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• Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2007-08-27 22:56:17 By TEY K
• Dear all,
  
  I am 33, male and severely myopic (L-18D, axial 30.6mm, R-20D, axial 30.8mm ). I was just diagnosed with lacquer cracks in my both eyes, and a small retina hemorrhage in my left eye. That happened a few months back when I first noticed waviness when I look at straight lines and a light greyish blood patch on my left eye central vision. Both has since disappeared and my RS said the blood has resolved and there's no scarring on the macula.
  
  However, I do noticed a slight drop in visual acuity in my left eye and sensitiveness to dimly lit surroundings after what happened.
  
  My eye doctor said this was due to the thinning and stretching of the retina, RPE and chloroid due to the high myopia. I understand that the effects on the thinning of the RPE for myopic degeneration patients acts on about the same way as that for ARMD, and ultimately abnormal blood vessels will grow and retina will be damaged.
  
  Anyone who has the same situation as me, maybe you would like to share your experiences?
  
  So far my RS has not found any CNV leakage, but it came across to me that patients with lacquer cracks are highly predisposed to CNV.
  
  I read that lacquer cracks and breaks in the Bruch's membrane typifies the early stage of the disease.
  
  Besides that, my RS also said I got some slight lattice degeneration and mild posterior staphyloma on my left eye and chlorioretina atrophy on my both eyes.
  
  Does anyone know from personal experiences typically how long it takes for lacquer cracks to progress to CNV and eventually loss of central vision?
  
  Will the progression of myopia stabilised for pathological myopia? I feel that my myopia has not been increasing much (perhaps an increase of 2D-3D each eye) over the last ten years prior to this incident.
  
  I am really very fearful and feel so helpless and uncertain of what the future lies ahead after learning about my condition. It has never occur to me so many medical complications can arise as a result of being high myopic.
  
  Any advises or sharing of experience will be greatly appreciated!
  
  Thanks!
  

• Re: Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2007-10-10 23:48:25 By Donna P
• Hi. I am 54 and am have myopic macular degeneration, lattice dystrophy, had pvd, and 2 retinal tears in my best eye. I am legally blind in my other eye. Been a high myope many decades, and notified of myopic macular degeneration since 1995. Driving has become more limited and I has never very comfortable with night time driving.
  I wear soft lenses as a compromise rx with additional reading glassess. I am not looking toward getting driving glasses. Current macular films depict that this acts like the dry type of mac gen
  

• Re: Re: Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2007-10-15 10:51:51 By TEY K
• Hi Donna,
  
  Thank you for sharing!
  
  Sorry to hear about your condition.
  
  I was diagnosed with the dry type of macula degeneration on both eyes. Also had lattice degeneration in my left eye and posterior staphyloma in both eyes. My RS said the macula degeneration was due to the severe thinning and stretching of the retina due to my severe myopia. My prescriptions are -18D,-20D.
  
  So far has got no CNV yet, but now I feel fearful and depressed, and uncertain what the future holds.
  
  I am 33 y/o, and so far my VA is still quite fine at 6/7.5 both eyes.
  
  I learnt that if there's no CNV, loss of central vision through the dry type will be more gradual. I wonder how long will it usually take for me to lost my central vision through the dry type. Does anybody has experiences to share about this?
  
  Donna, I'm so sorry to hear about your condition.
  
  Did you go for any treatment for your 'bad eye'? Was it the dry or wet type? I heard at present, very sadly, there's still no treatment for the dry type, but treatments are available in the form of PDT, Avastin, Lucentis and Macugen for the wet type.
  
  I really hope there will be treatment or cure available for us in the not too distant future, though I am certainly not very hopeful, because there don't seem to be much research interests in myopic degeneration at present moment.
  
  Best wishes!!
  Kelvin
  
  
  May I ask what is the prescriptions for your myopia?
  
  

• Re: Re: Re: Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2007-10-21 11:11:31 By Donna P
• Hi Kelvin:
  
  My left eye is a -17.5 with reading rx of +2.5. This has not been filled at this time. My glases rx has been a -16.5 single vision with a balance lens for my right eye. I wear a daily wear contact at all times if possible -14.0. This is a compromise rx distance/mid/near to allow me to more eaasily negotiate in my home etc.
  
  Presbyopia is extremely troublesome on top of the high myopia, and excelerated with laser coagulation for pvd retinal tears several years ago. I use a +2.5 for reading, but have difficulty with some small text. Now the issue of font size is included in my book selection.
  
  Due to ambyopia; I choose not to wear a rx in my right eye. The rx is reported to be approximately -27.0 resulting in 20/400 very unstable image.
  
  I would scream for a lens replacement for my left eye if I thought I could walk out no worse that I walked in. My rs is of course anathema to this idea given my one eye status.
  
  The last several years have been frustrating. I know no once who has experienced vision difficulties and can relate. I know I have lost some ground even though I am 20/30 in my left eye. Distance vision is worse, near vision more blurry, and reading about the same. I am going to look into driving/distance glasses again.
  I drive less than just several years ago.
  
  "VA is still quite fine at 6/7.5 both eyes."
  
  Please explain as I am familiar for notation as
  20/20. 20/40 etc.
  
  Recently went back to rs due to vision changes.
  I have no blood vessels in the macula so they are happy.
  
  I hear your frustration, and fear with your condition. Fortunately you have two eyes. I hear about stem cell research with retinas, but any result will be after my needs. I too look for prognosis and statistics, but know they do not address my personal situation. I find it hard to find gratitude for my vision situation when others don't have any issues. Here comes the but; I drive though limited, I read. I fight with the additional vision demands and decreases.
  
  It was good to hear from you. While I know a lens replacement doesn't address eye pathology I would like a regular contact. There are interesting new lens replacements. Maybe some of this can become a choice for you.
  
  
  
  

• Re: Re: Re: Re: Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2007-10-30 10:05:37 By TEY K
• Hi Donna,
  
  Glad to hear from you.
  
  I understand your problems. I too find little gratitude that no one I know of personally in where I am staying has myopic degeneration.
  
  Recently I just got to know of a new friend (in the country where I live) who is the same age as me (33) and whose problems are worse than mine. He has been dealing with numerous bleedings for the past eight years and has permanent scars in his eye. I am very inspired by his never-say-die and forward looking attitude and I really wish that I could be like him when one day my vision takes a turn for the worse. So far he still drives, reads, writes (he works as a journalist no less) and life still goes on very normally for him.
  
  What I fear most about this condition is the unpredictability and lack of information. We just never know when will it get worse. I had a haemorrhage in my left eye six months back, which has since resolved on it's own. But I still live in fear, every morning I wake up, and seeing that I can still see and there's no new bleeding, it's a blessing and I feel thankful.
  
  I very glad for you that despite so many years of being notified of your myopic degeneration, you are still holding on well in your good eye and there's no new blood vessels growth. VA of 6/7.5 is equivalent to 20/25 (i think).
  
  Have you ever experienced any bleeding before? It's frightening as there's no warning, nothing. It just happened suddenly, no pain, nothing.
  
  Btw, have you been diagnosed with lacquer cracks?
  
  I read that with myopic degeneration without choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), loss of central vision is more gradual than with CNV. But how gradual is gradual? 10 years? Does anyone has any vague idea?
  
  Cheers!
  
  
  
  

• Re: Just diagnosed with pathologic myopia
• Posted: 2008-03-28 08:34:41 By Angela M
• I have just been diagnosed with myopic degeneration as well. the retinal specialist did not say dry or wet type he just said myopic degeration and there is no treatment at all available. Just be careful of retinal detachment possibility. Even though my myopia has gotten worse every year for the past 40 years eye doctors would always say how surprised they are at how healthy my eyes are. Until now of course. but my eye doctor didn't see the problem on his exam when I told him I see a grey shadow in the left eye. It is frustrating that there is no more information on this. If my vision stops getting worse every year (eyeball stops stretching) then the degeneration may stop. Has anyone ever had any success with those programs to improve vision???