See Well Archives

Adjusting To New Glasses: 6 Common Concerns

Written By Michael Healy

If you wear glasses, you know there’s nothing better than replacing your old, outdated lenses with an up-to-date prescription and a stylish new pair of frames.

We all know the drill: you get your eyes checked, get a new prescription, choose your frames, and wait a week or so for your new specs to arrive. You get the call, pick up your new glasses, slide them on expecting to see the world in all its crystal clear brilliance…. But woah! Something doesn’t seem quite right.

The truth is new glasses, especially with new prescriptions, don’t always produce the expected outcome right away. It’s actually quite common to experience an adjustment period.

In other words, the new glasses that are designed to help you see better, reduce headaches, and improve your eyes’ stamina and ability to focus can actually produce the opposite effect—at least initially. It’s common to feel like you are wearing the wrong prescription.

DON’T PANIC!

We’ve researched the topic to shed some light on the most common concerns of eyewear patients who are getting used to new glasses and answered the most common questions about adjusting to new glasses.

Allergies and Contacts: Our Top Tips for Managing Allergy Season

Written By Michael Healy

Most people consider spring to be when allergy season strikes. Tree pollen hits hardest come early spring, but is then followed by grass pollen in the late spring, weed pollen in the summer, and ragweed pollen in the late summer and deep into fall. And, according to Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Asthma Network, it’s always allergy season because, in addition to lengthy pollen seasons, year-round offenders include dust mites, mold, and pet dander. Allergies are especially hard on contact lens wearers. Allergies and contacts can be a tricky mix.

It’s bad enough that you wake up and your eyes feel gritty, swollen, and itchy. Then you have to put in your contact lenses. Ouch.

According to the American Optometric Association, there are approximately 45 million contact lenses wearers in the United States. Many cease wearing contact lenses due to seasonal allergies. Some stop only temporarily, while others throw in the towel and give up on wearing contacts.

But you don’t have to. Understanding the symptoms and treatment options available can bring relief and help you weather allergies and contacts issues.

Can You Wear Sunglasses With Contacts? How to Protect Your Eyes

Written By Michael Healy

If you’re like most contact lens wearers, you experienced a wonderful feeling of relief the day you started using them. Now the question is: what do you do when you head out into the bright sunlight? Can you wear sunglasses with contacts?

The answer is, yes, the combination works as well as peanut butter and jelly and provides an added level of eye protection you can’t get with contacts alone.

Read on to answer the question of can you wear sunglasses with contacts once and for all!

National Eye Exam Month and Important Children’s Vision Research

Written By Barry Silver

August is National Eye Exam month. Optometry Times claims there are five great reasons you should care about eye examinations:

Proper prescription
Your eye exam reveals if you need eyeglasses or contact lenses and what prescription will work best. If you already have prescriptive eyewear, keep in mind your vision needs tend to change as you age.
Detect eye conditions
An exam will enable your eye care professional to spot the early signs of diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and high cholesterol.
Prevent conditions
An optometrist can see early signs of diseases that may not present symptoms, such as macular degeneration or cataracts. Early detection is important.
Alleviate headaches
Visiting an eye care professional often leads to taking care of constant headaches.
Improve academic performance
Poor vision is a common reason children fall behind in school.

Speaking of children, this year, National Eye Exam month brings us an in-depth and important research compilation from National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness titled, Children’s Vision and Eye Health: A Snapshot of Current National Issues.

Slipping and Sliding? How to Adjust Your Glasses at Home

Written By Barry Silver

You bought your glasses online, but they don’t fit your face the way you’d like. There’s probably no need to return them or run out to an optometrist shop.

It’s easy to make small adjustments to your eyeglasses at home and achieve a more comfortable fit. In this article, we’ll show and tell you how to make these adjustments quickly and safely.