What solutions are best for my extremely high prescription?

Question

I have a super high eyeglass prescription as I am very heavily nearsighted with slight astigmatism. I do wear contacts, but my doctor is recommending I only wear them when I need to as the super high prescription hinders oxygen from getting to my eyes.

I currently have 1.74 index lenses for my eyeglasses. Is there anything higher index that I can obtain that would work well so I can minimize the thickness of my lenses?

Prescription:

-18.00 x -.5 x 60

-16.5 x -2 x 100

Answer 1

1.74

Answer 2

Your prescription is beyond the help of LASIK or other Laser based refractive surgical techniques.  There are 2 possible  procedures for you.  A lensectomy,  where the natural lens of the eye is removed and  replaced with a plastic implant that corrects the vision.  A new procedure that might work for you is phakic IOL; a hard contact-like lens is inserted inside your eye to correct the vision.  Both of these procedures are inside-the-eye procedures and carry more serious risk than a laser based procedure.  Check with a Refractive Surgery Specialist in your area.

Answer 3

1.74 is about as high as one can get in the U.S.  1.77 is available some places, but i personally doubt you'd see a huge difference in thickness between 1.74 and 1.77

gas perm contacts made of high Dk (high oxygen transmission) material like the new Boston XO2.  thats my vote.  in theory you'd have better vision thru those than any -18.00 glasses, no matter what the index