How blind are you?

[Nikia]

My prescription is -5.0 and -5.5. The glasses that I have are pretty thick. I have been that blind since puberty, and only a little less so since second grade. I have trouble seeing anything in dim light without my lens. I cannot read anything unless it is front of my face. Driving would be down right dangerous.
I want to get lasik when I have enough money. It would be wonderful to wake up seeing.
I know that there are people worse than me as well as those lucky ones who don't need correction. How blind are my fellow Duers?

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. 20/60 corrected

in one eye. But, thankfully, only slightly impaired with age in the other. I would rather have a root canal or see the obgyn than go to the eye doctor.

[FuzzySlippers]

2. Blind as a bat.

Not sure what my prescription is. You can get ultra-high index lenses that are much thinner than regular lenses. Without them, my glasses would be thicker than the bottoms of Coca-Cola bottles.

To make yourself feel better, remind yourself that there really is a correlation between myopia and intelligence.

[lumberingbear]

3. -8.5 and -13

Yep, that's true. I've had several detachments of both retinas and have had new lenses put in my eyes so that part of Rx is in eye lenses and the rest is in my glasses.

The two doctors that work on my eyes both have told me that they have never seen anyone with eyeballs as long as mine.

Anyone with a -3 or higher has a higher rate for detached retina. I have bands around each eye to keep the retinas from detaching when the eye changes shape as it grows.

[GardeningGal]

6. Wow - I'm pretty close to you -8.00 and -12.00

But no detached retinas so far, just bad eyes. I have to get my eyes checked every year, and the new lenses are expensive!

[slutticus]

9. Yeah...I'm afraid about my retinas too.

I hate it when they shine that bright light right into your eye....but I guess it's necessary.

[lumberingbear]

10. I was accually getting new lenses every 3 or 4 months for several years

It finally slowed down. Be sure and watch for signs of retinal tearing. They can do lazer and cryo surgery on tears. If it detaches then they do major surgery and pop your eyeball out and drill in it etc. (I've had 4 of those, 2 on each eye) I've had 12 surgeries total.

[arcos]

4. -5.25 in both eyes... nt

[Catchawave]

5. I just discovered the Large Font feature on DU !

I can SEE now....lol.

[Kire]

7. 20/15

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[slutticus]

8. -8.5 and falling

:(

[Speck Tater]

11. Right eye 20/20. Left eye - totally blind.

No depth perception, obviously.

[ghostsofgiants]

12. -3.25 left, -3.50 right

[KitchenWitch]

13. +3.00 and +3.05

very farsighted and am getting close to needing bifocals in addition.

[purr]

14. lets see..

I have congential cataracts in both eyes. Well, I had the lasik and had a fake lens put in my left eye and it did not do a SINGLE thing. In fact, I think my vision is worse than before in my left eye.

Before surgery, I was 20/40 20/100. So, pretty bad here.

[Dave Reynolds]

15. If I remember right

I was -10 and -12 prior to LASIK.

Now I am 20/20 and 20/30.

Better than even promised by the LASIK doc.

[LynzM]

16. Not that blind, apparently

I'm -3.5 and -3.75. My dad, however, is legally blind without his glasses (don't know where that cutoff is, but his glasses make my eyes hurt to look through). Lasik seems great, but a little scary.