What Happens When You Wear the Wrong Glasses Power?

by Apr 19, 2024

What Happens When You Wear Glasses with the Wrong Power?

Wearing glasses with an incorrect prescription, or glasses power, can lead to various discomforts and visual disturbances that affect overall vision clarity and eye health. Whether the glasses have the wrong power, axis, or pupillary distance, wearing them can strain the eyes and may worsen underlying vision issues. This may be from a change to the eyes, an issue with the glasses, or because the glasses were not prescribed to you specifically.

1.Eye Strain and Discomfort

Headaches: Wearing glasses with the wrong prescription can cause headaches due to the eyes exerting extra effort to compensate for the incorrect refractive errors. Persistent headaches may indicate the need for a prescription adjustment.

Eye Fatigue: Straining to focus through improperly powered lenses can lead to eye fatigue, dryness, and discomfort. Prolonged eye strain may result in redness, irritation, or reduced visual acuity.

2. Blurred Vision

Visual Distortions: Incorrect glasses powers can cause blurred vision, making objects appear fuzzy, distorted, or out of focus. This can impact activities such as reading, driving, or using digital screens effectively. 

Asthenopia: Blurred vision from the wrong prescription can lead to asthenopia, a condition characterized by eye strain, discomfort, and difficulty maintaining focus for extended periods.

 

3. Double Vision

Diplopia: Wearing glasses with an incorrect power may result in double vision or diplopia, where a single object appears as two overlapping images. Double vision can significantly impair depth perception and visual clarity.

Binocular Vision Issues: Mismatched prescription powers in the lenses can disrupt binocular vision, causing discrepancies in how each eye processes visual information and leading to double vision.

4.Dizziness and Nausea

Vertigo: Vision discrepancies from wearing glasses with the wrong powers can trigger feelings of dizziness or vertigo, especially when moving the head or changing focus. Vertigo episodes may be unsettling and affect balance.

Motion Sickness: Prolonged exposure to incorrect glasses prescription may induce symptoms of motion sickness, including nausea, disorientation, and general discomfort.

5.Reduced Visual Acuity

Decreased Clarity: Wearing glasses with inaccurate powers can result in a decrease in visual acuity, making it challenging to see objects clearly at different distances. Tasks requiring precise vision may become more difficult.

Visual Disturbances: Blurry or distorted vision caused by incorrect prescriptions can hinder daily activities, impacting work performance, reading comprehension, and overall quality of life.

 

6. Long-term Effects

Progressive Eye Strain: Continued use of glasses with the wrong powers can contribute to progressive eye strain, leading to worsening symptoms, potential vision deterioration, and increased reliance on corrective lenses.

Masking Underlying Conditions: Incorrect prescriptions may mask underlying eye conditions or changes in vision that require timely evaluation and management by an eye care professional.

 

Seeking Corrective Action

Eye Examination: Regular eye examinations are essential to ensure accurate prescriptions and detect changes in vision promptly. An optometrist or ophthalmologist can assess eye health, refractive errors, and recommend appropriate corrective measures.

Prescription Adjustment: Upon experiencing symptoms of incorrect glasses powers, seeking a prescription adjustment is necessary to restore visual comfort, clarity, and overall eye health.

If you suspect that the power of your glasses is incorrect, you should seek assistance from an eye doctor and optician to verify your prescription and the glasses power. 

 

Our eye doctors at Neal Eye Group in Conshohocken, PA excel in the prescription of contact lenses, glasses and various eye diseases.  Call our optometrists at (610) 828-9701 or schedule an appointment online if you would like to learn more about what happens when you wear the glasses with the wrong power.  Our optometrists provide the highest quality optometry services and eye exams in Conshohocken, Norristown, Plymouth Meeting, Lafayette Hill, and Philadelphia.

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