As we often discuss here in the blog, overprescription for the absolute maximum correction is standard practice among optometrists. This leads to progressive myopia that is primarily lens-induced, and could absolutely be avoided.
If prescription practices weren’t as they are today, very few people would use more than a -1.50 prescription lens.
Think about this – of the over 2 billion (!) myopes today, the vast majority are lens-induced myopes. This is a condition entirely created by the prescription – not nature, not “bad genes”, and not even NITM (near induced transient myopia). It is a classic case of the treatment creating the illness.
Let’s look at Can’s case in the forum, to illustrate with an example:
My last prescription from the doctor was Right: -5.75 and Left: -5.50 -0.50 Cyl, but I have been wearing a pair of old lenses which is already reduced: Left: -4.25 -0.50 Cyl and Right: -4.50. I use it for both distance (driving) and near (computer) viewing right now.”
The optometrist here prescribes a 22% prescription increase for Can. 22%! Let’s see what happens when Can tries to read the Snellen chart with his lower, old prescription:
With my -4.50 prescription, I can read the 20/30 line very well but the 20/25 and 20/20 lines are a little blurred.”
Look at that. No need to push up into high myopia territory, at all.
Of note here – it is very unlikely that you can get away with wearing a -5.75 prescription without axial elongation of your eyeball. And once that happens, things become progressively more difficult to reverse.
You also begin to have to start thinking about retinal detachment risk, once you deal with axial elongation of your eye.
This is exactly the reason that you *must* know how to use a Snellen chart on your own. It is a matter of printing two sheets, hanging the result on the wall, measuring the distance – just once. From there you can assess your own myopia degree and whether your glasses are strong enough, in a matter of seconds.
In Can’s case, he can actually see 20/20, though “a little blurred”. That means he can pass a state drivers license test without issue – the 22% lower prescription is just fine.
What happens if Can takes the optometrist recommendation, and increases his prescription by 22%?
The same thing, as what happened when he heeded that advice to get his -4.50 prescription. Can, as everyone else, started with a far lower prescription. It’s those nudges upwards, the ongoing increases, that drive the lens-induced myopia.
And there is no stopping this, unless you yourself takes step to preserve your vision health.
Also of note here, the little blur that Can experiences with the Snellen, he will be able to clear up in a matter of a month or two. I can guarantee that if Can follows the basic premises from the course, that 20/20 will be perfectly clear for him in no-time at all.
He could even do it today, with the help of active focus.
It is my job to make it possible for individuals like yourself, and like Can, to find this resource. It is also my job to make a good first impression, and to provide free resources to help you assess the truthfulness of my claims, and the quality of the rehabilitation guides. And while we are still a ways from excellent on that front, with your feedback and help, we are making progress!
The rest, as they say, is up to you.
