Second opinion?

I have had glasses since I was four years old because I was born with a lazy right eye. A couple months ago I went to renew my perscription because my vision was the same with or without the glasses. Well the optometrist who was very well educated, gave me a thorough vision examination. She told me that I am farsighted in my right eye, nearsighted in my left eye, I have astigmatisms in both eyes and I have poor depth perception. She also said I have a condition in my right eye, that I really don't remember what it was called, that meant that the muscles and cells in my right eye didn't completely form so when I close my left eye, everything turns blurry. Get this, though...she said I don't need glasses or contacts. So now its been about 5 months without glasses and I think I should get a second opinion and get glasses again? Because when I look through my right eye only, I can't focus at all, and when I try to focus, everything darkens and blurs. Should I get a second opinion?

When people are nearsighted in one eye, and farsighted in the other, they 'learn' to see with the near sighted eye and ignore the farsighted one.

When one is a baby, one needs to see CLOSE. So that eye learned to see. That's why when it's corrected for distance, you see well out of it at distance. Since it's already focused at near, you can look around your glasses to see close.

The other eye, the farsighted one didn't 'learn' to see. It's amblyopic which means that it's 'blind' sort of. Your brain did not 'learn' to use that eye and it now feels it doesn't work, so it ignores it. This amblyopia can be 'treated' by forcing that eye to see by patching or blurring the 'good' eye, but it'll never, ever see as well as the near sighted one. But it can improve.......some.

The muscles and cells in your eye are fine. They are NOT broken, NOT abnormal, NOT underdeveloped, ...none of that....her explanation wasn't as clear as it could have been or your interpretation of what she said is different.

As far as life is concerned, you have ONE eye.

PROTECT IT!!!!!!

You may not NEED glasses, then again you might. Even if you don't need any glasses to see distance, or far or wherever....you should protect that good eye. And glasses will help you do that. Forget the contacts. Wear glasses.

I'm not saying this for other than it is very, very, very hard to tell someone that you've finished the operation, but it doesn't look like you were able to save the eye (and it's their ONLY eye).

The astigmatism is simply that the way your cornea/lens system focuses light isn't spherical like a glass ball. It's more like a glass football where there's a rounder curve and a flatter curve. Each has it's own focal distance and you sort of move your lens focus so that you find the 'best' focus for your eye...and then use that. Glasses will help collapse those focal points together and you'll get better vision.

I can't emphasize enough protecting that good eye. If there's some stupid accident with a flicked pencil at school or a bug flying in the window, or some weird missile that hits that good eye and it's gone, your 'bad' eye will be all that's left for you to see with. Can you read with it? Could you drive with it? Would you drive with it?

I'm sorry if this is a bummer type of answer. If you get a second opinion, see a pediatric ophthalmologist who deals with amblyopic eyes daily, does the muscle surgeries all the time....they know this stuff well.

If you have more questions...let me know.

I think that you should get a second opinion, especially since you said it has been about 5 months without glasses. If it doesn't seem as if you eyes are strenghtening or eyesight is getting better then it seems that you will need to wear glasses again.

Yes, you should get another opinion. Any time an eye alone does not work properly there is something wrong which normally can be corrected. What you might wish to consider is having an eye Dr. that specializes in laser surgery look to see if it might be correctable that way. I realize that seems like a lot of money but they have plans to help and it is a permanent (more or less) solution. Your situation may not qualify for laser surgery but it's worth looking into.

But, to answer your question, absolutely get another opinion about your eyes.

Doctors are not gods. GET a second opinion! I had a doctor diagnose me with a lazy eye in my late teens. The fact that I had perfect vision in both eyes as a kid was ignored by the doctor. It turns out I have a condition called keratoconus which I had diagnosed after getting a second opinion and was confirmed by a third opinion. Talk with your family doctor to see they can recommend an eye doctor specializing in your condition.

A lot of people don't realize that even specialist have specialties. For instance, I have a condition that affects my cornea. My eye doctor specializes in this area as opposed to the retina.

I would talk to another doctor. But, some of what you describe is from the fact that the right eye is a lazy eye, and your brain just doesn't get the signal as well as from your left. I also have a lazy right eye. I do need glasses or contacts, and tend to get queazy if I look through just the right eye.
With a lazy eye, I doubt you are a candidate for lasic as one other person suggested. Again, if you're like me, you'd be screwed w/out the vision in your left eye, and most doctors don't think the risk is worth the possible rewards.
I think the depth perception issues are from the lazy eye and the dominance of the left eye, would I be correct in assuming you have a heck of a time looking through binoculars?
*Have to add Paul's answer is fantastic!