Okay, so you have that nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right with your new glasses. Your vision isn’t as clear as it should be, or things are appearing fuzzy and indistinct. You may be experiencing a sense of tunnel vision. Perhaps your depth perception is just a little bit off.
Is Your Glasses Prescription Wrong?
You know from experience or you’ve been told by your optometrist that some prescriptions, especially bifocals or trifocals, require an adjustment period during which you need to get used to the changes of a new prescription. This transition period can last (depending on the prescription and the individual) for days, weeks, even upwards of a month. So how can you tell if your vision inconsistencies are related to this adjustment period or are instead a result of an incorrect prescription?
The answer typically lies in the symptoms you experience and their severity.
Errors made during an eye exam are not unusual. They can result from a typo on a computerized report or, more commonly, a misreading of a handwritten prescription. The misinterpretation of a single digit – or the omission of one – can wildly alter a prescription. Sometimes incorrect measurement readings are to blame and these are not always the fault of the optometrist. Perhaps, without realizing it, you’d scheduled your exam late in the day, maybe after work, and your eyes were tired and weak, skewing your results.
If your symptoms include the following, you may want to return to the optometrist for advice or at least a confirmation that no clerical error in your prescription was made:
Extreme blurriness or lack of focus.
Poor vision in only one eye when the other is closed.
Headaches or dizziness caused by excessive eye strain.
Extreme vertigo or nausea not related to any underlying medical condition.
Problems persist despite the fact that the lenses are properly centered in front of your eyes.
Problems persist despite waiting out the recommended adjustment period.
It’s true, however, that if your prescription has changed or you’ve switched to bifocal, trifocal, or progressive lenses, your eyes do need to adjust – particularly if the prescription strength in only one eye has changed. If your symptoms most closely follow the ones below, your problem may simply be caused by the change in prescription:
The blurriness or fuzziness you experience improves with time.
You haven’t been using your new glasses on a regular basis.
Headaches, dizziness, nausea, or vertigo lessen the longer you wear your glasses, or subside greatly after the first few days.
Vision is clear when each eye is isolated.
You haven’t yet completed the transition period suggested by your optometrist.
Realize that you know yourself better than anyone else. You know how your eyes react to typical daily eye strain and what they feel like when you’re tired. If you can rule out these conditions, and you’ve been patient with any change in corrective lenses and given your symptoms the prerequisite amount of time to clear up, the fault may lie in your glasses and not in yourself. If you have any cause to suspect this is the case, a follow-up visit to your optometrist is certainly warranted and definitely recommended.
I have had my prescription change 4 or 5 times in less than 6 months. The creation is small but I keep seeing better with a 2 year old pair of glasses, but I can tell my vision needs more correction…nothing is working for me?????
Hi Dale Cripps,
It might be helpful to consult with your eye doctor again to ensure your prescription is accurate. Sometimes even small adjustments can significantly improve your vision.
I just got glasses they were supposed to be transitional but I picked them 2 days ago and they are not and they are pretty dark I’ve actually been trying to wear them in the house
Hi Lana,
We would be happy to help you, please contact our customer service for assistance. You can contact us by email at service@rx-safety.com, or you can give us a call at 888-245-6638.
I seem to keep having the same problem with each new pair of glasses I get. I can see fine out of my right eye, but the left eye is blurry. I’ve gone back to ensure that the prescription is correct and was assured more than once that it was correct. I’ve had them remeasured and readjusted and still no luck. This has happened for the third year in a row. My contact lenses are always good for both eyes, but my glasses are always blurry for my left eye only and I don’t know what else to do.
I have had my prescription change 4 or 5 times in less than 6 months. The creation is small but I keep seeing better with a 2 year old pair of glasses, but I can tell my vision needs more correction…nothing is working for me?????
Hi Dale Cripps,
It might be helpful to consult with your eye doctor again to ensure your prescription is accurate. Sometimes even small adjustments can significantly improve your vision.
I had a new prescription and it didn’t work out. With my old bifocal glasses I can see distance and read better through the lower bifocal part.
Hi CJ,
If the new prescription isn’t quite right, it might be useful to check in with your eye care professional to see if adjustments can be made.
I just got glasses they were supposed to be transitional but I picked them 2 days ago and they are not and they are pretty dark I’ve actually been trying to wear them in the house
Hi Lana,
We would be happy to help you, please contact our customer service for assistance. You can contact us by email at service@rx-safety.com, or you can give us a call at 888-245-6638.
I seem to keep having the same problem with each new pair of glasses I get. I can see fine out of my right eye, but the left eye is blurry. I’ve gone back to ensure that the prescription is correct and was assured more than once that it was correct. I’ve had them remeasured and readjusted and still no luck. This has happened for the third year in a row. My contact lenses are always good for both eyes, but my glasses are always blurry for my left eye only and I don’t know what else to do.