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Prescription Was Cut Back
Amanda wrote:
I recently went to an optometrist for the first time in 5 years and she told me my prescription had changed quite drastically; specifically, my astigmatism had grown much worse in both eyes. I previously had OD CYL -2.50 and OS CYL -1.25, but she measured me at OD CYL -4.50 and OS CYL -2.75. However, when she was writing out my prescription she told me that that was too drastic a change and gave me a prescription for OD CYL -3.50 and OS CYL -2.00 and told me to come back in a year for another prescription update.
Why can't I get the full prescription now? Due to the severity of my nearsightedness (-10.25) and this astigmatism my lenses are quite expensive. I'd rather just by one pair and maybe take a little longer to get used to them than have to buy two pairs of lenses in two years.
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Cutting back the glasses prescription when there is a big change is quite common. The problem with giving the full prescription is that it could be very hard for you to get used to it. It could take longer than a month to adjust and you may have severe headaches. Not something that most people are willing to tolerate. In your case specific reasons that would make it hard to adjust to the new prescription is the amount of time you’ve had your old prescription and the type of prescription that you have. The longer you have had your current prescription the harder it is to adjust to a new prescription. As well astigmatism (cyl) correction is the hardest type of prescription change to get used to. The amount that they are cutting it back by likely won’t affect your vision significantly. I would have done the same thing that your optometrist is suggesting.
Dr. Doman
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Is Three-Month-Old Far-Sighted?
Ali wrote:
I think my 3 month old baby may be farsighted, but I can't seem to find any information about signs and symptoms on the Internet. He is very engaged and makes a great deal of eye contact when he's in a bouncy chair or lying on a blanket on the floor (further away), but when he's in my arms, breastfeeding, or generally closer to me, he does not make any eye contact. In fact, he tends to avoid looking, and instead looks off into the distance. Additionally, he has a torticolis, or a head tilt, that is being treated with physio. I'm now wondering if this is actually a symptom of vision problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Ali,
It sounds like your baby is reacting very normally visually. I have a nine month old myself and I noticed the same thing when he was younger. If you were holding him he didn’t want to look at you, but would look at someone standing right beside me. Part of it is that they are curious about the world around them. Almost all babies are far-sighted and this is normal. It sounds like his vision is developing perfectly normally. Optometrists do routinely examine babies as young as six months, so you could definitely take him to see your optometrist when he is six months old. It would be quite rare for a baby to need glasses at such a young age. Most babies will grow out of their far-sightedness as they get older and will not require glasses. However some young children will be significantly far-sighted or near-sighted and will require glasses. For more information on baby’s vision visit our website: opto.ca/openyoureyes/caring-for-your-family/babys-vision.
Dr. Doman
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Possible Lazy Eye
Sean wrote:
Hi, my five year old turns his head to the right when he watches TV or looks at something from a distance so that he is only looking out his left eye. We have had him checked by his optometrist every year and his vision is fine. We thought he might have lazy eye, but that has not been the diagnosis. Are there any other eye conditions that may cause this?
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Hi Sean,
If your son has his eyes checked every year and everything is fine it is unlikely that he has a lazy eye. This is one of the main things that we look for when examining young children. It could be that it is a habit that he has developed or perhaps that’s his way of trying to really focus in on something. I assume that you have mentioned this problem to your optometrist? If he sees equally well with each eye and has good binocular vision there is no medical reason for this behaviour.
Dr. Doman
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