You needed a new eyeglass prescription for
a while. Or perhaps you didn’t realize that your glasses weren’t giving you
optimal vision until an eye exam made that clear.
Either way, you may be surprised if your new,
highly anticipated prescription glasses cause blurry vision, are hard to see
through, or give you headaches.
Sometimes, a new eyeglass prescription might
even make you dizzy or nauseous.
What might be causing your headaches?
There are a number of reasons why
new eyeglasses might cause headaches.
1.Muscle strain
Each eye contains six muscles. As your eyes learn how to view
the world through a new prescription, these muscles have to work harder or
differently than they did before.
This can cause muscle strain within
the eye and a headache. You may be more prone to this side effect if you’re wearing glasses for the first time or if your
prescription has changed significantly.
2.Multiple lens powers
It can be particularly difficult adjusting to
bifocals, trifocals, or progressives, especially for the first time.
- Bifocals have two distinct lens powers.
- Trifocals have
three distinct lens powers.
- Progressives are
known as no-line bifocals, or as multifocal. They offer a smoother
transition between lens powers so that you can see near, far, and medium
distances.
Glasses that offer more than one lens power
correct for multiple issues, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness.
You have to look through the lenses in just
the right spot in order to get the vision correction you need. The bottom of
the lenses is for reading and working close up. The top of the lenses is for
driving and distance vision.
This can take some getting used to. It’s not
unusual for headaches, dizziness, and nausea to accompany the adjustment period
for bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses.
3.Poorly fitted frames
New glasses often mean new frames, as well as
a new prescription. If your glasses fit too snugly across your nose, or cause
pressure behind your ears, you may get a headache.
your glasses feel uncomfortable or leave
pinch marks on your nose, they can often be readjusted to fit your face more
comfortably. This should make your headaches go away.
4.Wrong prescription
Even though you try your best to give
accurate information during an eye exam, there’s lots of room for human error.
Your doctor may also have incorrectly
measured the space between your pupils (interpapillary distance). This
measurement must be precise or it can lead to eye strain.
If your eyeglass prescription is too weak or
too strong, your eyes will become strained, causing headaches.
Headaches caused by new eyeglasses should
dissipate within a few days. If yours doesn’t, you may need to have your eyes
retested to determine if the prescription is at fault.
Tips for preventing headaches
1.Don’t reach for your old
glasses
Don’t give into temptation and reach for your
old glasses. This will only prolong the headache.
Your eyes need time to adjust to the new
prescription. The best way to do this is by wearing your new glasses as often
as you wore your old ones.
2.Rest your eyes as needed throughout the day
Just like any muscle, your eye muscles need
rest.
Try taking your glasses off and sitting in a
dark room with your eyes open or closed for 15 minutes as needed throughout the
day. This may help ease eye strain, tension, and headaches.
Anything that makes your eyes feel rested,
such as a cool compress, will help
alleviate an eyeglass headache.
3.Choose antireflective lenses for lengthy
computer use
If you sit in front of a computer screen for
many hours, eye strain and headache may result. This may be exacerbated by the
extra strain of adjusting to a new prescription.
One way to minimize this is to make sure your
new lenses are fitted with a high-grade, antireflective coating. This will help
reduce glare from the computer screen, alleviating some stress on your eye
muscles.
4.Make sure your eyeglasses are fitted
properly
If your eyeglasses feel tight, pinch your
nose, or press behind your ears, have the frames refitted and adjusted.
