How bad is my eyesight?

Question

My prescription is -9.00 is my left eye and -8.50 is my right eye. I am very well aware that this is bad, but I've never been able to get my optometrist to give me a straight answer about just how bad that is.

I know it's hard to give an answer on a 20/20 scale, but can someone give me some idea of how bad my eyesight is?

Answer 1

It is not possible to give you an answer on the 20/20 scale.  I found this website as reference and have read this information on several websites as well.

http://www.ihateglasses.com/html/opias_e...

The website says you have severe mypia.  As long as your vision can be corrected, you are fine.  That website says I have moderate astigmatism.  My prescription is right eye: plano, left eye: plano -1.50 axis 50.

Answer 2

-9.00 is in the high myopia range. The muscles in the eyes have to work hard to keep the eyeballs long in order to see through these prescriptions. This elongated state often leads to macular degeneration and retinal detachment. People in this high state can feel very disconnected and clutsy. They noticeably squint and stare very often. They can also notice higher degrees of night blindness. It is quite easy to pick these people out because it appears as if their head is fused to their shoulders and their head has a noticeable lurch posture.

Nothing personal. Just giving straight, unlike other professionals.

Answer 3

I'm guessing pretty bad. I have -3.50 and 3.75 (right to left) prescriptions and they are pretty bad to me.

Answer 4

As long as you can see 20/20 with your glasses on, your vision is excellent.

You have high myopia, about 3% of the US population has myopia at your level.

Answer 5

The 20/20 scale works like this.  It is a comparison of what someone with good vision will be able to see at a given distance to what you can see at the same distance.  So someone with 20/200 vision has to be 20 feet away from on object to see it clearly when someone with good vision can be 200 feet from the same object and see it clearly.

This is just a guestimate on my part, but I would say you are probably close to 20/1000.

Answer 6

mine is -3.00 for both eyes. Yours is kind of bad, I sometimes feel like my eyes are bad!  

Answer 7

Yes, it is impossible to just convert your prescription to the 20/20 scale.  But, my prescription is -9.50 in my left eye and -9.00 in my right eye, so I'm just a little bit worse than you.  I had to find my visual acuity for school and it came out to about 20/2300, so I would estimate you would be about 20/2000, but remember, just a very rough estimate.

The only way to know for sure would be for you to walk up to the chart (the big E) until you could make it out.  The doctor could then measure that distance and convert it to a 20/xx visual acuity.  If your doctor didn't do this, then I don't think he/she could give you a definite answer.

Hope that helps a little.

Answer 8

without glasses your vision would be 20/CF or 20/HM

CFmeans count fingers and HM means hand motion.  you would be considered leagally blind without any correction.  there is a difference in legally blind and blind so don't confuse the 2.  legally blind means that you will not be allowed to drive without glasses.  blind means you can't see at all.