Is My Glasses Prescription Too Strong? | North York (2024)

New glasses, outdated prescriptions, and vision changes can all contribute to feeling like your prescription is wrong.

When your prescription feels too strong, you might experience headaches, nausea, and eye strain, among other things. It might not be clear why your prescription feels wrong, but it doesn’t take long to notice something’s off.

There are a few things you can do to see if your prescription is too strong. If you’re concerned about your prescription, the best thing you can do is visit your optometrist!

Understanding Your Prescription

Your eyeglasses have 2 prescription lenses: one for your left eye and one for your right eye. On a typical prescription, you should see O.S. and O.D.

O.S. is short for “oculus sinister” and is for your left eye. O.D. is short for “oculus dexter” and is for your right eye.

Your glasses prescription includes additional measurements to ensure your glasses fit your face and are properly aligned with your eyes.

Sphere (SPH)

The sphere, or SPH, section of your prescription refers to the lens power needed to achieve clear vision.

A minus next to your SPH number indicates myopia, or nearsightedness. This means you can see clearly up close, but objects at a distance appear blurry. For example, -1.00 SPH would be a mild case of myopia.

A plus next to your SPH number indicates hyperopia, or farsightedness. This means you can see clearly far away, but objects in a close range appear blurry. For example, a +1.00 SPH would be a mild case of hyperopia.

Lens power is measured in diopters. The higher the number, the higher the prescription required to correct vision.

Cylinder (CYL)

The cylinder, or CYL, measures the degree of astigmatism in an eye (if any).

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is irregularly shaped or curved. An eye unaffected by astigmatism would have the same curve on any rotation, like a baseball or tennis ball. Eyes with astigmatism can be more oval- or egg-shaped.

The CYL number helps correct the difference in the eye’s curvature.

Axis

The axis indicates where your astigmatism is on the cornea. Written in degrees between 1 and 180, this number represents where your astigmatism aligns on the eye.

Add

The add number allows your optometrist to write an additional prescription. This would be used for multifocal lenses, such as bifocals for patients with presbyopia.

Prism

The prism field records a special type of correction for patients who see double. The prism number helps combine the 2 images into 1 for the wearer.

What About Contact Lenses?

Your contact lenses sit directly on your eyeball, which means the prescription will be different from your glasses. You’ll need to schedule a contact lens exam and fitting appointment to get the proper prescription for your contact lenses.

Is My Glasses Prescription Too Strong? | North York (1)

Signs Your Prescription Needs Updating

Blurry Vision

Perhaps the biggest indicator of a prescription that needs updating is blurry vision. If your vision is blurred while wearing your glasses, you definitely need to see your optometrist.

Test your vision while wearing your glasses by covering one eye at a time. Do you notice a difference in your vision between your eyes? If so, schedule an appointment with your optometrist as soon as possible.

Frequent Headaches

Another sign that your prescription needs updating is if you experience frequent headaches. Wearing glasses with an incorrect prescription puts undue strain on your eyes and visual system, which can result in headaches.

If you’ve noticed worsening headaches or recurring headaches, contact your optometrist to schedule an eye exam.

Dizziness & Nausea

When your prescription is too strong, you might experience dizziness or nausea more often. If wearing your glasses results in these symptoms, contact your optometrist to schedule an eye exam and refresh your prescription.

Out of Your Adjustment Period

It takes time to adjust to new glasses, especially frames that are different from a previous style or lenses that have multiple prescriptions. This discomfort is normal, but should subside after a few weeks to a month.

With new glasses or a new prescription, you may experience headaches, dizziness, and nausea. However, these symptoms should gradually subside as time goes on. If these symptoms don’t subside, or worsen over time, it could be a sign your prescription is incorrect.

Why Is My Prescription Wrong?

It’s normal for a new prescription to feel too strong at first.

Your prescription changes over time, so it’s possible that your prescription may simply be outdated. Changes in your vision are normal, which is why it’s important to get regular eye exams.

It’s rare that you’d receive an incorrect prescription from the optical team, but it isn’t impossible. The best thing you can do is talk to our North York optometrist.

How Can I Fix It?

The easy-peasy fix is by scheduling an eye exam! Your optometrist can perform a comprehensive evaluation of your eyes and help you get the right prescription for your eyes.

Our team is always here to help you. Contact us today to book your next eye exam.

Is My Glasses Prescription Too Strong? | North York (2024)

FAQs

Is My Glasses Prescription Too Strong? | North York? ›

When your prescription is too strong, you might experience dizziness or nausea more often. If wearing your glasses results in these symptoms, contact your optometrist to schedule an eye exam and refresh your prescription.

How to tell if an eyeglass prescription is too strong? ›

There are a few warning signs to look for if you think your glasses are too strong, including blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, dizziness and nausea, and problems with depth perception. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam to update your prescription.

Is it bad to wear prescription glasses that are too strong? ›

There isn't a risk of long-term eye damage in most adults with stabilized vision. But, you can still experience symptoms affecting vision and comfort. Wearing a prescription that is too weak or too strong can cause: Blurry vision.

What is considered a strong eyeglass prescription? ›

Before we jump into what each section of how to read an eye prescription means, as a general rule, the higher the numbers on your prescription, the worse your eyesight is and the stronger your prescription will be to provide the necessary correction. Mild: -0.50 to -3. Moderate: -3.25 to -5.00. High: -5.25 to -10.

How can I tell how bad my eye prescription is? ›

What the numbers mean. Positive numbers on an eye prescription indicate they are correcting farsightedness, while negative numbers correct shortsightedness. A larger number suggests a stronger prescription.

What happens if you wear glasses that aren't strong enough? ›

Glasses which are not optimally fitted to the wearer's eyes can lead to different symptoms. Here's a typical problem: you notice that your glasses don't provide you with unimpaired vision. This leads to a subjective deterioration of your vision. This doesn't cause damage, but it certainly strains your eyes.

What is the fishbowl effect with new glasses? ›

Fishbowl effect

This is when the images you see through your lenses seem to bend at the edges as if you were looking through a fishbowl at the world. Wearing your new glasses frequently will help you get used to them if you're having problems with the fishbowl effect or other things.

How bad is a 1.25 eye prescription? ›

What Does +1.25 Mean on Eyeglasses Prescription? The value +1.25 diopters on an eyeglasses prescription means the patient has a minor level of farsightedness, meaning they may experience blurriness in their near vision when reading or doing other close-up tasks.

Is it better for reading glasses to be too strong or too weak? ›

If you've tested several readers and found two pairs that help the most, choose the pair with the lower power. It's preferable to have readers that are slightly too weak than too strong.

What is the best glasses for a strong prescription? ›

For those with high prescriptions, it's advisable to opt for smaller frames, as they tend to be lighter and result in thinner lenses. Round, oval, or rectangular frames work well for high prescriptions, as they provide ample space for the lenses without compromising aesthetics.

At what prescription should you wear glasses all the time? ›

The moderate to high myope

Your glasses prescription is around -3.00 to -6.00. Now most of these people will wear there glasses all the time because anything past 20-33 cm is out of focus.

Is +0.75 eyesight bad? ›

Most people have a mild prescription, between 0.5 to 0.75 D. They may not really notice it in their daily lives. People with a measurement of more than . 75 D may need contacts or eyeglasses to correct their vision to see clearly.

How do I know if my glasses prescription is too strong? ›

With new glasses or a new prescription, you may experience headaches, dizziness, and nausea. However, these symptoms should gradually subside as time goes on. If these symptoms don't subside, or worsen over time, it could be a sign your prescription is incorrect.

Is it bad to wear glasses that are too strong? ›

Wearing the wrong prescription eyeglasses can damage the eyes. It can take a few days or weeks to adjust to new glasses. If you still cannot see well with your glasses after a few weeks, your prescription may be too weak or too strong. This happens sometimes, and it can cause headaches, eye strain, and fatigue.

Can wrong prescription glasses worsen vision? ›

In adults, there isn't a high risk of long-term eye damage associated with wearing the wrong prescription glasses. However, it can worsen hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism in kids. It can also affect visual development in younger children.

Is minus 1.75 eyesight bad? ›

A -1.75 eyewear prescription essentially signifies that you need some additional power to see some objects that are further away. Specifically, we are talking about things like watching television or objects or people at a distance when you are driving.

How can I test the strength of my glasses? ›

Option #1: Use a Printable Diopter Reading Test Card

Continue down the chart until you find a line you can read clearly without your glasses on – this is the diopter (power/magnification) you need. Tip: Make sure to remove your glasses when you use the diopter test.

What is a bad astigmatism number? ›

Between . 75 and 2 diopters is considered mild astigmatism. Between 2 and 4 diopters is moderate astigmatism, and 4 or more diopters is considered significant or “bad” astigmatism. Generally, eyes with 1.5 diopters of astigmatism or more require correction.

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