Extreme Nearsightedness?

The strength on my contact lenses (I am not sure what it is called) is a -12.5. I've been told this is very near sighted. I cannot function without contacts in. I've had to miss school/work a few times because I was out of lenses and my glasses are coke bottles. I was just wondering how this compares to other people's strengths. How nearsighted is a -12.5? Will this just keep getting worse? I had to start wearing glasses in kindergarden and had to start wearing hard contact lenses when I was 10 in hopes that it would slow down my vision changes.

I also want to know what the numbers really mean. What does a -12.5 mean?

Yes indeed, you are extremely nearsighted...( myopic )

How does it compare to others?...well, at a - 12.50 you are in a much smaller % group of myopics than there are in the 1.00 to 4.00 group.

That is 12.50 dioptres of power, the vast majority of eyeglass/ contact lens wearers are under 4 dioptres.

How nearsighted is it you ask...well, extreme was a good word. You are way past the point of being legally blind without them.

It is quite impossible for us to know if it will stop, but your Dr. may have a good idea , depending on your age, and history of changes so far.

I hope you are getting a yearly exam. Myopia that bad also raises concerns about retinal detachment that your Dr. is probably keeping an eye on.

I have seen patients who are wearing - 20.00 contacts...so you aren't the worst case, but certainly in the higher, more rare range.

The -12.50 is just a measurment of power needed to focus light in order to give you the best vision. It is called a dioptre., so you need 12 and 1/2 dioptres.

I hope I have answered your questions

This makes me wonder how bad my daughter will get. She is also nearsighted, which she unfortunately inherited from me. I've heard that the earlier in life it shows up, the more severe it will get. I've been nearsighted since I was 10 years old. She started wearing glasses at the age of eight. Right now, she is 17 years old and almost as bad as I am. I can see through her glasses but they are a bit too weak for me. If she progresses like I did, she will one day be more nearsighted than I am. I hope it doesn't happen because I've got it pretty bad myself. The only advantage I'm finding right now at my age is that my condition seems to be delaying the effects of presbyopia. I was told years ago that this would one day lessen my nearsightedness but it hasn't happened. I'm still as bad as I ever was. However, I don't need reading glasses or bifocals and probably won't for another 30 years or so. At least that's what my eyecare specialist told me.

Well, I'm not a certified optician or anything, but I know a friend of mine who was -8.5 two years ago became worse. She's 15. She has the -10.0 prescription now. I guess if you're young your vision will get worse.