Question
hello my 7 year old went to the eye dr today the look on the dr's face left me a little uneasy i will try n give you the script the way it is written and hope you can give me insight as to how bad her eyes are thank you so much for your time
SPH CYL AXIS
OD +5.50 -4.50 005
OS +3.75 -2.75 175
thank you celia
Answer
Oh - well this is a rather heavy prescription - especially for a 7 year old. However, IF her acuity is good (meaning she can see the bottom line or next to the bottom line on the chart with the glasses on) there is nothing to worry about based on these numbers.
The right eye (OD) is worse than the left. The +5.50 means she is far-sighted - and quite a bit farsighted. the next number -4.50 "cyl" is the amount of astigmatism ( quite a bit) and the Axis - just refers to the position on a 180 degree half-circle where the astigmatism correction is to be placed.
If the doctor made a face, it could be that he was dismayed she didn't get glasses sooner - OR it could have been that despite the glasses, your daughter still could not see one of the bottom lines. This is very common if someone has a high Rx and does not get glasses when they are very young. they are said to be amblyopic (or have lazy eyes.) Did the doctor say anything like that? Your daughter though is still young and her visual system is still flexible. If she gets these glasses and wears them regularly, there is no reason she can't enjoy good vision throughout her life - at least not due to anything based on these numbers.
Her glasses will be a little bit thick though. When she is older you can get her contact lenses, which she will surely prefer.
