Wearing glasses? Help!

BigRedBeta · #1 04-11-2008, 08:14 PM

So I've always, always, always worn contacts. Been wearing them since the 8th grade (so about 10 or 11 years ago) and haven't even owned a pair of glasses during that time. The last pair of glasses I had was in 7th grade and I only wore them for distance at that time, and my vision has changed a lot since then. Because of the pain of wearing contacts for nights I'm on call at the hospital, I asked my optometrist to write me a script for glasses along with my contacts. In addition to doing this, she switched my contacts to those that you can wear for 30 days straight as another solution for overnights call and the like. The new contacts have been phenomenal.

My glasses came in the mail today, and I was a little eager to try them out tonight while I'm at home, just to kind of get used to them. They look good, but I'm noticing that my vision out of my right eye (which has astigmatism) items appear smaller than they do in my left eye (which doesn't have the astigmatism, just nearsighted). This is giving the world a slight tilt and makes looking at things out of my peripheral vision very odd. Is this something I should be worried about? Will I need to get new ones? Or will I adjust to this over time...even if I'm wearing the glasses pretty infrequently? It's Friday, so I can't call the office at all to talk to my OD, so I figured I'd turn to GC for some guidance...

Any help would be appreciated.

SoCalGirl · #2 04-11-2008, 08:19 PM

It sounds like the prescription is wrong. First make sure the lens has the prescription that the doctor prescribed. If it is, go back to your doctor and let her know that it's wonky.

lauralaylin · #3 04-11-2008, 08:31 PM

I've had glasses that seemed wrong only to find that I've gotten used to them pretty quickly. I've also had a pair with the wrong prescription, and it was obvious to me immediately once I tried to drive with them on. If you think they are wrong, definitely go in. But if your prescription has changed, it will seem weird and take a bit to get used to it. The last time I went in, my prescription was changed for the better, and that was the hardest thing to get used to, having glasses that weren't as strong as what I was used to.

I used to work at an optical shop, and they have a machine that can check the prescription immediately. So they will be able to compare it to what the doctor wrote out for you and make sure it is right. You shouldn't have to talk to the doctor for that, just the optician. Those offices are more likely to be open on the weekends.

Good luck!

epchick · #4 04-11-2008, 08:41 PM

Ugh i've worn glasses since 1st grade, ever since I lied on my eye exam (it was cool back to then to have glasses, and i wanted them soooo bad! lol)

When i got my new glasses, it took me about a week for me to adjust to them.

Quote:

I used to work at an optical shop, and they have a machine that can check the prescription immediately. So they will be able to compare it to what the doctor wrote out for you and make sure it is right

I agree. Do you have a Sams Club in the area, you can always go there and check it.

I don't have astigmatism, so i'm not sure exactly how it works---but could the prescriptions be reversed (like the left lens has the prescription for the right eye)?

PeppyGPhiB · #5 04-11-2008, 08:47 PM

If your prescription is very different for your right eye than the one for your left eye (which it sounds like is the case), it might be best for you to wear contacts. I have the same issue as you, and the eye doc. told me this year that since my prescriptions are so different, it might get hard for me to wear glasses at all - that I'd feel sick or get headaches due to the differences in the lenses in front of my eyes. They recommend contacts for people with this issue because when the contacts rest ON the eye, the differences are not as prominent - it has to do with the angle of the lenses in front of your eyes. That's the way he explained it to me, anyway.

Beryana · #6 04-11-2008, 09:42 PM

I mainly wear glasses (with astigmatisms in both eyes - one substantially worse than the other) and have contacts that I'm still working on my second pack that I bought well over a year ago (worn glasses since 2nd grade and just recently decided to try contacts. I would say that your eyes just need to get used to the prescription (as long as it is correct). My eyes had to get used to the contacts because the contacts can only correct so much whereas glasses can correct better (at least that's what my optometrist told me and he's been my OD since 2nd grade!). Even the slightest change takes a few days to get used to

Thetagirl218 · #7 04-11-2008, 11:50 PM

I have have worn glasses or contacts since I was 4! Oh the Coke Bottle Glasses days.....Thankfully I started wearing contacts as a teen, but I still have a pair of glasses to wear at night!

I would say getting them checked out at Sams or something would not be a bad idea, but do know the the prescription could be right. Sometimes it takes up to 2 weeks to adjust!

SydneyK · #8 04-12-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

In addition to doing this, she switched my contacts to those that you can wear for 30 days straight as another solution for overnights call and the like. The new contacts have been phenomenal.

Sounds like Focus Night & Day lenses; those have been a blessing for me. I still take them out one night a week so my eyes can rest, but for the most part, they're so good that I sometimes even forget I'm wearing contacts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

This is giving the world a slight tilt and makes looking at things out of my peripheral vision very odd.

Contact-wearers often have difficulty adjusting to the way glasses limit your peripheral vision. I'd suggest giving it the rest of the weekend to see if you can adjust. By the end of the day tomorrow, if you're still having adjustment issues, schedule an appointment.

BigRedBeta · #9 04-12-2008, 03:33 PM

I went back to my contacts within about 30 minutes of posting that. It was really starting to bug me. the size discrepancy thing is really weird because everything is crystal clear in both eyes, just that in the right eye, things about 80% of size they are in the left. It's more noticeable when looking at items close to me ( I was okay watching TV from across the room, but looking at things on the counter was awkward).

Anyways, thanks for your help. Unfortunately my OD is in Kansas City, and I'm in Omaha, so I'll probably just call on Monday and see what they think the issue is. Like I said, everything is clear and well defined, just small like it could be fixed by putting a magnifying glass lens over the right lens and things would be perfect...

joliebelle · #10 04-12-2008, 03:52 PM

I've been wearing glasses since I was 8 and I've never had contacts and im 20 now. My vision is kind of like yours where one eye is different from the other, and when I first put on my new pair everything was tilty. My eyes finally got used to the new prescription after about a week. So, just give it sometime and it'll adjust itself.

GeekyPenguin · #11 04-12-2008, 05:01 PM

I've had glasses for 18 years now (yikes!) and contacts for 12 - I sometimes notice that when my eyes are super-tired and I switch from my contacts to glasses, things seem fuzzy or blurry. What I usually do is take out my contacts, then brush my teeth/wash my face/do something else for five minutes, then put on my glasses, and it helps my eyes adjust. Good luck!

SWTXBelle · #12 04-12-2008, 05:08 PM

I think you should wear a monocle. Wait ...you are wearing glasses. That won't work. Drat. I liked the idea of a monocle.

bluefish81 · #13 04-13-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

I went back to my contacts within about 30 minutes of posting that. It was really starting to bug me. the size discrepancy thing is really weird because everything is crystal clear in both eyes, just that in the right eye, things about 80% of size they are in the left. It's more noticeable when looking at items close to me ( I was okay watching TV from across the room, but looking at things on the counter was awkward).

Anyways, thanks for your help. Unfortunately my OD is in Kansas City, and I'm in Omaha, so I'll probably just call on Monday and see what they think the issue is. Like I said, everything is clear and well defined, just small like it could be fixed by putting a magnifying glass lens over the right lens and things would be perfect...

It sounds like your eye doctor forgot to correct for you astigmatism in your right eye with the prescription. I have glasses for 15 years, contacts for 12 years. My senior year of college (2001) I got new glasses and never changed the prescription because my insurance only lets me do one or the other every year and I didn't wear my glasses much, so what did I care. About a year and a half ago, my then eye doctor in Michigan, pointed out that my glasses weren't correcting for my astigmatism. "Ah, so that's why I'm always getting those headaches at night when I wear my glasses," I thought. He put a little plate of glass in front of one eye and everything sharpened up.