5 Signs Your Spectacles Prescription Is Wrong
Most people who struggle with refractive errors tend to opt for the simplest and safest method of achieving clarity of vision: to wear prescription glasses. As with any new prescription glasses, your eyes and brain will need a bit of time to adjust, especially when it’s your first pair or it’s been a while since you had your prescription updated.
It may take a while for you to get well adjusted to a completely new spectacle frame too. For instance, a change from larger frames to smaller frames can affect the lens thickness and your peripheral vision. However, if you take longer than six weeks to adjust to your new eyewear, it might be due to a faulty prescription. If you find yourself experiencing any of these five symptoms even after the adjustment period, it’s highly likely that your prescription might be incorrect:
1. Frequent squinting
If you’re already wearing a pair of prescription glasses and you find yourself squinting your eyes frequently, you may need to update your prescription. Squinting may be your way of compensating for poor vision while wearing your glasses. Squinting is a natural way for the eyes to focus and see clearly by reducing the amount of light entering them, but this can lead to eye fatigue and headaches. If your prescription glasses are working correctly, you should not need to squint unless the light is unusually bright. The best way to reduce glare and prevent excessive squinting while outdoors is to get transition lenses. The versatility of transition lenses lets you move from an indoor environment to an outdoor environment without harming your eyes because they can double up as both an eyewear and a pair of sunglasses.
2. Dizzy spells
Another sign that your prescription glasses are not correcting your vision to perfection is if you suffer from headaches while wearing them. Even though your vision may seem to be fine with your old glasses, an outdated prescription can cause your eyes to work extra hard to see correctly, which may ultimately result in headaches. Getting frequent headaches will eventually affect your productivity level. If you’re experiencing frequent headaches while wearing glasses, it’s high time you visit an eye specialist to get your eyes checked!
For those who have already identified blue light as a trigger for your frequent headaches, you may want to consider blue lenses for your next pair of prescription glasses. The blue lens is especially beneficial for people who spend long periods of time on their digital devices, so it is an excellent choice for people who are working remotely from home now.
3. Blurry vision
Many people wear prescription glasses without realising the lenses are blurry because the prescription is just a couple of degrees off. If you feel like your current glasses does not match your eyesight, try performing this simple visual test:
Step 1: Cover one of your eyes.
Step 2: Look straight ahead.
Step 3: Repeat the steps on both eyes multiple times to determine whether you notice any difference.
It’s important to remember that a new prescription can also cause blurriness for the first two weeks while your eyes adjust. If this problem persists any longer than two weeks, it could be a sign of an incorrect prescription. If this happens, we recommend scheduling a visit to the optometrist for a re-evaluation as soon as you can!
If your child is having difficulty catching up in school or is unable to read the bus number from a distance, he/she may need myopia control lenses to slow down his/her myopia progression. Without the right prescription, your child will suffer from eye strain. As such, getting myopia control lens for your child is highly recommended as it doesn’t just correct their vision, but it helps to prevent their eyeball axial length from growing longer. Adults suffering from this issue can reduce their eye strain by wearing anti-fatigue lenses. To be sure, consult an eye doctor to get your eyes checked!
4. Feeling nauseous or experiencing vertigo
The sensation of vertigo extends beyond experiencing dizziness. Dizziness can easily be treated by sitting or lying down and waiting for it to pass, whereas vertigo is more aggressive. When someone has vertigo, they feel as if they are unbalanced and their surrounding environment is spinning or moving. Vertigo is usually associated with problems in the inner ear, but it can also be caused by blurry vision. If you have vertigo as a result of wearing the wrong prescription glasses, it will affect your depth perception, which is crucial for survival. We run the risk of injuring ourselves without depth perception.
5. Old pair of spectacles
A good way to determine whether or not your prescription is old is to look at the age of the glasses that you wear daily. If you’ve owned the same pair of spectacles for several years, then the prescription is probably outdated because your vision changes with time. The eye strain caused by outdated prescription glasses can make you even more tired in the long run. In addition to that, you may also catch yourself rubbing your eyes incessantly over time. If you find yourself needing to remove your spectacles to see nearby objects clearly, it may be a sign for you to get progressive lens. With this all-in-one lens, you can simultaneously see near and distant objects. Progressive lenses can also help those who continually distance their mobile phone from their eyes or enlarge their text to see better, as these are signs that their prescription needs to be updated!
To avoid this, replace your old pair of prescription glasses with a new one – here are some of our crowds’ favourites!
Get a new pair of prescription glasses
Experiencing any of these symptoms? It’s time to get your eyes checked by your optometrist to ensure your prescription glasses are accurate and up-to-date. It is recommended to schedule an eye examination every year. When you go to the doctor for an eye exam, you will complete a number of tests to determine whether you have astigmatism, hyperopia, myopia, or presbyopia. Once the doctor has analysed your situation, he will be able to recommend the best options for you. The whole process is simple and painless, so go ahead and schedule an appointment with an optometrist today!
For those who are looking to get your first pair of prescription glasses and are unsure where to start, Better Vision has got you covered. You’re sure to discover something to suit all of your optical demands, from blue lenses to transition lenses, myopia control lenses, and progressive lenses. Book an appointment and visit our stores to get your eyes checked by our experienced optometrists today!
