glasses for $200 or more, only to replace them again a few months later.

People often start these exercises, but maybe they aren't reading the instructions carefully, or perhaps they just don't stick with it long enough. If someone is thinking about starting, I suppose they need to clearly understand the goal of the routine, as well as what they have to give up—like wearing corrective lenses, some time, and maybe 20 minutes every morning and evening.

If you have a very high prescription or if you've worn contacts or glasses for a long time, it's quite likely it will take much longer for you to see results than it did for me. In my case, I saw a change in my prescription after about a month of consistent daily work.

Laser surgery is permanent and you might run into issues like dry eyes or issues with astigmatism. No, thank you. This approach doesn't cost you anything to try, I guess. Good luck.

And you tried laser surgery just so you could talk me into your nonsense?
Everyone I've asked had their prescription return, and for some, it didn't even improve. There's plenty of info on that in the thread dedicated to clearing prescriptions; do a little searching. Based on that, I could easily say you're just on that doctor's payroll. 🙄

Terry Gray60 said:I’ve been wearing contacts since I officially joined the "blind as a bat" club. 😁

If those aids are actually useless, then the whole method is a waste of time. I can't exactly lock myself in an empty room for a month just staring at walls to train my eyes. When you're sitting at a negative ten prescription, you can barely navigate a flight of stairs.

jadesailor14, until you're 30?!... Good grief. If I keep going at this rate, I won't just be dealing with age-related farsightedness; I'll be looking for a cane with stripes on it. 😢

It wasn't even a steady slide downward; it was more like sudden jumps
One year, two years of nothing, and then within a single month, I dropped another -0.5
And that's how I slid all the way down to -7, plus some astigmatism that I just can't seem to shake😬
Even when I was wearing hard contacts, the vision kept slipping
But honestly, everyone reacts differently; that's just what happened to me

Yeah, it’s true—while you're doing the exercises (not just during the actual workout, but during that whole training period), you aren't supposed to wear glasses or contacts at all.

Let me go hunt down those links for you right now! 🙂

Taylor Flores6 said:Please, I beg you, don't post things like that unless you're speaking from direct experience. Personally, I actually did those exercises and managed to reduce my prescription significantly (by about -2.00 and 1.25), and I haven't even done them for a month or two now... nothing has reverted back. I think it's mostly nonsense, probably just some fluff spread by a rookie optometrist who doesn't want people helping themselves. I guess it’s more in their interest to have people constantly buying contact lenses or glasses for $200 or more, only to replace them again a few months later.

People often start these exercises, but maybe they aren't reading the instructions carefully, or perhaps they just don't stick with it long enough. If someone is thinking about starting, I suppose they need to clearly understand the goal of the routine, as well as what they have to give up—like wearing corrective lenses, some time, and maybe 20 minutes every morning and evening.

If you have a very high prescription or if you've worn contacts or glasses for a long time, it's quite likely it will take much longer for you to see results than it did for me. In my case, I saw a change in my prescription after about a month of consistent daily work.

Laser surgery is permanent and you might run into issues like dry eyes or issues with astigmatism. No, thank you. This approach doesn't cost you anything to try, I guess. Good luck.

Oh boy, your -2 and 1.25 don't mean much compared to someone dealing with a massive -9.5 or -10.5!
Plus, a couple of months just isn't nearly enough time to really see if any of this stuff actually sticks long-term.

Here you go

I’ve included a few links in the thread to some older posts covering this exact same topic!

Laura Williams4 said:And you tried laser surgery just so you could talk me into your nonsense?
Everyone I've asked had their prescription return, and for some, it didn't even improve. There's plenty of info on that in the thread dedicated to clearing prescriptions; do a little searching. Based on that, I could easily say you're just on that doctor's payroll. 🙄

If you want to call it foolish that I managed to get rid of my glasses, then fine, go ahead. Or maybe it’s just a little bit of jealousy talking. Personally, I haven't tried laser surgery because I don't think I'm crazy enough for that. There are just too many risks involved, and I guess you might not even see the real consequences until twenty or more years down the road.

I didn't say that it doesn't work for everyone—just that it isn't working for ME. I think anyone who actually understands the goal of these exercises gets it: it’s about correcting how you perceive things, not some intense workout to build up eye muscles. If you actually stick to that philosophy, I guess you’d probably have a much better chance at keeping your prescription from creeping back up. People with myopia tend to stare too hard, and honestly, breaking those old habits is incredibly difficult. I suppose I really am one of that doctor's biggest success stories. Maybe I should just write the book myself...

jadesailor14 said:Oh boy, your -2 and 1.25 don't mean much compared to someone dealing with a massive -9.5 or -10.5!
Plus, a couple of months just isn't nearly enough time to really see if any of this stuff actually sticks long-term.

That’s exactly what I was getting at, so maybe give my previous post another read. I think it'll definitely be much harder and more uncomfortable for her to ditch her glasses and commit to those exercises, especially since her prescription is several times higher than mine.

If I were in her shoes, I'd probably try something harmless first rather than jumping straight into a permanent surgery with unknown side effects. I also suppose five to ten years isn't quite enough time to truly see the lasting consequences of LASIK.

Taylor Flores6, I can't even attempt to test that because I can't function without glasses or contacts. With a -10 prescription, you can see things around you, but you're rarely sure what they actually are. I wouldn't dream of stepping out onto the street like that.
Laser surgery isn't an option for me right now either since my prescription hasn't stabilized. Even if it had, I wouldn't bother; I'm not looking for trouble, and honestly, my contacts were fine for the most part. But lately, things have changed. My eyes are constantly dry, red, and fatigued. It might be the neon lighting—I've been spending way too much time in those kinds of environments recently. Who knows. I'll just have to book an appointment with an ophthalmologist; there's no other way.

@jadesailor14 - I'm in the exact same boat. Mine fluctuates too. For three years, nothing happened, but in the last month alone, my prescription jumped by 0.5 in both eyes. Don't even get me started on the astigmatism given how high my vision is already. 😁 I wear hard contacts, and while they're supposed to slow down the decline, they don't seem to be doing much for me. I'm genuinely worried about the increase and the risk of any kind of degeneration... anything could happen when your vision is this compromised.
jadesailor14, did you perhaps have a baby? Just asking to see if that's a factor.

And thanks for the links! Eye exercises aren't really my thing, but I did stumble upon this:

You can improve your vision or prevent further damage through daily massage using an oil-based preparation. Infuse 3 tablespoons of basil and 2 tablespoons of rosemary in ½ liter of olive oil for 30 days. Strain it and massage your eyelids for at least 2–3 minutes once a day.

I have no idea; this looks like some old grandmother's home remedy to me. What do you all think?

Terry Gray60 said:Taylor Flores6, I can't even attempt to test that because I can't function without glasses or contacts. With a -10 prescription, you can see things around you, but you're rarely sure what they actually are. I wouldn't dream of stepping out onto the street like that.
Laser surgery isn't an option for me right now either since my prescription hasn't stabilized. Even if it had, I wouldn't bother; I'm not looking for trouble, and honestly, my contacts were fine for the most part. But lately, things have changed. My eyes are constantly dry, red, and fatigued. It might be the neon lighting—I've been spending way too much time in those kinds of environments recently. Who knows. I'll just have to book an appointment with an ophthalmologist; there's no other way.

@jadesailor14 - I'm in the exact same boat. Mine fluctuates too. For three years, nothing happened, but in the last month alone, my prescription jumped by 0.5 in both eyes. Don't even get me started on the astigmatism given how high my vision is already. 😁 I wear hard contacts, and while they're supposed to slow down the decline, they don't seem to be doing much for me. I'm genuinely worried about the increase and the risk of any kind of degeneration... anything could happen when your vision is this compromised.
jadesailor14, did you perhaps have a baby? Just asking to see if that's a factor.

And thanks for the links! Eye exercises aren't really my thing, but I did stumble upon this:

You can improve your vision or prevent further damage through daily massage using an oil-based preparation. Infuse 3 tablespoons of basil and 2 tablespoons of rosemary in ½ liter of olive oil for 30 days. Strain it and massage your eyelids for at least 2–3 minutes once a day.

I have no idea; this looks like some old grandmother's home remedy to me. What do you all think?

Oh, that happened twice!
I was quite young when I started dealing with this—only 22 and 24 at the time—so there weren't any major issues back then, but my prescription has definitely slipped since then!
I honestly think you’re a prime candidate for a C-section! Especially if you're already dealing with blood pressure issues, that's probably exactly how things would end up anyway.

My vision actually stabilized pretty quickly once I switched over to soft contacts, though honestly, it was probably just because I'm getting older!

I saw that thread you started about using natural remedies for autoimmune diseases! It looks like quite a few people are venting about their skepticism toward herbal treatments. I was just wondering—do you think those specific recipes they're complaining about actually have any scientific basis at all?

I know you can't just shake off contact lenses overnight right from the jump. I guess nobody is asking you to do that, either; when you have a high prescription, it really should be a gradual process, one step at a time. Maybe for the first week, you could just focus on the exercises, but make sure you take the lenses out while you're doing them. Then, during the second week, you might try going without them at home. I realize it’s tough with such a strong prescription, and maybe someone more specialized than me should be giving you advice on the specific techniques, but that's not really what this is about if you're just asking $1000 Mladen Pavić or whoever else. There are no guarantees of success here. I don't want to push you into anything; I just wanted to offer a suggestion because, honestly, you don't have much to lose except a little bit of time. For the actual "how-to" details, you should probably check out the Bates book. Again, I think it helps quite a bit—there's some truly useful advice in there, and the only real cost is your time. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck 🙂

I'm only 23 and sitting at -9 and -14... my prescription has just been spiraling upward for the last four years straight. I can't even look into laser surgery yet because my vision isn't stable enough, and honestly, regarding those eye exercises—I've heard so many people swear by them, but I just can't imagine getting through a single day without contacts... plus, they are way too expensive. It's not that I don't believe in the help, I'm just skeptical about how much any of that could actually do for a prescription this high. 😢

I was actually just at an appointment with my ophthalmologist recently and I got so spooked about my vision that I went straight to get blood work done immediately. Thank God it wasn't diabetes or anything scary like that, but man, it is not a fun feeling being this blind when you're still so young... people with a measly -2 can actually be happy, I swear.

Anyway, Terry Gray60, just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in this. 😉

Zachary James84, would you actually go through with surgery if your prescription finally stabilized? Like, would you do it once things settle down?
I don't think I would. Honestly, dealing with contacts every day is less of a headache than taking the risk. It's not even that the lenses bother me; it's the fear of complications, and the risk just scales with how bad your vision is. I wouldn't want my sight to keep slipping regardless. At a certain point, whether it's -5 or -15 doesn't matter much when you can't see anything anyway.😁
I've been lucky enough to stay healthy, meaning I don't have any underlying conditions that could mess with my eyes further. I really hope it stays that way.
It's good to hear from you. Personally, I don't know anyone else with a prescription this high. Are you wearing hard lenses, I assume?
I don't feel any different from anyone else, really. Contacts don't hold me back from anything. I don't care much for diving, so I'm fine as is. If that were the only thing, though...

@jadesailor14 - why did you switch away from hard lenses? Did they give you trouble? I heard they're supposedly better for high prescriptions because they help stabilize things (for some people). I was actually thinking about switching to soft lenses myself, since I'll be getting new ones soon anyway.

@Taylor Flores6 - can you give me the full title and author of that book? What's it actually about, and can I find those exercises in there?

Terry Gray60 said:Zachary James84, would you actually go through with surgery if your prescription finally stabilized? Like, would you do it once things settle down?
I don't think I would. Honestly, dealing with contacts every day is less of a headache than taking the risk. It's not even that the lenses bother me; it's the fear of complications, and the risk just scales with how bad your vision is. I wouldn't want my sight to keep slipping regardless. At a certain point, whether it's -5 or -15 doesn't matter much when you can't see anything anyway.😁
I've been lucky enough to stay healthy, meaning I don't have any underlying conditions that could mess with my eyes further. I really hope it stays that way.
It's good to hear from you. Personally, I don't know anyone else with a prescription this high. Are you wearing hard lenses, I assume?
I don't feel any different from anyone else, really. Contacts don't hold me back from anything. I don't care much for diving, so I'm fine as is. If that were the only thing, though...

@jadesailor14 - why did you switch away from hard lenses? Did they give you trouble? I heard they're supposedly better for high prescriptions because they help stabilize things (for some people). I was actually thinking about switching to soft lenses myself, since I'll be getting new ones soon anyway.

@Taylor Flores6 - can you give me the full title and author of that book? What's it actually about, and can I find those exercises in there?

I always go with rigid masks; I’ve actually never tried the semi-rigid ones.
Since my skin is super sensitive, I could barely manage eight hours in them!
Honestly, if the ones you're using feel good, I wouldn't bother changing them if I were you.

You can totally snorkel with soft masks.
I personally don't, but my daughter is quite the little snorkeler—
she uses masks, she goes without, uses tanks, whatever works for her! 😁

Terry Gray60 said:Zachary James84, would you actually go through with surgery if your prescription finally stabilized? Like, would you do it once things settle down?
I don't think I would. Honestly, dealing with contacts every day is less of a headache than taking the risk. It's not even that the lenses bother me; it's the fear of complications, and the risk just scales with how bad your vision is. I wouldn't want my sight to keep slipping regardless. At a certain point, whether it's -5 or -15 doesn't matter much when you can't see anything anyway.😁
I've been lucky enough to stay healthy, meaning I don't have any underlying conditions that could mess with my eyes further. I really hope it stays that way.
It's good to hear from you. Personally, I don't know anyone else with a prescription this high. Are you wearing hard lenses, I assume?
I don't feel any different from anyone else, really. Contacts don't hold me back from anything. I don't care much for diving, so I'm fine as is. If that were the only thing, though...

@jadesailor14 - why did you switch away from hard lenses? Did they give you trouble? I heard they're supposedly better for high prescriptions because they help stabilize things (for some people). I was actually thinking about switching to soft lenses myself, since I'll be getting new ones soon anyway.

@Taylor Flores6 - can you give me the full title and author of that book? What's it actually about, and can I find those exercises in there?

The book is called Seeing without glasses, though unfortunately, it's only available in English. It was written by Dr. Bates. Personally, I’ve been mixing his techniques with five basic exercises designed to wake up some "dormant" muscles. I might be able to send those basic ones to you via private message if you're interested..

http://www.eyeexercises.net/

That’s a direct link to the book. You’ll see the chapters listed on the left side; if you've ever navigated a PDF before, you should find it pretty easy to get around. I would suggest not jumping straight into the exercises right away. It might be better to spend some time with the introduction first, where they explain the root cause of the issue and what the exercises are actually meant to achieve. I guess if those two points aren't crystal clear from the start, it might be best not to try the exercises at all.

One thing I worry about, I suppose, is that if you start the exercises and your prescription begins to improve, things could get a little tricky. For instance, if your vision shifts toward a -7 but your lenses are set for -9, you might end up struggling to see clearly both with and without them. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it, but I'm not quite sure how that works with such high prescriptions.