Glasses wear and care

Adjusting to new glasses, whether you've switched to a new prescription or are wearing them for the first time, can be a challenge for some people. If you've never worn glasses before, simply having frames on your face may seem strange and take some time to get used to. On top of this, some people may suffer from problems such as headaches, dizziness, or their eyes may water.

For most people, they will get used to the new sensation within a matter of days. Fortunately, plenty of people have been through the same experience and there are several tips you can try to adjust to wearing glasses more quickly. First of all, start by putting on your glasses as soon as you start your day. This will help you to form a habit of wearing them early on, and if you put them on later on in the day you may find the sudden change more disorientating.

Itchy eyes, redness, soreness or blurred vision can occur, in which case you should remove the glasses until the symptoms pass and try again. Adjusting may also depend on the glasses themselves. If you are wearing graduated lenses or bi- or tri-focals, you may want to try to turn your head instead of only moving your eyes. This will take a conscious effort but you will soon get used to the movement, which will make the transition easier.If after a period of two to three weeks you are still not happy with the fit of the frames on your face, or are still struggling with headaches, dizziness or watery eyes, then you should consult your optometrist. They will be able to double check the fitting of your frames and ensure your prescription is correct, as there may be an issue causing your discomfort.

It is important that your specs fit you correctly because poor fitting specs may affect the quality of your vision. For example, if you are short sighted and your specs are further away from your eyes than were intended you may feel that your specs are weaker than they should be.

Or, if you are long sighted you may feel that your specs are too strong. Both these situations need to be remedied and as a result you should return to your optometrist to have your frames adjusted as soon as you can.

Some people may experience a distortion of their peripheral vision after receiving a new glasses prescription. This is a fairly common occurrence that can be a result of the adjustment period as your eyes get used to the new prescription. This type of peripheral vision distortion can often occur if the new glasses are of a higher prescription or the frames are larger than what you are used to. Glasses focus on the section of the visual field that is right in front of you, in order to help correct your vision and perception. If you've been wearing glasses for a long time, your brain gets used to this and can find it hard to adjust if the prescription is changed.

In addition to this, hi index lens materials can also cause a distortion of peripheral vision. These types of lenses are thinner and lighter than normal, which means the back surface of the lens is placed further away from the natural curve of your eye. This distance can in turn affect your peripheral view. Another type of lens that can cause peripheral distortions are multifocal lenses. These lenses are designed to provide clear vision in certain areas. Towards the edges or sides of multifocal lenses, there are peripheral distortions.

What is peripheral vision?

Peripheral vision is the term for the part of the visual field that is not right in the centre of your gaze. It is usually used for detecting motion, colours, lights and shapes at the edges of your vision, but the human ability to do this is weaker when compared with animals. The reason for this is that humans have the lowest density of receptor cells at the edges of the retina, with a higher concentration found in the centre.

What to do if your glasses are distorting your peripheral vision?

If you are experiencing peripheral vision distortion as a result of your new glasses, go back to your optometrist and let them know about your problem. Sometimes the fit of your new glasses will need to be changed to minimise this distorted effect.In some cases, a short adjustment period may be all that is required to help your eyes get used to the new glasses. Particularly if this is the first time you are wearing multifocal lenses. Ensure you speak to your optometrist about how to properly use your multifocal lenses.

Yes, you can visit any Specsavers store for assistance with your glasses.