Is it possible for eye sight to get worse as a child

For the past three years every time my son has his eye exam his prescription gets stronger. He is only 5 years old. We just had an eye exam Friday and his script went from 3.75 in both eyes to 4.75 in one eye and 4.75-125 in the other eye. I have no idea and did not think to ask if thats 20/40 etc eyesight or what. Every year he gets better at answering his questions during the eye exam. So I have no idea if they are just getting a better idea on how bad his eyesight is or if his eyesight is truely getting that bad. I know they said that in the simplest terms he is very far sighted but that even being far sighted his eyes have to work extra hard just to see things.

His eye sight prescription has nor surpassed his dad's. And they want me to bring his other brothers in to get their eye sight checked. They said when one child has eye sight this bad its likely that another sibling eyes are bad as well.

Mine still gets worse each time and I'm 26. There was a larger gap between prescriptions when I was younger (got my first pair at 12), and that has decreased as I hit my 20s. I'd say it's normal, but if you're really concerned, ask the Dr. next time you're in there.

I am worried just because it seems like such a strong prescription. I don't know how he manages when he does not have them on. How he does not run into things or trip all the time is beyond me.

Yes, children rarely answer the questions fully when they are young and so as they get older they can understand what they are being asked better and answer better. If they were given a wrong prescription because they did not have the proper reading on his eyesight, it can make his eyes work harder too.

The 4.75-125 I think should be 4.75x125 and means astigmatism in that eye (although they may just write it differently in the US) but should have another number with it too

If you type his prescription into this website http://www.billauer.co.il/simulator.html you can see how he sees with different prescriptions.

Is he currently just going to an optometrist? If you're concerned something could be causing his eyesight to degrade at such a young age you should take him to an ophthalmologist.

I just checked when I was looking something up and it says his doctor is an ophthalmologist.

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Yes, children rarely answer the questions fully when they are young and so as they get older they can understand what they are being asked better and answer better. If they were given a wrong prescription because they did not have the proper reading on his eyesight, it can make his eyes work harder too.

The 4.75-125 I think should be 4.75x125 and means astigmatism in that eye (although they may just write it differently in the US) but should have another number with it too

If you type his prescription into this website http://www.billauer.co.il/simulator.html you can see how he sees with different prescriptions.

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That website said it was beyond their range.

I've needed corrective lenses since I was a child. My prescription has changed every year (gotten worse) since I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old. Last summer, right after my 49th birthday, was the first time in my life that my prescription didn't change. I am horribly nearsighted. I think my vision is -8.5 left eye and -7.75 right eye, with pretty severe astigmatism. I also tried the link, but my vision is beyond simulation range. I do know that my focal distance is about 8 inches in front of my face! Anything beyond that is blurry. I think it is quite common for a child's vision to change while he is growing. You should consult with your child's ophthalmologist for reassurance.

My sister had huge glasses when she was little because she made too much of a fuss for them to figure it out right. She actually only needed them for one eye and the doctor missed this for years. She no longer wears her glasses, even though she still has trouble seeing from that one eye.

I've needed corrective lenses since I was a child. My prescription has changed every year (gotten worse) since I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old. Last summer, right after my 49th birthday, was the first time in my life that my prescription didn't change. I am horribly nearsighted. I think my vision is -8.5 left eye and -7.75 right eye, with pretty severe astigmatism. I also tried the link, but my vision is beyond simulation range. I do know that my focal distance is about 8 inches in front of my face!

Click to expand...

Wow, someone who's eyes are almost as bad as mine were! I got my first pair of glasses at age 8; when I finally had Lasik surgery 9 years ago my eyes were at -11 with a severe astigmatism. (after Lasik, one eye is 20/35, the other is +300!! Obviously it didn't work like it was supposed to)

Anyway, a -4.75 is pretty near-sighted, and I imagine your son has trouble when he doesn't have his glasses. There really isn't much you can do at this point; someday when he's older Lasix would probably be a real option for him. Good luck with your other kids' eye exams; hopefully the news will be better.
I feel sorry for the little guy---I truly know what he's up against.

My sister's eyes got worse every year as a child. It did stop at some point but I don't remember when (it was SOOOO long ago!) Also, if it's astigmatism, then he wouldn't necessarily have trouble bumping in to things etc. The eye exams are a lot better these days then they were when I was a kid. They are looking at the changes in the eye as it focuses on the readings and they can get a pretty accurate reading.

My eyesight kept getting worse at every appointment for a while when I was really young. I got my first pair around at around 10 years old, and it progressively got worse and worse until I turned 17ish. I'm 20 now, and my prescription hasn't changed.

Sure. My eyes degenerated fast right when they were first diagnosed. Now, they haven't changed in two years!

'course my eyes aren't that bad...

My father's are worse, though... he's legally blind without his glasses and legally blind in one eye with them. I'm so glad I didn't get his eyes...

I didn't get glasses till age 15, but I think I needed them a couple years earlier and just compensated by listening really well in class or learning the teacher's habits + picking things out of the book that I knew where important - thus making my own notes when needed.

Mine kept getting worse until around 23, they've not stopped but it has slowed down some. My range is about 3 feet, after that it does get blurry. And I do run into stuff, I'm not sure if that's eye sight, unsteadiness on my feet, or something else - maybe it's a combination of everything.

Yes, eyesight can get worse with age even in children.

I started needing glasses when I was in 6th grade, and they've gotten worse and worse. I'm 21 now. Both my eyes finally have the same prescription, but now that I'm an adult I'm thinking of Lasik.

When Rob was about 5, one of his eyes got worse. He's now 20/20 in his left eye, and 20/400 in his right.

I started wearing glasses in the second grade and my eyes got worse till high school and then eventually they've become pretty steady in what strength I need. I still feel a big factor in how bad my eyes got had to do with me reading with my glasses on as a kid. Not so much in class, but at home reading stories. I remember I used to complain in class that it was a pain to keep taking my glasses off to read the book and then to look right up at the board and need them. I think if I'd done less reading at home with them on it would have helped, but I'd probably still have needed pretty strong glasses.

My eyes got worse pretty fast as a kid.. they were already pretty bad when we discovered I needed glasses. At their worst, I was at -7.50 and -8.00 I believe.. But I got them re-checked last week, and they were -7.00 and -7.50! So, I've actually had some improvement after yeeeaars of steadily getting worse. I'm 24, almost 25 now.

I feel like I'm practically blind without my glasses, but I can actually see plenty well enough not to run into things any more than usual.

Yes it is normal for eyes to get worse... my Mom could only see 4 inches from her face without glasses...

I have 15/25 vision but NO Depth perception and I run into things alot...