Glasses Worth it w/Mild Prescription?

[Paige]

The eye doctor gave me a prescription for glasses w/ a -.25 on both eyes. I believe that's the mildest prescription possible. I could not tell any difference between the screen she showed me corrected vs uncorrected, but she highly recommended I get some glasses and wear them every day. I have a small astigmatism in both eyes but have had that since I was a child and never wore glasses. Anyone wear glasses with such a light prescription? Does it make a difference?

 

She said legally I don't have to have them for driving. Most of me feels it's not worth it, but people always say they didn't realize they needed glasses until they actually wore them and saw the difference. I don't think I have eye strain related headaches. I have headaches, but I'm pretty sure I know the source.

[kbutton]

My husband is in the same boat. He has them, and he uses them when he's tired, particularly if he is driving. He doesn't get headaches, but it's easier on tired eyes (he changes shifts frequently). Not sure why it helps while driving other than maybe fatigue also.

 

Long before auto-focus cameras, my dad had a very mild Rx so that he could focus his camera properly. 

[Flowing Brook]

I got some for my astigmatism. They said if it weren't for the astigmatism they would not prescribe glasses. I never could get used to them. I felt like I was four feet tall. I finally stopped wearing them. I think my vision was 20/40. 

[nmoira]

I've been told that depth perception can suffer one "gets by" without glasses when one eye has a significantly stronger prescription than the other because of (IIRC) over-reliance on the stronger eye. But when the correction is the same... and so slight. Barring strain or headaches, I'd be inclined to do without.

[mellifera33]

Do you have any hobbies or activities that would be easier with corrected vision? I know several musicians/conductors who correct mild vision problems because it helps them read music on a stand or podium. If you are fine to drive, and don't experience eyestrain, I'd probably forgo the glasses. Another option would be to fill the prescription at a cheap online place like Zenni optical, and see if you experience any great improvements, before shelling out more money for glasses that you might not wear.

[Chris in VA]

I would. 

[Paige]

I felt like I was four feet tall.

What do you mean? Did it change how you saw or did you just think you looked like a little kid?

 

 

Another option would be to fill the prescription at a cheap online place like Zenni optical, and see if you experience any great improvements, before shelling out more money for glasses that you might not wear.

I've thought about doing that. I keep putting them in my cart and then closing the browser and walking away. They are boring. I wanted something flashy and cool like green cat eyes if I have to wear glasses!

 

The doctor also said that my vision cannot be completely corrected because of scars on my lenses from injuries she said must have happened as a baby or toddler and that's why I can't tell the difference between my corrected and uncorrected vision. That makes me less motivated to wear glasses too. She said I am 20/30.

[icollectkids]

My first pair of glasses was a 'blank' in one lens and .25 in the other. I only wore them when I felt the strain on that eye. Mainly at the end of the day.

 

I apparently have weird eyes. I have astigmatism in both, near sighted in one, far sighted in the other.... I can go a little while without my glasses. After a few hours I can feel the strain, though..usually followed by a headache shortly after.

 

It would be worth getting them just to have when your eyes feel strained.

[Berta]

My prescription is very mild also. I really didn't realize I had vision issues until I got the glasses lol. I don't wear them all the time. I do wear them for driving because I need them for distance. The only time I don't wear them is when I am reading, on the computer or not needing to focus on anything at a distance.

 

If you have your prescription and your pupil distance (PD) then you can order very inexpensively from Zenni Optical. I have ordered from there for years and they have good quality glasses.

[Flowing Brook]

What do you mean? Did it change how you saw or did you just think you looked like a little kid?

 

 

I've thought about doing that. I keep putting them in my cart and then closing the browser and walking away. They are boring. I wanted something flashy and cool like green cat eyes if I have to wear glasses!

 

The doctor also said that my vision cannot be completely corrected because of scars on my lenses from injuries she said must have happened as a baby or toddler and that's why I can't tell the difference between my corrected and uncorrected vision. That makes me less motivated to wear glasses too. She said I am 20/30.

 

It changed the way I saw things. The ground looked closer. I kept tripping over things because they seemed closer than they were. The dr said I'd get used to it. I gave it seven months and it never did go away. When driving I felt closer to the road than I actually was.

[jenn-]

I was also going to suggest a cheap pair from Zenni Optical.  You won't be out much money to see if they make much of a difference.

[katilac]

It changed the way I saw things. The ground looked closer. I kept tripping over things because they seemed closer than they were. The dr said I'd get used to it. I gave it seven months and it never did go away. When driving I felt closer to the road than I actually was.

 

That usually means your prescription is wrong (or rather, the glasses were not made correctly). It is possible to have that feeling with the correct lenses, but it's usually with a stronger prescription and usually goes away quite quickly (within days). 

[poppy]

I had really bad vision, got Lasik, now 10 years later my vision is worsening slightly. More to do with multiple pregnancies than anything else, I think.  I'm 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other.  One eye nearsighted, the other farsighted, which is apparently uncommon.

 

I bought glasses for $50 and wear them occasionally. I don't bother day to day, but it is useful to prevent eyestrain on long drives, or if I'm doing a lot of knitting. I don't go back and forth, I either don't wear them or I wear them for long hours at a stretch.  I am glad to have them, because I do occasionally get headaches if I strain my eyes.

[Amira]

I definitely need my glasses, but dh keeps his in the car because that's the only time he ever needs them. He thinks they're worth it even with the very mild prescription.

[Rachel]

I got glasses in the past year due to an astigmatism. The first week or so I didn't really think my glasses were helping, then I went a couple days without them and realized how much easier it was to see. Mostly my eyes don't feel tired at the end of the day anymore.

[umsami]

A quarter of a diopter is nothing.  DH used to moonlight in optical shops when he was an ophthalmology resident and there was pressure to prescribe even just a quarter of a diopter. He refused, and thus the moonlighting dried up. So….based on his experience…I find your Rx a little suspicious.

 

Does your Rx include anything for the astigmatism or just the -0.25 D?  Is it OD and OS? Or just one eye?

 

I suppose you could get a cheap pair, but I'm not sure you really need them.

 

Found this...http://voices.yahoo.com/should-fill-eye-glass-prescription-2846557.html?cat=5

 

 

[Paige]

A quarter of a diopter is nothing.  DH used to moonlight in optical shops when he was an ophthalmology resident and there was pressure to prescribe even just a quarter of a diopter. He refused, and thus the moonlighting dried up. So….based on his experience…I find your Rx a little suspicious.

 

Does your Rx include anything for the astigmatism or just the -0.25 D?  Is it OD and OS? Or just one eye?

 

I suppose you could get a cheap pair, but I'm not sure you really need them.

 

Found this...http://voices.yahoo.com/should-fill-eye-glass-prescription-2846557.html?cat=5

It does have something for the astigmatism. The astigmatism is a little different for each eye but both are less than 1. The -.25 is in both eyes; so they are equal.

[J-rap]

My daughter has a low prescription like that, but finds that glasses are especially helpful for night driving.  For her, it was worth it.  Also, she is prone to headaches and anything that helps in this area is worth it!

[PeterPan]

Both my dc and I have astigmatism.  I don't remember my first scrip, but it was very slight like that, the kind they say you don't have to fill if you don't want to, and I did get rid of some headaches when I got them.  My dd currently does not need a regular scrip, even with her astigmatism, but she uses bifocal contacts that give her that slight amount of correction to improve strain with close up work.  They made a dramatic difference for her.

 

Zenni is fine but you still want to take the glasses and have them checked after they're made.  I hate to admit it, but the fact that the eye doc was SO insistent about such a SMALL amount of correction does seem odd.  No cylinders, no symptoms, big profit off you when you buy the glasses through her, hmmm...  Anyways, I've had at least one pair from Zenni made incorrectly.  The others have all been fine,but it can happen. Also, one of my pairs has not held up well.  So it just varies.  For the price you can't go wrong.  

[Ali in OR]

IF you drive at night and have night vision problems, the biggest help with the glasses may be that you can get an anti-glare coating. This keeps the on-coming headlights from blinding you. Driving at night is the only time I wear my regular glasses. Though come to think of it, my sunglasses are my prescription also, and I'm wearing those anytime I'm driving in the daytime or anytime I'm outside, so I guess I'm wearing my prescription more than I thought.

[KungFuPanda]

My son has a fairly light prescription. His nearsightedness and astigmatism cancel each other out enough that he thought he could see fine. He got used to his glasses gradually over two months. It took him a while to get used to how he should see, but now he reaches for his glasses daily to clear things up.

[LucyStoner]

Well, I am so used to my face with glasses that if I didn't need them anymore I would probably wear non correcting lens glasses. My eyes improved markedly and my most recent prescription is much more mild than it used to be though not as mild as yours. I can actually manage without them but I much prefer to wear them. After 20 years of wearing glasses, I am just used to something resting on my nose.

[Tap]

I just talked to an eye specialist about dd15 who has Dyslexia and needs vision therapy.  The doctor said we could try the .25 correction lenses to see if they would help her eyes focus more intently, but he also said that insurance would not likely pay for such a light correction.  He says that such a light correction would not hurt her eyes, but he also felt that they wouldn't likely help either.   

 

His suggestion for her was to just buy reading glasses instead of prescription glasses. 

 

[8circles]

Well I'm just getting old so maybe my issue isn't the same. But I went to the eye doc for the first time as an adult just last week. He said I just would need reading glasses but they don't normally make them as small as I would need - .5 but I could get a prescription if I wanted. He said it probably wouldn't be worth it. I didn't listen and ordered .5 reading glasses online. I'm really glad I did - it does make a difference.

[weddell]

That's the same prescription I have. I did get the glasses and they hardly make a difference. Writing that is far away is slightly clearer and that's about it. I generally don't find wearing them worth the hassle. I passed a DMV vision screening when I renewed my license just fine without the glasses. Street signs are slightly clearer and crisper from far away. Since with most street signs it's pretty obviously what they say without them being perfectly crystal clear, it doesn't make much difference, but when I'm looking for an unfamiliar street sign while driving the glasses do help since I can read them slightly faster. I was actually thinking of getting my prescription in sun glasses at Zenni Optical and only wearing them for driving.

[flyingiguana]

.

 

If you have your prescription and your pupil distance (PD) then you can order very inexpensively from Zenni Optical. I have ordered from there for years and they have good quality glasses.

 

I've had trouble getting my PD from eye drs.  (They're required to give it to you, but somehow they just never got around to it).  

 

We took a picture of my eyes with a ruler in front of them.  That gave me the measurement.  

 

I tried doing it in a mirror, but my eyes kept moving side to side as I looked at the ruler.

[Arcadia]

I could see without glasses but find it worth getting since I need sunglasses anyway with photosensitive eyes.

 

I've had trouble getting my PD from eye drs. (They're required to give it to you, but somehow they just never got around to it).

 

I ask for my kids prescription while paying the bill for transition lens for my younger boy with astigmatism. The admin are good at giving at the optician we go to but I am the one who forget to ask.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I have a very mild prescription. I mostly don't wear them. But I'm always glad I have them in my purse. Movies. Night driving. Certain days when my computer screen just doesn't look right. It's nice to have the option when you feel like it.

[Catwoman]

How are old threads like this one getting bumped today? Did a troll bump them and then have his posts deleted or something?

 

I felt sad when I was reading this thread and saw that Moira had posted. :( That's when I realized it had to be an old thread.

[Guest Hannanana]

Be cautioned if you order from Zenni.  We ordered two pairs of glasses with an identical prescription.  We received two pairs of glasses with slightly different prescriptions.

 

When worn, one pair would result in slightly blurred vision, dizziness, etc so we took them to an independent retailer and sure enough the axis on both lenses was off slightly (on the messed up pair). 

 

We contacted customer support and sent the glasses back.  After a month or so they came back to us (after we had to ask them what is going on) and said the glasses were fine.  We asked about the difference in prescription and they said they would test them again.

 

Finally got back to us that the glasses were within an acceptable margin of error.

 

They have an acceptable "margin of error" when producing glasses to match a prescription.

 

[Lizzie in Ma]

That is the same prescription my youngest just got.  But it was enough to really bother her so it was worth it to us.

[umsami]

DH is an ophthalmologist and would laugh at a prescription like that.  When he used to moonlight in optical shops as a resident, they would pressure them to prescribe (even a quarter of a diopter) for the sale.

 

Having said all that, I'm only -1.75, and I need my glasses mainly because of astigmatism.  They make a huge difference for me and I'm much happier.  If it were me, I'd probably order some glasses through ZenniOptical and see how you like them.  You can call back and ask for your pupillary distance.  My latest pair cost $30.00.

 

Ugh, just saw old thread.  NM.

 

Regarding glasses quality, I remember reading an article in Consumer Reports and the only people who did really good glasses was Costco.  Even the optical only shops and higher priced optical shops did worse than Costco on quality.  For me, Zenni was fine.