Adjusting to Your First Pair of Glasses
When you slip on your first pair of glasses, everything becomes instantly clearer. That is, until your brain catches on and tries to overcorrect. Almost everyone who starts wearing glasses for the first time goes through an adjustment period where their eyes have to get used to the lenses, and their face to the frames. If you’re experiencing things like mild discomfort, vision blurriness, and headaches, know that these are all typical symptoms. We’ve put together a guide to help you settle in smoothly to your new specs.
What to Expect
Up until this point, your eyes and brain have had to overwork themselves to process your sight. With your new lenses, this is no longer the case. The amount of strain your eyes are used to is suddenly no longer necessary, so it may take a short while for them to catch up with the program. Everyone is different; this adjustment period can range between a few minutes to a few weeks.
For the first few days, you might experience:
Headaches: Mild to moderate headaches can come from adjusting to your lenses, or the pressure of the frames sitting around your nose and temples.
Mild Dizziness: This is normal, and comes from your brain readjusting to how your eyes can process light through the new lenses.
Eye Strain or Fatigue
Strange Depth Perception
All of these are normal symptoms that typically subside in less than a week. If you are experiencing significant discomfort or these symptoms persist, talk to your optician, as your frames or lenses may need to be adjusted.
Adjusting Faster
The symptoms that come with new glasses should fade within two weeks. However, to help smooth this adjustment period and get you comfortable in your new specs, we recommend:
KEEPING YOUR LENSES CLEAN
Your lenses should be taking the strain off your eyes. If your lenses are cloudy, smudged, or otherwise dirty, you’re having to look through the grime to be able to see. Use a microfiber lens cloth to keep your lenses clean, or a spray lens cleaner to take off the heaviest dirt.
ACT NATURAL
It probably feels strange to have something alien sitting on your face all the time. You’ll have to adjust to the frames being just within your peripheral vision, and the lenses being close to your eye. Try not to strain your eyes mechanically to look around your glasses and instead move your head as you would normally to look around.
WEAR YOUR GLASSES EVERY DAY
The more you have your glasses on your face, the less you’ll begin to notice them over time. If your eyes are getting fatigued or the weight on your nose is bothering you, take a short break to let your eyes rest. Once you’ve recovered, stick your glasses back on and go about your day.
New Glasses Not Quite Right?
If you’ve given your glasses a fair shot of a one to two-week period and they still don’t feel right, contact your eye doctor to discuss your options. Typically, this continued discomfort is caused by the wrong prescription, frame fitting, or style of frame.
To learn more, call one of our locations or schedule an appointment and we will get you in right away to make sure everything is just right.
