It won't be easy but I will try to be brief; in doing so, please
disregard grammatical errors that I will most likely commit!
Amblyopic since childhood, failed eye tests as early as nursery
school, parents took me to Opthalmologist EVERY year where he said I
was fine and that those giving tests didn't know what they were
doing!  They stopped giving eye tests in school after a certain age,
family pediatrician had us read a chart at the end of the hall and I
remember having to peek around paper to see the letters when I was
told to cover my left eye. I always knew one eye was better, but did
not know it was not normal; some hand/eye coordination issues and
depth perception problems, but did not know it should/could be
different so I was able to adapt and excel at things like tennis.
Received diagnosis finally in college and immediately put into
contacts/glasses.  Current Rx is close to the following (it's off the
top of my head so I may be slightly off)...left eye -. 50, -4.75, axis
63/ right eye -.50, -1.50, axis 7, with an add of +3.00 for both.
Sphere has been coming down regularly since first glasses, when it was
around -1.50.  Cylinder fluctuates, has been as high as 5.0 or as low
as 4.0.  age 43, medical professional whose livlihood depends on good
vision in a very small detailed area!  When I first got glasses they
were prescribed for distance; also had hard contacts, which were
uncomfortable but better than the terribly unbalanced thicknesses of
my glasses!  Only wore them as needed, but found I had issues with
close up work, too.  Prescribed bifocals, but at 17 wasn't too keen on
that so got two pair, which is how it remained til  my mid 30's.
Found a great doc who fitted me with soft contacts, but vision was
always better with glasses, I guess due to astigmatism.  Two pair of
glasses go to be a pain (add started at about +.50 and increased
steadily thereafter to current add of 3.00) so I opted for
progressives, which have too small a reading area for me.  Flat tops
next, but with high add there was significant jump.  Biggest issue in
past years has been convergence; I feel when I am working as if my
eyes are NOT working together...always mention to my eye doctor, and
get higher add, which is okay but still not solving problem.  All
through my glasses wearing years I have been able to live in a blur
and wear them while driving or working but for little else.  As add
increased in past years, and my eyes got "older", I have become
completely dependent upon my glasses. Well, I was before too, but
could get used to the blur! If I can somehow still manage to do
something close-up without them, when I look up my distance vision is
a mess.  Contacts still don't give me the clearest vision, hence the
reason I've resigned myself to glasses.  He also tried, and I like,
wearing plus contacts with over-corrected minus glasses over them;
better than my regular glasses ever were but that put me in glasses
pretty much all the time because with +3.0 contacts I wasn't seeing
too clearly in the distance!  But  convergence, or lack thereof, is
becoming a bigger problem when I'm working up close.  Add has gone up
as previously noted, single-vision reading/work glasses are +3.25; to
remedy problem he next suggested lined trifocals, which are fine,
albeit slightly unattractive, but I still felt like I had to "work" to
keep my eyes focused together close up. Next, he recommended a prism
add of 3.0 base-in each eye.  They are by far the BEST glasses I think
I've ever had, though I don't know if it has solved the convergence
issue completely as I still feel like I have to work to focus, though
not as much.  WHen I wear the glasses with the prism, my eyes are
extremely sore when I remove them.  And I feel like my uncorrected
vision has gotten worse since getting them.  My fave doc retired soon
after I got the prisms, and the new doc told me a few things I was not
aware of, namely that with a prism in my glasses that I would, after
getting used to wearing them, not be able to go without glasses ever,
or be able to switch back and forth to contacts if I wanted to.  In
addition, he said that didn't much matter because he absolutely,
POSITIVELY, would not allow me to get contacts, no ifs, ands or buts
about it.  He said that because of the significant loss of vision in
my one eye (uncorrected it is 20/200, corrects to 20/40 -1 or -2) that
I should never have been given contacts in the first place and that I
should NEVER go without glasses to protect my better eye.  Phew.  I
apoloogize for the length of this, but would truly appreciate and
welcome any and all thoughts and suggestions.  Due to my profession, I
would hesitate to do any sort or lasik procedures, as I don't want to
take any risks.  I would rather not be in glasses all the time, but
will heed whatever advice you can send my way.  Many thanks in advance.