Adjusting to New Prescription Glasses: What to Expect and When to Seek Help

Adjusting to your new prescription glasses might take two to three days as your eyes and brain adapt to the lenses. In some cases, it can take up to two weeks, although this is rare. Following this period, it’s worth checking in with your optician to ensure your eyes have correctly adapted to your new glasses. If you’re having issues, it might be that your eyes and/or glasses require further assessment.  

What other factors should I consider when adjusting to my new glasses?

Switching to a different frame style can also take some getting used to. Naturally, the feel of the new frames on your face will be different, but the configuration of the lenses might change as well, depending on the shape and style. Opting for a rectangular frame over your usual round frame (or vice versa) can slightly alter the curvature of the lenses, resulting in a need for your eyes to adjust. The same also applies to the size of the frames, as this can affect your peripheral vision.  

My new glasses are blurry; is this normal?

Until you fully adjust to your new prescription glasses, things may seem a little disconcerting. It might appear as though your new glasses don’t correct your vision as well as your old ones, but this shouldn’t spark an immediate cause for concern. This is simply how your eyes adjust to your new lenses. It’s also important to consider that your eyes change throughout the day as they get tired or react to changes in your surroundings, such as brighter or lower levels of light. These factors might affect the clarity with which you see objects.  

Should my new glasses be causing headaches?

As your eyes adjust to your new glasses, you might experience some vision issues, including headaches. If your new glasses do cause headaches, consult your optician. Other issues you might experience as you adjust to your new glasses include:

• Eyestrain
• Distortion
• Fishbowl (when an image appears clear in the middle but is bent at the edges)
• Depth perception

 

How can I help my eyes adjust to new glasses?

The key to adjusting to a new pair of glasses is simple: wear them as much as you can. Your eyes and brain need time to process the change in imagery, accepting the sharpness or vividness of your surroundings. It could be that, in compensating for your previous poor vision, your brain requires additional time to adjust to the ‘new normal’. This is most common when adapting to your first pair of glasses or a drastic change in prescription. Putting your new glasses on as soon as you wake up is one way to help adapt your vision, as this is when your eyes are at their freshest. Waiting a couple of hours before donning your eyewear can shock the brain, resulting in adverse effects being felt later in the day.  

I can’t adjust to my new glasses; should I switch back to my old pair?

No. Wearing your new prescription glasses will help your eyes adjust. Don’t be tempted to switch back to your old eyewear, as this can slow down the adjustment process. Of course, if after two or three days you are still really struggling to adjust to your new glasses, consult your optician, as a potential problem might be a faulty prescription. If this is the case, your eyes will not adjust correctly to your new glasses. Incorrect prescriptions are not uncommon. Despite the utmost care being observed when taking measurements, human errors can sometimes occur, even with the aid of computer-controlled lens creation.  

Safety first

While adjusting to a new pair of glasses, it’s important to take extra care when performing certain tasks. Be sure to exercise caution when driving, walking on stairs or uneven ground, working with dangerous machinery, or completing tasks that require concentration and good vision.