My eyesight is decreasing consistently .I am wearing specs with both lenses (3 and -1.5) .is there any suggestion to hold or enhance it. Wearing specs regularly causes headache many time so please consider this as a secondary problem and give solution for both.

Dr. Chaitanya ShuklaOphthalmologist5yrs exp

92% (799 ratings)

Ask Free Question

Hello lybrate-user. You could consider refractive surgery (lasik) if it is applicable to your eyes. Operations done to remove the refractive error (power) of the eyes are known as refractive surgery. There are certain basic criteria that most patients need to fulfill before they can safely undergo refractive surgery. To enumerate, they are: (1) stability of refraction: the power of the eyes should have become stable for a period of 1.5 years minimum without any change. (2) curvature of the cornea should be tested by a technique which is known as topography. (3) thickness of the cornea should be measured by a test known as pachymetry. The minimum thickness required is 550 microns. (4) dilated retina evaluation: this is one of the most important tests that should be performed by a trained retina specialist. This test helps in detection of any offensive lesion on the central or peripheral retina. In case of any retinal abnormality, these should be treated before undergoing the surgery for number reduction. (5) there should be no pre-existent corneal abnormality. (example: corneal scar, opacity, defect, etc.) another important suggestion is that whenever you go for the assessment (the above mentioned tests), you should discontinue the use of contact lenses at least 4 weeks prior to the assessment. The reason for this being that use of contact lens temporarily alters the contour of the cornea. It takes around 3-4 weeks for the restoration of the original corneal contour after removal of the contact lens. Another important point is that you, as a patient, should be compliant to put post operative medication in your eyes for at least 2 months. There is bound to be some discomfort, watering, foreign body sensation, pain after the surgery in most cases-you should be ready to tolerate that. A leave from work for 7-10 days after the surgery should be generally sufficient. Last but not the least, you should set realistic expectations from this surgery. Though extremely rare, there is a remote possibility that the surgery may need to be repeated. Also, the need for subsequent treatment for the eye may be required. Thus, you should be compliant enough to trust and follow your eye specialist. Coming to your secondary problem, pain in the eyes and headache may have multiple causes associated with it. Let me enumerate the various causes in brief: (1) change in the power of glasses (in case you are using glasses). If you are not using glasses, you may need to use them. (2) allergy/infection/ foreign body in the eye. This requires prompt assessment and treatment. (3) raised eye pressure. This is usually a hereditary problem. It may also be precipitated by certain medications and drugs. (4) migraine: it may cause eye pain along with headache and associated signs and symptoms. (5) raised blood pressure: fluctuations in the blood pressure may cause pain in the eyes along with headache. (6) sinusitis / fever/ infection: it is an inflammation/ infection in the sinus spaces around the eyes. It is frequently associated with allergy. (7) other neurological issues. They would require assessment by a neurosurgeon/ physician. There are a few points you need to look at before jumping to any conclusions. Have you undergone an eye check up previously? is there any history of raised pressure in your eyes? do you have anybody in your family having raised eye pressure? do you suffer from recurrent cold, fever, cough, etc? do you have a lot of work/ study related stress? do you use glasses? do you have any history of migraine? do you have any history of brain problem? have you consulted a neurologist before? is there any history of eye injury or head injury? the reason for asking all these questions is that headache and eye pain may occur due to various reasons ranging from change in glasses, sinusitis, migraine, glaucoma, tension, blood pressure and so on. The list is long. It would be a good idea to have a look at your eyes. This would help in coming to a decision whether your eye pain and headache is due to an eye problem. If you could use the video facility provided by lybrate and get in touch, I could probably guide you more accurately as to provide relief to your symptoms. Hope my suggestions help you. Take care. 

1 person found this helpful