Warning Signs of a Wrong Eyeglass Prescription

By Orlin Sorensen on August 15, 2017 in Glasses & Contacts

For a lot of people with refractive errors, wearing prescription eyeglasses is the way they achieve clarity of vision. Whether you’re being fitted for your first pair or your ninth pair of eyeglasses, the promise of sharp vision is always exciting.
Unlike doing eye exercises and undergoing vision therapy, which can help your eyes get stronger and see better in the long run, many people opt for the quick fix of eyeglasses. Immediate results are what you get with eyeglasses.
Or so you think… cue thunder and lightning. We put a lot of faith into our ophthalmologist and opticians, but the truth is they’re only human. When taking our eye measurements to find the correct prescription, they could very well make mistakes.
Human error is nothing to be ashamed of; we’ve all made our share of mistakes, I’m sure. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t be on the lookout for these mistakes. The next time you go for either an eyeglass or a contact lens fitting, it’s important to note everyday how well your eyes see and how they feel.
It’s totally possible that you have the wrong prescription. Here are some signs to look out for when you get a new prescription.
Headaches
Headaches are the most telling sign of a wrong prescription. Have you ever worn someone else’s glasses and suddenly felt dizzy with your head throbbing? You definitely don’t have the same prescription as your friend.
However, when you get a new prescription, the headaches won’t come on as quickly as wearing someone else’s prescription. When your prescription is wrong, it’s probably off by the slightest amount, but this amount is enough to give you headaches.
What you want to look for is frequent headaches a few days after you’ve started wearing the new prescription. If you notice the headaches happen when you’re wearing your glasses or contact lenses, but suddenly disappear when you take them off, then you may need a new prescription.
The wrong prescription can cause your eyes to strain as they try to adapt to the lens they’re seeing through. When this happens, you’ll get frequent headaches while wearing the prescription.
However, if you’re prone to headaches, you can test your eyes by wearing your glasses at different times of the day. If you’re prone to those midday headaches after hours at work on a computer, don’t wear your glasses at this time. Wear them during a time you know you normally don’t get headaches.
Vertigo
This is more than just dizziness. Where dizziness can be cured by sitting or lying down and waiting for it to pass, vertigo is much more aggressive.
Vertigo is the sensation of dizziness or the feeling of being unbalanced while standing or sitting. It is persistent and requires medical attention. It is often associated with inner ear problems, but can also be caused by blurred vision.
Of course, if you already have vertigo, the wrong prescription will only worsen the problem. Vertigo due to the wrong prescription lenses will also affect your depth perception. If you’ve read our blog before, you’ll know that depth perception is crucial to our survival. Without it, we risk injuring ourselves.
If you’ve been diagnosed with vertigo already and you find that your eyeglasses are worsening your symptoms, speak to your doctor about correcting the lenses.
If you’ve never had vertigo before, but suddenly experience the symptoms after receiving a new prescription, it is imperative that you not only get your prescription fixed, but also have your general physician evaluate your symptoms. Vertigo can cause or be caused by other serious health problems.
Blurred Vision
Finally, we come to the most disheartening of signs of a wrong prescription: blurred vision. You leave the optician’s office excited to be able to make out street signs and small writing but that dream soon falls flat when you realize that your vision is fuzzy and blurry.
There is a silver lining; blurred vision after receiving a new prescription could also just be a sign of your eyes adjusting to the new lenses. If you experience blurred vision in the first few days, don’t be so quick to call up your eye doctor. Give your eyes some times to adjust.
Generally, if the blurred vision persists for longer than two weeks, then you should call your eye doctor to have them reevaluate your prescription. If the blurred vision is accompanied by vertigo or headaches before the two weeks is up, contact your eye doctor. The last thing you want is for your symptoms to escalate.
Our eyes are very sensitive. Although they can adjust to change quite easily, if even the slightest thing is off, the eyes will know and it will affect your entire head. Blurred vision needs to be monitored because your vision and overall health will suffer in the long run.
Having the wrong prescription is like having one leg that’s shorter than the other. That small difference of a fraction of an inch will throw your whole body’s alignment off. The same goes for your eyes. The slightest miscalculation will cause blurred vision, which in turn will lead to headaches, migraines and vertigo.
We aren’t suggesting you not trust your eye doctor. Trust them! Tell them all of your eye concerns. They’re there to help you. If they make a mistake, don’t hesitate to bring it up. Don’t think that you’re wrong because you don’t have a medical degree in eye health.
You know your body better than anyone else. If something feels off, chances are there’s something wrong.
Now, if you’re looking for a more permanent fix to your refractive error, consider training your eyes either through at-home exercises or a vision therapy program. Vision therapy programs are tailored to your specific needs and will help you to be rid of your refractive error and those pesky prescriptions.
Don’t forget to eat a balanced diet and make sure that your eyes are getting the vitamins and nutrients that they need!