Should I be worried about my vision frequently getting worse?!

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Hi Lexy

If you have symptoms of trachoma you should get it investigated. It can lead to blindness. The symptoms are:

Eye discharge
Swollen eyelids
Trichiasis (turned-in eyelashes)
Swelling of lymph nodes in front of the ears
Seeing bright lights
Increased heart rate
Further ear, nose and throat complications.


"Most transmission of trachoma occurs within the family."

Source:
Taylor, Hugh (2008). Trachoma: A Blinding Scourge from the Bronze Age to the Twenty-first Century. Centre for Eye Research Australia. ISBN 0-9757695-9-6.

So if your father has this infectious eye disease anyone in the same house is at high risk of contracting it. The only way to deal with an advanced case is by surgery. Anti-biotics can cure an infection but don't guarantee to prevent the issue from re-occuring.

"If not treated properly with oral antibiotics, the symptoms may escalate and cause blindness, which is the result of ulceration and consequent scarring of the cornea. Surgery may also be necessary to fix eyelid deformities."
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachoma


If you have checked that you dont have diabetes or glaucoma already then the longterm cause of your poor vision is a phenomenon called "eyeball elongation". This is a seperate issue to those discussed above. Myopia is generally down to the eyeball of the person changing shape. This creates a problem for the focusing mechanism of the eye.

Its more normal for someones distance vision to get worse (than 20/20) from the age of 50 onwards. The one thing that will always prevent you from ever seeing 20/20 or better will be this elongation that occured with your eyeball.
Usually when getting an eyetest or when busying glasses the salesman will avoid mentioning the actual cause of your bad eyesight. The focus will be solely on the apparent usefulness of the product which they sell (glasses)

This "product" obviously has appeal. Millions of people in practically every country now use glasses. Wearing glasses does however have its disadvantages. Youre probably aware of some of them already. From your question it appears the strain of poor vision sits uncomfortably with you. It could be the case that you spend long periods considering/worrying whether youre doing the right thing for your eyes.
There is the social handicap wearers have to put up with also to consider. This occurs due to staring through the lens whenever they meet or talk with people etc. This kind of behaviour is not appreciated by the general public. It makes other people uncomfortable

Well most myopic people find that when they truely relax, allow their eyes to turn/move freely, smile and in general being comfortable around people...is when they get a small improvement to their vision.
However there is only so far this improvement can god ue to, as said earlier, the limit imposed on your distance vision by the longterm elongation of your eyeball.
Some experts suggest that if then eyeball can lengthen (front to back) then it is equally possible for it to be shortened. (Either by course of nature or from using of the opposite type of lens (convex)

Source:
Shaeffel, F., Glasser, A., and Howland, H.C. (1988) Accomodation, refractive error and eye growth in chickens. Vis. Res. 28, 639-657.
Shaeffel F., Howland HC. (1991) Properties of feedback loops controlling eye growth and refractive state in the chicken. Vis Res; 31:717-734.


Anyway here are some links that you might want to consider. They are free and you have no obligation to continue with anything (you can go back to glasses if you wish.)

http://www.naturalvisioncenter.com/Succe…
http://www.natural-vision.co.uk/
http://www.visionsofjoy.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1LYoDiA… (Eye Relaxation Techniques)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jhqZO18f… (Eye Exercises)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjaQKYnx1… (Pinhole Theory)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDBrn6Bo3… (Clinic using Pinhole Glasses)

That covers a wide range. Relaxation, Eye Exercise, Pinhole Glasses and more.


Popular books on natural vision improvement:
"Relearning to See" by Tom Quackenbush
"The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses" by William H Bates
"The Secret of Perfect Vision" by David de Angelis
"Natural Vision Improvement" by Janet Goodrich



Its a myth that myopia is caused by parents/genetics.

Sources:

(Inuit Eskimo Eyesight Research) and
(Comparison of ethnic chinese children living in singapore and australia)
Google these terms to view research

I am not sure what your actual age is, but I assume it is between 13 and 17 years old. It is normal for myopia to get worse while you are still growing. It should hopefully stabilize in your early 20s. You should not be worried too much about that one. I think you should see your eye doctor about the stabbing pain/pressure in your eye. That is cause for concern and could impact your vision.

Don't worry. When I was between 12-13, my vision plummeted from 20/20 to needing glasses all the time with a -3.25 prescription. My eyes stabilized when I was about 20 with a -6.25. My eyes are normal, besides the awful vision without glasses, but fully correctable

Well, according to me, eyes are the most important external organ. You need to visit an optician and tell them your family history. He'll tell you better.=)

You need to see an eye specialist urgently. I'm surprised your optician hasn't recommended one long before this.

Myopia of this degree at your age can in some cases worsen over time. As the previous poster said, it should stabilise once you reach your twenties. Some conditions such as diabetes can cause this change in vision but you would generally be experiencing other symptoms too.

Please don't connect your prescription (-4.50) to your visual acuity (20/425) because there isn't a reliable correlation - thinking of it in only these terms can be misleading.

HOWEVER - If there are any sudden changes in your vision you need to see your optician straightaway. Given the other symptoms you are experiencing I would contact your optician today and explain your concerns - I think a referral to a specialist would be wise at this point.

I'm an experienced Dispensing Optician

[CN...]
I'm not sure where you're from... but I'm interested to know if the Role of an 'Optician' where you live involves detecting diseases of the eyes?... (which may be equivalent to an Optometrist in other places?).

Lexi...
Corrected Vision that is 20/40 in your right eye so soon after you got your new glasses is a worry. However, you have to ask yourself if it's been like that for a while? or have you just noticed it recently?
Also, the school exam... might not be the right lighting/testing conditions.

The best thing is to contact your Optometrist... just give them a call to see what level of vision was attained when you got your last eye exam. If your R vision (back in Sept of this year) was 20/20 and now it's 20/40, then it's best to re-visit your optometrist to see if there are any hideous problems.

Like CN said... Diabetes can affect your powers (and vision) very quickly, so it might be an idea just to have a blood test with your GP.
Furthermore... Cataracts is mostly an age related thing.. so I'm sure it's not that for you.
Trachoma is a pathogenic disease, not passed on in the family.. so don't worry about that.
Eye lashes curl in.. they can be surgically removed or treated for good.