Is the prescription in my new glasses right?

July 21, 2019 3:20 PM

I picked up some new glasses a couple days ago, and I'm not sure if the prescription is off or if I'm just adjusting. Are there ways to assess this on my own?

The eye dr told me my astigmatism was the same and my farsightedness had improved, so I'm guessing this is a slightly weaker prescription than what I have. Just based on the couple days of wear, I feel like it takes a second longer to read things that are farther off.

Aside from giving it time, which I'm fine with, are there good ways of knowing whether the prescription is inaccurate or if it's just be adjusting?

These are monofocals.

My eye dr is an hour away, and I'd rather avoid a trip back unless I need to have something redone.

posted by mermaidcafe to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I just went through this - actually I go through this every time I get glasses and it really sucks and is time consuming and expensive but some folks just have fussy eyes. From what I have found out there doesn't exist a test that you or anyone else can do to say yes these glasses are right or these glasses are wrong but this is how to fix them. Give it a few more days and if they still don't feel right to you, go back to the eye doctor and ask them to tweak your prescription. And if it's a really good optometrist there are things they can do with bending the glasses in little ways to make sure they're sitting on your face right. And don't go to places that try to find your pupillary distance photographically, if you need precision for that like me then you're not going to get it with those things.
posted by bleep at 3:37 PM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

My glasses are only for reading but my newest pair made me carsick for about a month after I got them until my eyes adjusted. This is my only experience with glasses so a more involved prescription might be different, but I have heard that it takes a while for some people to adjust to new prescriptions.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 3:48 PM on July 21, 2019

takes a second longer to read things that are farther off

Do you mean that you look at something far away, then it takes your eyes a second to adjust, then you can read it? If that’s the case, it sounds like your eyes are just adjusting to the new prescription. It sounds like you look at something and (unconsciously / by habit) you focus your eyes as if you were wearing your old glasses, but then you’re able to refocus and see just fine. This definitely happens to me when my prescription changes.

Or, do you mean that you can’t see things that are far away as easily as you used to, even when you focus, so it take longer / more concentration to read? If that’s the case, I don’t know what’s going on - sounds like it could be an inaccurate prescription or your eyes adjusting.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:38 PM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

I've worn glasses for a few decades. Whenever I get a new prescription, the "new glasses effect" is completely gone within a couple of days. Any more than that I'd be at least giving the doc a phone call if not a visit.
posted by McNulty at 7:29 PM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is sort of adjacent to your question, but I spent a year hoping to adjust to a new prescription. I went to a new eye doctor and she said that the prescription itself was right but the lenses the other place had chosen didn’t work optimally for my eyes for whatever reason. It wasn’t terribly off but I had the same trouble reading things far off right away, in my case this finally got me to because I was having trouble with street signs. When I picked up my new glasses I was very angry that I paid a lot of money for the old glasses because the difference was obvious once I could compare. Exact same prescription!

If you do go back and your prescription is right, keep that in mind and ask if there’s something about the lenses that might change your experience. It might also be worth seeing if an optometrist near you would do a test for free, I know that sounds unlikely but a LensCrafters actually did that for me once when I suspected another place had messed up my prescription and I wanted confirmation (it sounds like I have bad luck with glasses but it’s just that I’ve worn them for 30 years so I have a lot of experiences!)
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:20 PM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

I would give it another week of consistent use. If you are still having problems, I would go back to the doctor and get new glasses. Personally, I would not waste too much time trying to make them work. Twice I waited too long to go back with issues and could not get a refund or new pair.

I also have astigmatism and have been wearing glasses since I was five. In the past, I have had glasses that are technically correct, but for some reason, I cannot adjust to them. I think it may have been due to the lens type or even the size of the lenses. Whatever the reason, a reputable optometrist should work with you to find a pair that work.

Good luck!
posted by jraz at 5:51 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]

So I have never met anyone with eyes as bad as mine (contact prescription in the -8) and I have astigmatism in my left eye. I basically only wear daily contacts now (recently converted, was on monthlies) and my glasses are a backup but not used daily. It is SUCH an adjustment to use my glasses even if I try and yes, it takes like … a bit for me to focus on things. I think the prescription on them is generally accurate though they're a few years old. My eyes haven't really gotten any worse in the last 5.

But yeah, with a high prescription and astigmatism, either glasses or contacts is what my eyes are used to. I've tried glasses for a few days and it was still a struggle. Keep at it for a few more days of ONLY glasses use if you can and see if that clicks.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 6:54 AM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]