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Any opticians around? Please help me understand

3 replies

Novemberish · 20/11/2023 16:33

I wear contacts 4-5 times per week (dailies) and glasses on the other days. My prescription stayed exactly the same for the best part of 10 years. -2.75 in the right eye and -3.00 in the left. No problems at all.

Last time around, I was told that my glasses would go up to -3.00 in both eyes but contacts were good to stay as they are. There was the usual day or so getting used to the slightly stronger prescription but then all good and no issues swapping back to the slightly lower prescription on CL days.

I had a CL check in September and was told that these should also now go up to -3.00 in both eyes. Made sense to me as that's what my glasses are. The problem is that since making this change, I've really struggled with depth perception when wearing contacts. I'm struggling to focus on anything very far, or very near (subtitles on tv, or reading a book, for example). I'm worried about varifocals - not that I have any vanity issue about them but they cost so much more, but also, I don't have the same problems when wearing my glasses, which are the same prescription.

I did go back to the optician after a forthnight of the new cl prescription but was told that I needed to give it time. It's now been two months and I'm still struggling and daren't drive in my lenses. This weekend, I found a box of my old -2.75 left eye prescription lenses so started wearing them again and things have been absolutely grand. My vision is perfect again at any depth.

I know I need to go back but would appreciate some advise here first so that I understand what is going on. Why such a huge difference with the same prescription when using either glasses or contacts? Why would I need different prescriptions for either? What is the likely outcome - revert back to original cl prescription, or have to face varifocals?

OP posts:
Novemberish · 20/11/2023 16:34

Sorry, thread title should read opticians or optometrists.

OP posts:
Starlightstarbright2 · 20/11/2023 16:40

Your reading add can kick in as early as early fourties’ although you don’t mention a reading add .

your c/l prescription is usually different to glasses as the lenses are closer to your eyes in contact lenses so is usually different .

I am not an optician btw .

idontlikealdi · 20/11/2023 16:40

My CL contact prescription has always been lower than my glasses. I have the opposite issue and my glasses always feel too strong and I am off balance, have to take them off to walk down stairs for example.

I'm -3 and -3.25 in glasses and -2.75 in contacts.

I'm mostly wearing contacts and off the peg reading glasses. I cannot be doing with varifocals.

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