Probably the dumbest thread ever: Contact Lenses and Glasses

[cyrus buelton]

I have been strictly contacts for about 7 years.

Finally got some glasses and picked them up tonight.


My vision is completely different and sort of gives me a headache.

I have a different script in each eye (.25 difference) but with my contacts I have them the same. However, with my glasses they are .25 different on one side (cant figure out which).

Been wearing them for a half hour and have a headache.

Due to difference in script on each eye?

Note: my contacts are -4.50 which, I believe, equates to 20/400 vision.

My glasses are somewhere around - 5.25. Not sure why the huge difference. Maybe on distance from cornea to lense?

[He Man]

most glasses make everything appear caved in. thats why i cant switch between the two without having some time to reset my eyes.

i wear both. im -2.75 and -2.5

[Grampa]

Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now

[Kopfjäger]

I wore both for years. You will adjust to the glasses, just fine. Your brain is just trying to figure out wtf is going on.

[NAKID]

When did you get the last contact lens prescription compared to when you got the prescription for the glasses?

[derby]

My glasses are somewhere around - 5.25. Not sure why the huge difference. Maybe on distance from cornea to lense?

http://www.contactlenses.co.uk/education/public/spectacle_vs_contact_lens_rx.htm

The Same Only Different

A contact lens prescription can be the same as a prescription for glasses when:

- the prescription is a lower power, ie: -4.00 to +4.00 and

- there is absolutely no astigmatism present.

If you have any astigmatism or require a lens power greater than +/-4.00, the parameters of the contact lens can change.

- if you have astigmatism under 0.50, a spherical lens should be prescribed.
- astigmatism of 0.50 to 0.75 can be effectively corrected with an aspheric lens.
- astigmatism greater than 1.00 should be managed with a toric lens.

If your prescription power for glasses is greater than +/-4.00, you should see a difference in the power of your contact lens prescription. Generally, every time your glasses prescription increases or decreases by a power of 2, your contact lens prescription will increase by an additional power of +0.25. For every power change of 2 in a glasses prescription, the difference of +0.25 power is needed to compensate for the location of the contact lens. Your glasses are much further from the front surface of the cornea than contact lenses.

[Triple J]

Before getting LASIK I wore contacts 99% of the time. I felt the same way when I put on a pair of glasses (so I rarely wore them). My wife switches back and forth and used to feel the same way...you probably just have to get used to the glasses.

[swampduc]

It's probably partially due to needing to get used to the glasses due to the distance btw the lens and the cornea. However, I'd suspect that you're a little over-minused inthe glasses, ie your ex is a little strong. How old are you? The younger a patient is, the easier it is to overcorrect myopia.

[erkishhorde]

Yeah, glasses prescription could be a bit strong. I make a note not to wear my glasses before going in for an eye exam so that my eyes are rested. I found that if I wear them before the exam the prescription is never correct.

[Bun-bun]

I have the opposite problem.
I've tried numerous times and have never been able to get used to contact lenses.
So I'm glasses only.
Someone on this board mentioned Zenni optical about a year ago, and I want to thank whoever it was. I was able to save some big $$$ on my last prescription change.

[Mad Duc]

I wore both for years. You will adjust to the glasses, just fine. Your brain is just trying to figure out wtf is going on.

+1 - Over the summer I was wearing my contacts every day. The first day I wore glasses I had headaches all day long. Take a pain killer to help.

[metallimonster]

This just happened to me a couple of months ago.  After wearing strictly contacts for 4 years I got some glasses. They f'd me up for about a week but now I can go back and forth easily.  They can do something about the fishbowl affect by shaving down the sides of the glasses.

[teddy037.2]

+1 on glasses only

tried contacts back when I was in high school... I'm waaayyy too lazy to take care of them.

[cyrus buelton]

Thanks all for the info.

My last eye exam was in May 2009.

Probably should have gotten a new exam before glasses, but I just got new contacts, so wasn't really worth it.

I took a ton out on flex spending this year (shoulder surgery on Thursday), so I am covered if I need new  lenses.

[Adam in TX]

I switch routinely between glasses and contacts, but my prescription is very mild (-1.75, -2.0)... or (+), I can't remember. The switch never bothers me, so that's pretty cool.

I also update both my eyeglass and contact prescriptions at the same time, although it hasn't changed in a few years.