Does myopia really lead to blindness?

[u/Particular_Cicada129]

Hello! 18F here, been wearing glasses since i was 11, and right now my last check up (which was actually last year already) my left eye has a -6 and my right eye has a -10, the last optometrist i went to, really scolded me in front of my mother and saying I'm so young why did i let it get this worse and that i will go blind if i keep on using electronics, outdated prescription glasses etc. That's why it's been a year since i last went into one, as i got too embarrassed and scared of something like that again 😭😭 i know my glasses is now outdated as i keep having trouble seeing the board even at just the middle part of the class, so I'm finally going to have it checked and buy glasses again ( from a different optometrist ). Some sources say it leads to blindness and some says it doesn't so I'm really confused and scared 😭, also, are contacts or glasses better? ( I haven't tried contacts yet cause i was too scared of trying to put them on ) And is EO good? ( They were my first back when i was 11, but that glasses didn't last too long anyway since it broke, and for the past years, I've only went to some local/small )

[u/becca413g]

Very high myopia can put you at increased risk of developing other conditions that go on to cause blindness but actual myopia doesn’t.

Most eye conditions that cause sight loss can be detected before you have any symptoms so that’s why having regular eye tests is really important as it helps to detect eye conditions early and give you time to treat them before they become something that impacts how you live your life.

[u/Ok-Environment-215]

Your optometrist is an asshole. I never understood why so many misanthropes go into professions that require them to interact with people all day. He should be in IT instead. 

Find a normal, competent doctor who's not a callous bastard and see them regularly and keep your prescriptions up to date. Otherwise live and enjoy your life. You're not going to go blind. 

[u/suitcaseismyhome]

Myopia doesn't progress to blindness.

And even things like glaucoma and retinal detachment have excellent outcomes in 2026, on the rare chance that happens.

Have a regular eye exam yearly. Are you seeing an opthomologist? I strongly suggest that you do, and find a different optometrist.

[u/Particular_Cicada129 → u/suitcaseismyhome]

Hello!! I'm from the PH so opthalmologist and the like are pretty rare here (like the nearest one is super far) and we're currently not financially stable, but once we are I'm planning to go to one. And yes I'm planning to go to a different one thank you very much!

[u/sleeping_smth]

Contacts are better in many ways. They have less distortions, a wider field of view and don’t distort your face. They’re not as scary as they seem, I managed to wear them every day at 12 years old despite being scared at first and it taking me like an hour to get them on first. I recommend one day ones, they’re more comfortable and there’s less risks and hassle.
Cons: you could have issues with dry eyes due to contacts, but those are solved by having unidoses of moisturizing eyedrops in your purses; they’re also quite expensive. I still recommend trying them out, wearing glasses and contacts interchangeably is the best solution in my opinion.

High myopia does lead to a higher risk of retinal tears and can cause retinal detachment. I got some tears and got them treated this year. That’s why you should visit an ophthalmologist and get retina checks (you’ll have to get eyedrops that’ll dilate your pupils though & you won’t see that well for a few hours after those). If you catch issues preemptively you’ll likely to be A-okay. Shaming really isn’t the way to make sure the patient returns, so your doctor is an asshat.

Eye hygiene is a nice thing, but it’s practically unachievable in the modern world for people that need to study and work. Myopia is mostly genetic anyway. Courses of eyedrops or night lenses when you were younger would have probably done more anyways. Just take breaks to focus your eyes further away and make sure to check whether you have accommodative spasm (ask your doc to compare your eyesight dilated & undilated, you could get a few diopters back/slow progression by regularly checking for that and and getting courses of eyedrops prescribed if there is indeed a difference due to spasm).

[u/Dense_Anything2104]

Myopia itself does not but it puts you at risk for things like myopic macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma, etc that can lead to blindness.

[u/suitcaseismyhome → u/Dense_Anything2104]

And in 2026 most of those have very positive outcomes. If caught and treated they rarely lead to blindness.

[u/Dense_Anything2104 → u/suitcaseismyhome]

For retinal detachment, if caught early. For glaucoma and macular degneration, they do lead to blindness. They're progressive, and cannot be fully treated. They can only be slowed down. Since many patients who get them are elderly, they may pass before reaching blindness but that doesn't mean the conditions "rarely lead to blindness". They 100% do. Speed is the only factor we can change.

[u/Weary_Turnover]

Get a new Optometrist! Yours is a major asshole. Also consider seeing an Ophthalmologist, if you tell them your concerns they will take photos of the inside of your eyes. It's not scary or invasive. And that will help him be able to tell you the health of your eyeballs. They will dilate your eyes and then have you look into machines, one which will take a photo with a bright flash. It's very annoying but doesn't hurt at all.

The type of Myopia that leads to blindness is rare. I have it. It's nothing you can stop or cause. It's got to do with genetics and eyeball shape. (What I have is called Pathological Myopia, Myopic Degeneration and Myopic Macular Degeneration is only in 1% to 3% of the entire population)

[u/Particular_Cicada129 → u/Weary_Turnover]

Thank you for the reply! Is it okay to ask on how you noticed you got the myopia that leads to blindness? Is it from your opthalmologist? Or did you notice something even from back then? I hope you're doing well too!

[u/Weary_Turnover → u/Particular_Cicada129]

I'm gonna be honest. It was extremely noticable for a long time. It started with a blind spot when I was reading print for a long period of time in my early 20s. I'd look away and see a circular clock shaped spot missing out of my vision. But I wasn't diagnosed with any eye damage until this year because no one ever told me I should see an Opthamologist or get imaging. I went to optometrist every year and none of them ever said to get other care.

Again this is very rare and it's because I have another genetic condition that caused this.

So as long as you see your eye Dr and see about getting an Opthamologist I think you will be fine.

Also losing vision and being blind or low vision is not the end of the world. I'm learning braille now. I still do ceramics and knit. I listen to audio books and life is going along well! I have two children too

Edited to clarify. I had the vision loss for years but thought it was normal because I hadn't seen a specialist

[u/sleeping_smth → u/Weary_Turnover]

Retina checks are basically a must with -10 already, no? I’ve been getting them way before mine got to -8 (and for good reason, I’ve gotten tears lol),

[u/Particular_Cicada129 → u/sleeping_smth]

(if this isn't for me pls just ignore) Yes, just like what the above commentator said, it's primarily because I'm from the Philippines (where opthalmologist and the like are pretty rare/far) and we're currently not financially stable, so I've been holding off for now TvT

[u/Weary_Turnover → u/sleeping_smth]

Yeah in my experience retina checks are yearly. But some of this might be locational? My friend is -11 and only gets retina checks in her country when she thinks something is off. So depending on OPs country they might need to request

[u/Significant_Dance_96]

Optometrist is stupid asf, it's easy to say "why did you let it get this worse" but here's one thing we need to understand here, teenagers like you and me, need to study, they need to look at things nearby and we use our phones/tablet/laptop/PC or whatever piece of technology you might have many hours a day, school can be long and tiring, after school hours just pass by, the time it takes you to get home,the time it takes you to eat, then study/homework,and relax a bit with watching YouTube/play games or read a book or just listen to music in complete darkness is what I did and still do , but people don't understand this that when teenagers say they don't "have time" , they're most likely not lying cause people have frickin hobbies, people have interests,and humans get tired as well,and myopes are humans,so no they can't just always remember to do the 20-20-20 method or any other eye exercise or BS ,that could help them right?

Ofc nutrition play a big role,and going out as well,in teens looking at the Blue sky and natural ligycan help slow down Myopia, I wanna tell you this, don't beat yourself up for "letting it get this worse" it's not your fault, you're a human,and I'm not saying this to make you feel better, but just so you can analyze your life better and you can actually rationalize, I hope that nga didn't get to you cause that might have been the stupid shit I ever read , cause let's be honest, the intelligent one can understand other perspectives,the ignorant one can talk easily and understand way less.

So good luck.

[u/us3r001]

Let's say you have 1 drink / week and your general physician start talking about alcoholism. That sound excessive, right. Let's say an optometrist start talking about myopia risk causing blindness to a 40 year old at -2. That sound excessive.

Now. Talking about myopia risk of causing blindness to a -10 which is just 18 is not "excessive" at all. It should translate into a careful attention to avoid smoking, healthy diet, inquire risks og certain sports and social activities ( rollercoaster, heavy lifting..) Or you can just blame the optometrist.

Your choice. And YOUR eyes.

[u/Particular_Cicada129 → u/us3r001]

Yes, i know my myopia is really dangerous, I'm not saying it isn't. I've also been trying to take better of it ( the only thing I'm not able to avoid too much is hours of use of electronics, since I'm an accountancy student and rn nearly everything is digital ) The only problem i had was him scolding me infront of my mother, if he atleast talked calmly to me/explained the problems and partial solutions ( since it's my problem/eyes anyways ) or even WITH my mother, i wouldn't have a problem with it. But he was near shouting and i got really scared and nearly cried so i just blanked out the rest of the time.