Threads by Most Recent Post Hot Threads Post Index Thread Index Eye Scene Front Page

Astigmatism

Soundmanpt 02 Jun 2018, 05:00

Just Asking

I assume that you're asking this for the purpose of buying contacts lenses so you don't have to buy the more expensive "toric lenses"? For glasses having the astigmatism correction properly included in your prescription costs nothing extra.

I agree with Lou and Maxim that at -1.25 CYL that is too much to simply increase the SOP by half the value.

Maxim 01 Jun 2018, 14:50

I should say, this rule of thumb applies to astigmatism up to 0.50 or 0.75, to leave them uncorrected. If the astigmatism goes beyond 1.00, or even up to 1.50 or 2.00, the correction is substantial, especially when it comes to letters or numbers reading (busses, car registration plates etc., street sign and indicators).

I feel, it's better for you to correct this astigmatim of 1.25.

Lou 01 Jun 2018, 14:19

Hi JustAsking

The general rule of thumb for example for someone who wants sphere only contact lenses, is to add 1/2 the cylinder to the sphere.

However this generally works better when someone only has a small amount of astigmatism, such as -0.50.

In your case, you'd divide your -1.25 cylinder by two, which equals -0.625. You could either round it down to -0.50 or up to -0.75, when added to your sphere would give -2.25 or -2.50. I honestly however think that neither would give you particularly good vision, as at least in my opinion, -1.25 is a fairly significant amount of astigmatism.

JustAsking 01 Jun 2018, 13:05

Hi,

Ive read that astigmatism can be corrected to a point with a stronger prescription lens.

I only have an astigmatism in one eye, its -1.75, -1.25, 160. What prescription would be recommended to get the best sight without correcting the astigmatism?

Would it be just the -1.75 or should it be higher?

Thanks

JC 26 May 2018, 08:40

Leo:

To expand more on my last post... in my starting point suggestion for your right eye the cylinder changed from -1.00 to -0.75 because for soft contact lenses cylinders are commonly available in cylinder powers of -0.75 or -1.25 but not -1.00. It may be the case your eye was actually on the borderline of needing more then -1.00 and -1.25 would be better. Also for the sphere, by deceasing the cylinder from -1.00 to -0.75 the spherical equivalent of the lens was reduced. If you were on the borderline of -needing more then 3.00 then -3.25 might be better.

That might sound like some technical mumbo jumbo, but my point was to emphasize more that the RX I gave you was only a guess and a starting point.

JC 26 May 2018, 08:28

Leo:

We can't say for sure. In a contact lens fitting the eye care professional will test fit a lens and then evaluate the fit on your eye and then do an over refraction while wearing them to see if the prescription is okay. I'd say a reasonable starting point with parameters available in most brands would be:

R -3.00 cyl -0.75 ax 110

L -3.75 cyl -0.75 ax 90

Please consider not rushing out and buying some if you've never worn contacts -- you really want a professional to fit them and evaluate them on your eyes.

Leo 26 May 2018, 07:41

Question: if my glasses rx is:

R -3.00 cyl -1.00 ax 110

L -3.75 cyl -0.75 ax 87

What would my contacts prescription be?

Thanks!

Leo

Soundmanpt 14 May 2018, 13:36

Glasses Girl

I didn't mean to not answer you. I just missed seeing your comment for some reason.

I probably shouldn't be making guesses without actually knowing for sure how adding CYL to your contacts and glasses might effect your eyes long term. like Cactus Jack said getting a good combination of contacts and glasses for doing GOC by only using SPH is one thing and not too difficult to get a good match and combination.but much more tricky in figuring CYL. Being off i'm sure could result in unwanted headaches.

GlassGirl 14 Mar 2018, 15:39

Thank you for your message Soundmanpt. Do you think toric contacts or astigmatism glasses can cause permanent damage to my eyes? How can that be possible? I am full time GOC wearer for more than three years now, but only sphere (plus contacts and high minus glasses).

Cheers.

Soundmanpt 02 Mar 2018, 10:10

Glass Girl

I know that you are only wanting to experiment but like Cactus Jack said working with CYL is so much different than SPH and it could even cause permanent damage to your eyes. Not to mention even trying it would bed be expensive since you would need toric lenses which are quite expensive.

Weirdeyes 02 Mar 2018, 09:54

Something really surreal was getting my eye tested by the OD who first prescribed me glasses. My first glasses were R Plano and L +1.25. No cyl at all. I swear I remember having trouble seeing certain details far away back then. When I came back he prescribed the -0.75 and -1.25 cyl I usually get. Still dont know if I developed more astigmatism or just got better at subjective refractions.

14 Feb 2018, 20:01

wow, GlassesGirl, you seem to really know a lot about prescription numbers and what's important! many people only post partial prescriptions.

GlassGirl 14 Feb 2018, 17:45

Thank you for your replies. I have this combo in mind, which compensate my low astimatism and myopia of -0.25 CYL -0.75 AXIS 180 (LE).

EYEGLASSES:

RIGHT EYE: -7.00 -3.75 60

LEFT EYE: -7.25 -4.00 180

CONTACTS:

RIGHT EYE: +10.00 -3.50 150

LEFT EYE: +9.50 -3.00 90

I plan to buy Biofinity Toric XR contacts for arround 20 USD each 6 lens box, and 1.74 high-index eyeglasses for arround 200 USD.

Do you think this will make a big difference in appaerance and vision from my current combo of -6.50 eyeglasses with +6.00 contacts?

optional 11 Feb 2018, 19:12

GlassGirl

Have you been inspired by this?

anonymous oo 25 Nov 2017, 03:29

on the "glasses over contacts" thread

Weirdeyes 10 Feb 2018, 17:05

GlassGirl

I think youd have better luck making your glasses have against the rule astigmatism(around 90 degrees instead of 180) because toric lenses for with the rule astigmatism are more stable. I have with the rule astigmatism, so toric lenses work pretty well for me. I use Acuvue Oasis two week torics. Unfortunately toric lenses do not tend to have good ranges for plus powers. Most only go to +4.00. Acuvue Oasis goes up to +6.00 and -2.75 in cyl. The other problem is that adding cyl will subtract plus power. So +6.00 -2.75 will only get you about -3.25 -2.75 in glasses. Bioinfinity torics go up to +8.00, but the cyl only goes up to -2.25. Im pretty sure theres an XR range, but that can get very expensive. Even the regular version is expensive.

Cactus Jack 10 Feb 2018, 12:24

GlassGirl,

You are asking someone to do about 15 to 30 minutes of work so you can do an experiment that probably won't be wearable and is extremely expensive.

I suggest that if you are serious about doing complex GOC, you need learn how to do the calculations yourself. There have been several explanations posted on the GOC thread.

Here is a hint about how to get started, which is not usually covered in the GOC posts:

You need to first do a trial calculation for Toric contacts. You will need to add an opposite +Cylinder element, with the same Axis as in the glasses, and then convert it to - Cylinder, because you can't buy Torics with + Cylinder. I think you will be surprised at the results. Don't forget to add or subtract 90 degrees to the axis when you do the conversion.

Please let us know how it all works out, both optically and financially.

GlassGirl 09 Feb 2018, 11:06

Hi there,

I am currently wearing the following GOC combo:

EYEGLASSES:

LEFT EYE: -6.50 -0.75 180

RIGHT EYE: -6.25 0.0 0

CONTACTS:

LEFT EYE: +6.00

RIGHT EYE: +6.00

What prescription do I need in my contacts if I add the following astigmatism to my eyeglasses prescription?

EYEGLASSES:

LEFT EYE: -6.50 -3.75 180

RIGHT EYE: -6.25 -3.0 60

CONTACTS:

LEFT EYE: +6.00 ?? ??

RIGHT EYE: +6.00 ?? ??

I know astigmatism is not recomended with GOC, but I want to experiment... What will the lenses in my eyeglasses look like in comparison to my current pair?

Thanks

Weirdeyes 04 Dec 2017, 02:20

Here's an interesting thing I noticed. The new prescription in my right eye is +0.75 -0.75 165. When I was wearing my new contacts I was trying on my new glasses for fitting purposes. I noticed I could see pretty clearly out of my right eye. When I rotate the glasses 90 degrees I notice it gets noticeably less sharp. That same experiment works with glasses only. It's interesting I see better with -1.50 cyl than no cyl at all. I kind of had the feeling my right eye has been a bit low on cyl.

NNVisitor 16 Jul 2017, 18:02

Ellie

For whatever reasons few people wear glasses at the gym I go to. Maybe it's a safety issue.

You have some astigmatism in one eye only and not a lot. I've worn RGP contact lenses on most days for many years. They have to be fitted and are specialty made but my astigmatism is much higer than yours. Air Optix makes soft contact lenses for astigmatism and soft contacts for those without astigmatism. It might be an idea for you if you want to wear contact lenses only occasionally.

Cactus Jack 15 Jul 2017, 14:07

Ellie,

When you get your glasses, I suggest wearing them full time for 10 days to 2 weeks before making a decision about when to wear them. Initially, you may feel like the glasses have made your vision without them, worse. That is not true. What happens is that Vision actually occurs in the brain, your eyes are merely biological cameras. Your brain can slightly blurry or distorted images, if it knows what something is supposed to look like, but it takes a lot of energy for that to occur. In fact, your brain can create images without any external input. Ever had a dream?

For the first few days after getting your glasses, some thing might appear slightly distorted. When I got my first glasses, it looks like ceiling corners did not meet at 90 degree angles. That soon went away and ceiling corners looked correct both with and without my glasses.

If you are concerned about comments about wearing glasses, please don't be. That will only last for a few days and then people will comment if you don't wear them. In many ways it is like getting some new shoes or a a new style hair do.

As far as contact go, the ideal thing would be a Sphere only contact for your Right Eye and a Topic Contact lens for your Left Eye. However, Toric Contact are more expensive and are often hard to fit properly so that they stay properly oriented. If they get out of position your vision is worse than without correction. One solution that is sometimes used is to add 1/2 of the Cylinder prescription to the Sphere and fit a Sphere only contact. In your case that would be -0.75 plus -0.375 or -1.125. Unfortunately, contacts only come in 0.25 increments, so you would wear either a -1.00 or -1.25 contact on your Left Eye and -0.75 on your Right. They might be a little hard to keep track of which is which, but your ECP can advise you better than I can.

Best wishes and please let us know how things work out for you.

Ellie 15 Jul 2017, 13:40

Thank you that does make sense about the blurry and sharp images. Come to think of it I do struggle a bit when using computer for long period of time.

I will take the optometrist advice and wear them all day once I pick them up

Im.thinking of getting daily disposable contact lenses to wear every now and then and when I'm doing sport, I've been looking up and because of that left eye would I need a toric contact lens on ?

Cactus Jack 15 Jul 2017, 11:36

Ellie,

I believe you would benefit from full time wear. Let me explain why.

The first number, -0.75 in your prescription, indicates that your are mildly nearsighted in both eyes. That means that everything beyond about 1.33 meters or 53 inches is increasingly blurry. However, the -0.75 also means that you have very weak, built in reading glasses. Theoretically, that would help you focus close for a computer or reading, but that is a two edged sword. It means that when you don't wear your glasses, your Ciliary Muscles are not getting enough exercise when you focus close.

The real snag is the astigmatism in your Left Eye. You have no ability to compensate for astigmatism WITHOUT external correction. Astigmatism causes text, particularly small text, to be hard to read. When presented with the two images from your eyes, one sharp and the other a bit blurry, your brain will select the best image and pretty much ignore the other one. Vision is best with both eyes working together. Your glasses helps that to happen because the image from your Left Eye has been optically corrected by your glasses. The result is less fatigue and better depth perception (IOW 3D vision).

Of course the choice is up to you. You do not have to justify seeing well to anyone.

Ellie 15 Jul 2017, 11:17

I had an eye test, thinking my eyesight was ok but at night seems to get bit more blurred so went in for a check. I was told I have an astigmatism in one eye and was recommended to wear glasses even for when on the computer and said I would benefit from wearing them all the time.this is my first prescription.

This is me prescription

Left eye -0.75 sph: -0.75 cyl:axis 10

Right eye -0.75 ds

With this sort of prescription would it be recommended to wear all the time?

Cactus Jack 18 May 2017, 21:39

Maria Et,

Here is a slightly edited version of the prescription you posted:

OD (right eye) Sphere +5.50, Cylinder -4.25, Axis 170 degrees

OS (left eye) Sphere +5.75, Cylinder -3.25, Axis 165 degrees

I listed the right eye first because that is the way prescriptions are usually written.

The Sphere number indicates that your BF has Hyperopia which is the medical name for Far or Long sightedness. Hyperopia is typically caused by a mismatch between the total PLUS power of his eye's lens system and the length of his eyeballs. Almost every baby is born with Hyperopia. That is because the eyeballs have to be small to fit in the small eye sockets in the baby's head. Fortunately, babies also have incredible accommodation, which they learn to use after about a month. This enables them to compensate for their Hyperopia. As the baby grows their eyeballs also grow and they typically become less Hyperopic. Eyeball growth is believed to be controlled by the genes. Some children's eyeballs grow too much and they become Myopic. Others don't grow quite enough and they remain Hyperopic. As they get older it becomes harder to focus close even focus for distance and they need external PLUS help to focus for distance and near. BTW the distances involved are small. About 0.3 mm per diopter which means that your BF's eyeballs are about 2 mm shorter than ideal.

Your BF's real problem is Astigmatism as indicated by the need for significant Cylinder correction. Astigmatism is usually caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the Cornea. The curve is steeper in one direction that it is in the other. If you can imagine it, his corneas are shaped like a section from an American Football.

The problem with Astigmatism is that you have no way to correct it without using external lenses (glasses or contacts) or sometimes it can be corrected by surgery. The biggest problem with Astigmatism is that it affects Visual Acuity at ALL distances. Uncorrected Astigmatism make Text very fatiguing to read. If your BF did not have any Astigmatism, he might be able to not wear his glasses for distance, but it would be fatiguing and he would probably have headaches.

The Axis number is ALWAYS required if a person has any Cylinder correction. That number is direction of the Long Axis of the Cylinder. By tradition. 0 degrees is Horizontal. 90 Degrees is Vertical. Looking at the wearer, the numbers increase in a counter-clockwise direction from 0 thru 90 and on around to 179. 180 is the same as 0.

He may be able to function without his glasses, but he can function much better and more comfortably, with them.

Hope this helps you understand. It might be possible for you to experience what he sees without his glasses if you know a friendly Optometrist or Optician. Do you wear any form of vision correction?

Maxim 18 May 2017, 14:49

to Jenny

my sincere best wishes, and my gratulation!

You have been a tough woman, and now you are rewarded with superb vision!

Soundmanpt 18 May 2017, 14:05

Jenny

You were clearly stunned and shocked when you put your glasses on for the very first time. You're eyes really adjusted to them quite fast which of course was good for you. Now that you have your glasses you already seem reluctant to take them off. The added bonus besides being able to see so well is that you shouldn't be bothered by anymore headaches. And even though your eyesight is already greatly improved just wait until your eyes have fully adjusted to your glasses. things will even be sharper and clearer than they are now. If you find that you need to remove your glasses in order to read small print after your eyes have adjusted then you almost certainly will benefit from progressives down the road as the doctor suggested. But for now your glasses should make things about 95% better for you.The progressives will make it a full 100% better.

So it seems you're not having any problem with getting used to wearing glasses. That can sometimes be a bigger issue for some. What comments have you gotten so far about your wearing glasses? Since you're new to wearing glasses and that makes it hard to really know if they are as comfortable as they should be. You just need to know that if you find yourself pushing your glasses up quite bit because they are sliding down your nose or if the earpieces feel a little too tight behnd your ears you should stop at anyplace that sells glasses and have the, adjust them for you. They don't care taht your glasses came form another shop and there won't be any charge. You want your glasses to be completely comfortable to the point that you soon will hardly even think about the fact that you're wearing glasses. Do you have any questions about your glasses or eyesight?

Jenny 18 May 2017, 13:36

I picked up my glasses from Foreyes today and all I can say is OH MY GOD! While I did feel a little queasy at first, that feeling went away within a half hour or so. I can't believe the clarity the glasses give me. I truly can't believe what I've been missing. I kept them on at work all day and wore them to drive home. I'm also wearing them now watching television and typing this message. I can see what the doctor said about the possibility of having to remove my glasses to see small print clearly as I can see the difference. He told me that at about 43 I'd need progressives which is in about a year.

Maria Et 15 May 2017, 00:26

Can someone please explain my boyfriend's prescription to me?

left eye is +5.75-3.25x165

right eye is +5.50-4.25x170

His glasses magnify his eyes, I was always thought + was for reading but he wears his glasses or contacts for everything.

I want to understand his eyes more...

NNVisitor 14 May 2017, 21:06

How can anyone cheat on the eye exam? Don't they use different letter arrangements so people can't relay the information to others in order to prevent cheating?

I've never dealt with getting a drivers licence as I don't have an interest in driving even though I could if I wanted to and obtained a drivers license. It's not because of my vision as my corrected vision is usually 20/25 to 20/20 with my contact lenses. I just don't want to drive in crowded city traffic or even on the highway dealing with trucks etc.

Maxim 14 May 2017, 14:08

to Jenny:

It's a bit like in the swimming pool before you are in the water: you don't want to enter, because you think, the water is cold. When you're in the water, you are moving, and you don't feel the cold, you just feel fine.

I am convinced, that these glasses will solve your problems .....

"I've definitely had to deal with headaches especially when working on the computer for any length of time. I also haven't been able to read street signs or see faces of faraway people for quite some time especially at night".

.... and you're going to love them.

You will have such a rich vision with these glasses!

Make sure, that you buy nice frames, or buy a second or a third pair from Zenni's, just not only for a good vision, but for looking nice as well.

Jenny 14 May 2017, 13:25

I've definitely had to deal with headaches especially when working on the computer for any length of time. I also haven't been able to read street signs or see faces of faraway people for quite some time especially at night. At least the last two times I've renewed my DL I've cheated on the eye exam part so I'm sure legally I need them to drive. I'm not so sure I'm ready to wear glasses all the time, but I won't know until I get them. I guess I'll just have to wait until they come in a week or so.

14 May 2017, 11:52

to Jenny:

I can confirm, what Soundmanpt wrote to you - this will be the most different part of the adaptation to your glasses.

"Don't be surprised if the floor seems tilted or slanted and you may feel dizzy and sick to your stomach and have a headache as well".

This can last (my own experience many years ago) for up to four weeks - but these situations did not last for more than two or three minutes. I left the eyes bare eyed for this small moment and everything was o.k. Later, the brain had obviously learnt about the new situation of the 'modified optical input' (my own word creation).

But in the long run, it's worth everything wearing glasses instead seeing affected by the vision defect.

And, last not least, a lens for astigmatism is like holydays for the eye. With astigmatism uncorrected, the eye is always searching for a focus point, stressing the eye muscles and cannot find it (that is one of the causes of fatigue, strain, and headaches). With the correction lens, the eye is stable. This is very similar to an autofocus camera and the lens drive - this remark, if you are a photograpy fan.

Recently my daughter in law had this experience, she always suffered from headaches, and she had a -1.00 correction for astigmatism on one eye only, and she is so happy now!

Best wishes, and courage!

Tom1 14 May 2017, 06:56

The guy who answered before me is 100% right.

However, let me add a point. Did you have troubles so far due to your vision? Were there things you could not do since you didn't see well enough? Did astigmatism precluded something you wanted to do and cannot do since you do not have perfect vision?

If this is the case you life will certainly improve with glasses on since everything will be much more clear.

On the other hand, if this is not the case and you hardly realised you needed glasses, I'm wondering if it is really needed for you to get 20/20 vision and become accustomed to glasses. In fact, if and when you will start using glasses full time, it will be much more difficult for you to do without, as you are acually doing now...

You are the only one who can decide how much wearing your glasses (in fact glasses are not a cure for any vision defect, they are only an aid to improve your performance when you are wearing them).

Soundmanpt 13 May 2017, 20:00

Jenny

My first question to you is to ask if you often get headaches maybe around mid day? If you don't I am quite surprised considering you prescription. Quite often people start getting headaches when they only have a need for -.75 astigmatism correction and you're at -1.75. That is why the doctor and saleslady / optician was surprised that you aren't already wearing glasses. I think that you are likely to have a real problem with adjusting to your glasses once you get them. Unlike being near or farsighted where if your nearsighted you would simply wear glasses when you wanted to see something in the distance or if you were farsighted and only needed glasses for seeing close up such as for reading. But astigmatisms effects your eyesight at all distances. i'm almost positive that when you first put your glasses on you're going swear that they aren't the right prescription. Don't be surprised if the floor seems tilted or slanted and you may feel dizzy and sick to your stomach and have a headache as well. That is the reason the doctor is suggesting doing things where you won't be moving around too much such as sitting down watching TV with your glasses on. You're eyes are sure to go through an adjusting period. But once your eyes do adjust I think you will not be taking your glasses off except to clean them and to shower and at bedtime. Yes you're going to be wearing your glasses full time.

Jenny 13 May 2017, 15:19

Had my first eye exam yesterday in 20+ years at Foreyes. Doc and saleswoman were both shocked I hadn't been wearing glasses and said I would see a significant difference when my glasses arrived. My script was PL/-1.75 100 PL/-1.75 65. Don't know much about prescriptions but the doctor said I have a good amount of astigmatism and probably had it for years. I'm 42 currently btw. He also tested my near vision and even though I could see the smallest line only with help, he decided I could just take my glasses off if necessary for another year. He didn't really give me a recommendation of how often to wear the glasses, but he did say to get used to them while watching tv and doing things around the house because there will be an adjustment period.

Benn 13 May 2017, 07:30

Thanks a lot.

13 May 2017, 06:20

to Benn:

Your confirming question to my answer ....

... the value stated in rx would be the placement in the circle . So does it mean that the max would be 12?

I think, you got it right.

The method is as followa:

The optician or eye practioner sits in front of person to wear these glasses:

Start with the right eye / right lens of the patient

Right eye: sph XY / cyl -3.00 at 0 degrees means axis horizontal fro the right to the left / looks like 3 o'clock.

R.E.: sph XY / cyl -3.00 at 15 degrees would be at 2.30 on the clock

axis at 30 degrees would correspond to 2.00 o'clock.

axis at 45 degrees (halfway, just diagonal) would be at 1.30 on the clock, etc.,

until we reach at 12.00 (noon/midnight) with the 90 degree axle.

But 12 / 90 is just a position, not a maximum!

The axle can turn outwards, reaching for example 105 degrees, this corresponds to 11.00 on the clock, and it closes with 179 degrees at 9.01 approximately.

The denominations of the lower part of the circle (from 181 to 360 - corresponding 8.59 to 6.01 on the clock are not used).

I personally have a prescription for astigmatism.

The minus cylinder is nearly vertical (up-down)

Right eye: sph xxxx / cyl - 2.00 A 100 degrees

Left eye: sph xxxx / cyl - 1.00 A 95 degrees

Maxim 12 May 2017, 16:48

Unfortunately not in English -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB7hzW1Zg4g#t=72.703695

Two screens are used: corner right down the lens, center effect of turning the lens.

Demo of astigmatism starts at 2 minutes 50 seconds.

Benn 12 May 2017, 07:41

Wow...thanks. It is very complicated. I appreciate your help.

So if I am getting it at all, the value stated in rx would be the placement in the circle . So does it mean that the max would be 12?

Maxim 12 May 2017, 00:15

This object

00000

1. seen through a prescription lens

+/- 0 (plano, no myopia, no hyperopia) but cyl - 3.00 at 0 / 180 degrees:

00000

2. the same object, seen through sph 0 / cyl - 3.00 at

90 degrees:

3. same object, now combined correction for myopia and astigmatism, e.g.

sph - 3.00 / cyl - 3.00 at 0 / 180 degrees:

4 same object, now combined for myopia and astigmatism,

e.g. sph - 3.00 / cyl - 3.00 at 90 degrees:

5./6. You can also look through lenses with combined correction for hypermetropia and astigmatism (plus lenses), but this cannot be presented as simple her, plus lenses are causing a kind of blurr.

An example for a combined plus prescription:

Right eye: sph + 4.00 / cyl - 2.00 90 degrees

Left eye: sph + 3.75 / cyl - 1.50 100 degrees

Maxim 11 May 2017, 16:14

I could also describe the system by a clock.

Your lens with an astigmatism correction of - 3.00 cyl with no myopia or hyperopia correction could be mounted

at 0 degrees = 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock

at 90 degrees = 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock -

other examples could be:

Right eye at 45 degrees 1:30 and

left eye at 135 degrees = 10:30

and so forth.

The surface of the lens with a cylinder (=astigmatic) correction hasn't got the shape of a perfect ball, but the shape of an egg, of a mango, of an american football instead.

When you put those lenses in light beams (bicycle lamp, pocket lamp, sun shining etc.) the plus lenses concentrate the light in two lines, and not in a punctual structure. The minus lenses for myopia don't spread the light evenly, but more in one direction than into the other direction.

Maxim 11 May 2017, 16:02

PS: Have you been a good scholar in mathematics and/or in geography?

These degrees refer to the 360 degrees of a full circle (in two dimensions a cylinder, or a ball), similar to the East-/West and North-/South degrees describing a position on the earth.

Maxim 11 May 2017, 15:52

No answer so far to Benn's question? I'll try it.

1) astigmatism comes together with myopia, with hyperopia or with +/+ 0.00 (plano).

2) astigmatism correction is defined from the left to the right, then as = degrees or 180 degrees

OR from top to bottom (vertical) as 90 degrees,

OR as values between those (diagonals etc.).

3) if you look through a lens with no correction for myopia or hyperopia, but with a -3.00 cyl correction for astigmatism at 0 degrees / 180 degrees, a person like Arnold Schwarzenegger with shrink, and would look like a little fat man like Laurel from Stan and Laurel.

If you look throught the sam lens, but turned by 90 degrees (now -3.00 cyl at 90 degrees) Arnold wil look same size, however much slimmer and thinner, like Stan now.

You can make a simple check, if a given pair of glasses has a correction for astigmatism:

When you turn the glasses, looking through the lens, and a person (or a door, a cupboard, a window etc. - everything) changes change theier shape from fat to thin, then the lens provides correction for astigmatism. When they don't change their shape / their form, then we have a simple myopia or hyperopia correction (or no correction at all) without corretion for astigmatism.

Benn 10 May 2017, 11:00

Okay I need help. I understand plus and memos numbers. I can see a -3.00 lens looks like or a plus 3.00. But what does a minos three in astigmatism look like.

Sorry to be so dumb.

Cactus Jack 12 Mar 2017, 19:46

Wondering,

I think you may find this helpful, particularly the part about Astigmatism.HOW TO STUDY FOR AN EYE EXAM

An eye exam is not like an exam that you might take in school and there is really no way to study for it. However, you can prepare for it and learn about your role in the exam. The best eye exams are a team effort between you and the Examiner. Part of the preparation is to learn what to expect, particularly if this is your first eye exam.

One important thing you need to keep in mind is that the Examiner has no way to experience what you are seeing. He/she has to depend on your answers to questions.

There are two parts to an eye exam. The first part is the Objective part. This part consists of:

1. Taking a Visual History where you describe your vision and the kinds of problems you are having.

2. Checking the internal pressure in your eyes for symptoms of Glaucoma. This is one of the very few parts of an eye exam that is even mildly uncomfortable and the discomfort only lasts for a few seconds. There are two basic ways to do the pressure test.

A. Using a special instrument to lightly touch your Cornea. Not to worry here. Before doing this type of test a drop of mild anesthetic will make sure you dont even feel it.

B. There is a new type instrument that uses a puff of air directed against your cornea. No anesthetic is required, but the puff will startle you. The puff of air is harmless and there are huge benefits. Detecting Glaucoma early, before it can do damage can save your eyesight.

3. The examiner will also get a preliminary estimate of your refractive error by using an Auto-Refractor or manually by using a small hand held instrument called an Ophthalmoscope or Retinoscope.

The Auto-Refractor is a relatively new instrument that was developed in conjunction with NASA to check Astronauts vision in space. You look into the machine with each eye individually where you will see a scene or a pattern. The machine will adjust its internal lenses to focus the image you see on your retina. The Auto-Refractor only takes a few seconds for each eye and it then prints out your estimated prescription.

Some Examiners prefer to use manual methods that have been used for many years. Using an Ophthalmoscope or Retinoscope and a Trial Lens set or a Phoropter (a fancy machine with a built in lens set), the Examiner will look into your eyes and select the lenses that allow him to see your retina, most clearly.

The object of this part of the exam is to get a starting place for the Subjective part of the exam where you have to describe what you see.

Typically the Subjective part of the exam starts with the Right Eye shutter open and the Left Eye shutter closed.

Step 1 is typically determining the cylinder and axis of any Astigmatism correction you need. This is actually the hardest part of the exam because you will be asked to judge relative blurriness of two images rather than the sharpness of an image.

You will be shown a line of text and a supplemental lens will be rotated into place. This lens is a cylinder lens that is mounted on a 45 degree pivot and can be flopped back an forth to bracket a trial axis or orientation of the long axis of the cylinder lens. The thing that is confusing about this test is that the straight lines (strokes) of the letters will alternate in clarity as the lens is flipped back and forth depending on their direction. I suggest concentrating on an O if possible. Depending on your answers, the examiner will adjust the axis knob unit the image you see is equally blurry with the supplemental lens 45 degrees each side of the selected axis.

At this point the Examiner will probably swing the supplemental lens out of the way and may change the cylinder power while asking you which lens in clearer.

For your first exam, you may be uncomfortable asking the Examiner to let you fine tune the Cylinder Axis, but I have found that most will appreciate your wanting to actively participate. The way that works is that he will place your hand on the Axis control knob. This time, you move it back and forth a few degrees looking for the sharpest image. It is a bit like Fine Tuning an old Analog TV set or moving the tuning knob on an analog AM radio for the best signal.

The next step is determining the Sphere correction. This is an easy part of the exam because all you have to do is pick the sharpest image, but there is a tricky part. Your auto-focus mechanism will try to help, if it gets a chance. The Examiner has a couple of ways to minimize the action of your ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses.

The Examiner can, in effect, sneak up on your Sphere prescription or he can use drops to Dilate your eyes. Lets talk about sneaking up on your prescription first. There are actually 4 lenses in your eyes lens system. All of them are PLUS lenses and the total power is about +56 to +60 diopters. The only variable focus lens is the crystalline lens whose PLUS power is controlled by your ciliary muscles. For distance, your Crystalline lens is fully relaxed and has somewhere around +15 diopters. When you focus to read, your Ciliary Muscles squeeze the Crystalline lens to increase its PLUS power by the amount necessary to focus which depends on the distance to the object.

This will take a little thought to get your mind around, but if you are nearsighted, your lens system has too much PLUS for the distance from the lens system to your retina and you need MINUS lenses to neutralize some of that excess PLUS power. You ONLY have the ability to increase the PLUS power of your lens system. You have NO ability to reduce the PLUS power of your Crystalline lenses more that fully relaxed.

To try to keep your Ciliary Muscles and Crystalline lenses from getting in the act, the examiner will start with NOT ENOUGH MINUS or TOO MUCH PLUS (same thing) and gradually increase the MINUS one or two steps at a time, while reducing the size of the line you are asked to read. He will not tell you what power lens or what line you are looking at. Eventually, he will reach the 20/20 line and a lens power that lets you read it with no mistakes.

He will then follow the same procedure with your Left Eye.

When he has completed both eyes, he will open the shutters and you may see two images. This part of the test is to check your muscle balance using some prisms. He will probably ask you to tell him when the two images are aligned horizontally and then vertically. While the images are separated, you have an important check to make. Compare the sharpness of the two images. If they are not equally sharp, be sure and tell the Examiner which image is clearer. If there is a difference, he will likely reduce the sharpness of the clearest image until they match. The important thing at this point is that they match. That lack of sharpness will be corrected in the next phase with both eyes working together.

Next he will fuse the images so both eyes are working together and repeat the Sphere procedure by gradually increasing the MINUS or decreasing the PLUS until you see the smallest line of letters very clearly.

That pretty much completes the exam except for checking your near vision with a small chart about 14 to 16 inches from you.

Many people, who wear glasses, actually look forward to eye exams. Once you have become accustomed to having very good vision, you will probably find anything less, unacceptable. Many times, after the exam, it will be suggested that you get another exam some time in the future. Note that I used the word suggested. it is NOT a Command. If your detect a problem or if your vision seems uncomfortable, please dont wait until the suggested date to seek an appointment to get your vision checked.

Wondering 12 Mar 2017, 11:16

Thanks Soundmanpt, I think I get it! So for example is an axis of 10 an equivalent of 170? Just looked at an astigmatism axis chart. So the numbers I have have only moved approx 20 degrees . My short sightedness started at -0.50 in both eyes with no astigmatism, several years later it's-1.25 and -1.00

Soundmanpt 12 Mar 2017, 10:22

Wondering

Prescribing for someone with astigmatism is the most difficult part of an eye exam for any optometrist. First of all let me assure you that even though the numbers may seem quite different to you they actually aren't. You mentioned that you're mildly shortsighted so you have probably noticed that since you first started wearing glasses you SPH has either not changed or changed very little but any change was always an increase. That is very normal for everyone. But CYL is seems to increase or decrease from one exam to the next but generally it usually doesn't change too much aver time which as you can see yours hasn't. The axis first of all is not a power value so being a 2 or 180 doesn't mean your eyesight has changed. That number determines the positioning of the lens for each eye and goes from "0" to 180. Now try and think of these numbers going around a circle much like looking at a clock with 180 numbers going around it. So then you have had an axis of 180 if you go backwards isn't that far from 20. It's not 160 numbers away but rather only 20 number away. I hope this helps.

Wondering 12 Mar 2017, 09:55

Hi all, ok so got a bit bored and sorting through paperwork, I have kept copies of my eye test prescriptions.

I've noticed that every time I go to the opticians I get different results for cylinder and axis, sometimes none at all, why is this? Are my changes drastic or just minor and stable? I'm mildly short sighted

My most recent test early this March shows

R-0.25 x165 L-0.50 x180

Previous tests over the years:just Cly and axis shown:

R 0 L-0.25x20

R-0.50x170 L-0.50x10

R-0.25x180 L-0.50x5

R-0 L-0.50x10

R-0.25x160 L-0.50x15

R-0 L-0.50x180

R-0 L-0.25x15

R 0 L 0

Maxim 27 Feb 2017, 17:06

Clearly "yes".

Your prescription is a minor prescription, and it would optimize your vision.

But the vision is clearly sufficient for driving, as far as the resolution is sufficient.

You could compare this to the 'pixels' in a digital camera. You obviously have eyes with sufficient 'pixels, and also with sharpness below the optimum, the acuity is still sufficent.

However, you should buy cheap glasses with this prescription, you might like the optimization of your vision.

Astigmatism means, that the surface of your lens is not a perfect ball surface, and every moment the muscles are trying to force the surface in the perfet shape. With this prescription, these muscles could relax. That's the effect.

I have not enough time in the moment to give a more thorough explanation, but that is the idea.

Best wishes!

punktlos 27 Feb 2017, 14:33

I've had the eye exam today and don't really know what to make of it.

First I did the automatic test again, after which the optometrist told me that the results speak for wearing glasses permanently because of -1 diopter of asigmatism and -1.5 at night vision. (I didn't know that was a thing, different diopter values for day and night...)

Then they did what you called the "subjective part" of the exam. And to be honest I didn't notice the difference in most of the lenses she put into the test frame. I could read the bottom line with any constellation, it wasn't very small anyway.

I ended up with sph +0.5 cyl -1.0 7 for my right eye and sph +0.25 cyl -0.5 174 for my left eye. However, comparing my vision with the test frame and without it I didn't see a real difference. I told my optometrist so, and she said that probably my better eye compensates a bit and that glasses didn't make sense as long as I don't experience head aches.

I'm a bit puzzled now. Can I drive at night like this?

punktlos 21 Feb 2017, 10:20

I'm living in the EU and study humanities. I'll let you know "numbers" when I get the exam next Monday.

Cactus Jack 21 Feb 2017, 08:53

punktlos.

I suspect, if you get an eye exam, the prescription will not be very strong. Higher level school work typically involves a very high visual workload, but if you are fortunate enough to have good vision, your eyes and brain can easily deal with it without needing anything, glasses for example, to help. With a few exceptions, such as driving, wearing vision correction is optional. There is no such thing as Vision Police and you don't need the permission from anyone else to wear or not wear vision correction no matter what your vision is.

The human body is amazingly adaptable to its environment. Even if you have perfect vision and excellent health, an eye exam is a good idea. The eyes are windows into the body. There are a number of "silent" health conditions that are first detected on an eye exam. Most of these conditions are easily managed if caught early, but can cause serious problems later in life. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Glaucoma are good examples.

It could be that the Optician just wants to sell some glasses. Unfortunately, that happens, but not very often. If it happens, it typically happens in large optical chain stores where there is considerable pressure to "upsell" nice-to-have additions such as Anti-Reflective Coatings, ultra thin lenses or designer frames. Independent Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) rarely do that. In most countries, if you pay for an eye exam, it is required that you be given your prescription. It is NOT necessary that you order glasses from the examiner. You can order glasses from any optical dispenser you wish.

I really need numbers to offer suggestions, but I can offer one suggestion now. If you get an eye exam and you get glasses, it is often best to wear them full time for about 2 weeks before making a decision about when to wear them. That gives your brain time to become accustomed to having good images to work with.

May I ask where you live and your field of study?

punktlos 21 Feb 2017, 04:13

That piece about eye exams was an interesting read, thank you. I'm not sure I comprehended every detail, though. Physics has never been my strong point back in school.

I'm not quite sure, however, if I'm really in for a pleasant surprise. If I understood you correctly, once my brain gets accustomed to this new kind of vision, it will no longer work as hard for me as it used to, leaving me with bad vision.

You know, I don't really see a big advantage in this, as I'm not experiencing tired eyes or headaches (I don't even know how they feel, fortunately never had them in my life...).

I'm 20 and a student, by the way.

Cactus Jack 20 Feb 2017, 15:24

punktlos,

Not really very high, but I think you are in for a pleasant surprise.

Vision actually occurs in the brain. Your eyes are merely biological cameras. Depending on age, most people can correct a little farsightedness (Hyperopia), internally, using their auto-focus system.

However, Astigmatism has to be corrected externally. Astigmatism is usually caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the Cornea and it affects vision at all distances. Your eyes have been delivering distorted images to your brain.

I mentioned that vision actually occurs in the brain and the brain has amazing ability to correct some distorted images, IF it knows what something is supposed to look like. The snag is that it takes effort and energy. The brain even has the ability to generate images WITHOUT input from your eyes. Ever had a dream?

If you get glasses, which correct the images optically, it will take a few days until your brain learns that it no longer has to work so hard.

Think of glasses as simply tools to make it easier for you to see well. Really, they aren't any different than other tools you use every day.

You might consider reading "How to Study for an Eye Exam". I think I posted it recently on the Vision thread. If you can 't find it, let me know and I will repost it.

May I ask your age and occupation?

punktlos 20 Feb 2017, 11:31

Hey there!

Today I spontaneously decided to take a computer eye test at my local optician. I didn't (and don't) feel like I had bad vision, but figured it wouldn't hurt to check anyway as I didn't have them tested since I had a little accident with a sled back when I was 8. I'm going off at a tangent here...

I was shown a red balloon getting blurry and before i knew what was happening they told me to come back later the week for a proper eye exam. Apparently I'm a little bit far-sighted in both eyes and have an astigmatism of roughly minus one diopter at 2 respectively 16 degrees (I don't remember the exact diopter values).

I was a little bit shocked, because like I mentioned, I'm not under the impression of being far-sighted and somehow all these numbers sound rather severe to me. Can someone unconfuse me on that matter? Are these strong values?

Cactus Jack 04 Feb 2017, 14:05

Fred,

Texas is a pretty decent place to live. I heard recently that about 1000 people per month are moving here from California and the Northeastern States. The cost of living here is reasonable and the business climate is excellent. The weather in the summer isn't all that great, but that is why we have Air Conditioning. Houston has a reputation of being HOT and HUMID from May to November. Someone asked me what the temperature was in the summer. I told them 72 degrees F. with brief episodes of hot and humid as I go from my Air Conditioned home to my Air Conditioned car and the Air Conditioned stores and offices. I don't think Houston would exist without Air Conditioning.

Many of the new residents have a saying "I wasn't fortunate enough to be born in Texas, but I got here as quick as I could.". Maybe next time, you can stay longer.

Feel free to contact me privately at cactusjack1928@hotmail.com, if you wish.

Fred 04 Feb 2017, 13:23

Cactus Jack, ha! don't worry.. i get that! i've been to texas once, but never left the airport it was just a connection, unfortunately. but i actually really love texas and all of the american south! i read a lot of southern american literature, i told you i'm a literature guy before i think haha and southern literature is actually my favorite, and i always read in the original language so i'm somewhat familiar with the dialect too! i hope you have a nice week!

Cactus Jack 04 Feb 2017, 12:06

Fred,

The English question was pretty dumb. If you spent 6 months here, you probably have no problems with English. However, we don't think they speak English in New York and they are pretty sure we do not speak English in Texas.

Cactus Jack 04 Feb 2017, 11:51

Fred,

I live in Houston, Texas. I look forward to hearing the results of trying the reading glasses over your regular glasses. I will be unavailable most of next week.

BTW, your English is excellent. Do you speak English or are you using a translator?

Fred 04 Feb 2017, 09:28

Cactus Jack, that's so cool to know! i've heard about são josé dos campos but i've never been there. i've been to são paulo though for like three days. i live in rio grande do sul it's the southernmost state, i don't know if you know it. i don't blame you for not learning portuguese it's a very tricky language! sometimes people who are trying to learn ask me things and i can't help them because so much of it is just unwritten rules that you just have to remember. where do you live in the US? i was there last year for six months, in new york city with my brother. and i've visited multiple times in other occasions too! ..Thank you so much for your advice i'll try it this week! i don't really experience double vision though, i mean with the astigmatism a little bit but when i'm wearing glasses that gets corrected. Thank you for your time!

Cactus Jack 04 Feb 2017, 08:18

Fred,

Many years ago, in 1975, I spent a week in San Jose dos Campos at the Embraer plant, teaching the technicians how to install and trouble shoot autopilots in the Piper aircraft they were assembling under license. I didn't learn much Portuguese because the technicians wanted to practice their English.

I also have an acquaintances who lives in Sao Paulo. He has tried to teach me some Portuguese, but it may be hopeless at my age.

This may be a little hard to believe, but I am wondering if you are having some Presbyopia combined with some dry eye problems. The idea that Presbyopia is not a problem until your 40s is a myth. It can actually happen at any age and our modern world just makes the problem worse. I would like to suggest an inexpensive test. Get or borrow some Over-the-Counter reading glasses in the +1.50 to +2.00 range and try wearing them over your regular glasses when you are doing some close work. Try to blink more often and use some artificial tears occasionally. You may not need all of the above, but it would be a quick test to see if we are on the right track. Don't try the reading glasses by themselves because you need the Cylinder correction in your regular glasses.

You also could have a convergence issue, your eyes have to converge when you do close work or you would see double. Have you ever experienced double vision or trouble keeping images fused, particularly when tired?

Many ECPs, particularly older ones, have trouble understanding that our visual environment has changed and Computers, Smartphones and Tablets all involve close focusing. Young people, with Hyperopia are particularly vulnerable to Presbyopia problems at a much earlier age. The reading visual load required in most University programs, just makes the situation worse. I was moderately nearsighted when I was in University and had to get bifocals when I was 20 because of headaches.

Please let me know if any of this helps.

Fred 04 Feb 2017, 05:21

Cactus Jack, the discomfort is worse when reading and studying! for close work. for just being outside and not doing any near work there's nearly no discomfort at all. i thought i had mentioned this im sorry! and i live in brazil actually! south of brazil close to uruguay, so i'm in the summertime right now! and no worries by the way there's no rush for you to reply i'll wait! :-) thank you..

Cactus Jack 03 Feb 2017, 20:44

Fred,

He increased your PLUS Sphere and reduced your Cylinder.

I don't think I have asked you when the discomfort occurs. When you are reading or studying, when you are outside, etc. We need some clues.

Also, I don't think I have asked you where you live. Tat can affect my suggestions.

I will be out of town for most of next week, but should be around over the weekend.

Fred 03 Feb 2017, 17:38

Cactus Jack, i want your guidance on this.. haha! so, remember i was having problems with my eyeglasses and they were making my eyes hurt? i tried the eye drops that you suggested but they were of no help, unfortunately. so i went to an eye doctor again a new one and told him all about it, all the issues with my eyeglasses that i had been experiencing. i did an eye exam and he even dilated my pupils to see if everything was all right. turns out he got the same prescription again and told me my eyeglasses weren't made wrong or anything. so what he did was basically cut my prescription strength in half.. the astigmatism strength i mean.

and he gave me this:

OS +1.00 -0.75 cil x 175 OD: +1.00 -0.75 cil x 5.

my first prescription was this:

OS +0.50 -1.25 cyl x 175 OD +0.50 -1.50 cyl x 175

he told me this should help and if it doesn't for me to come back and that it really is hard for some people to adjust to my amount of astigmatism at first.. now here's the thing, i dont know if i should do these new lenses now, since my old ones weren't wrong. what do you say? will they really help me do you think? or should i just stay with mine until i eventually adjust 100%. thank you!!! sorry for the long post. also sorry for bothering you so much!

Fred 18 Dec 2016, 16:55

thank you cactus jack! always helpful... i will try the artificial tears With lubricant and if that doesn't help i'll let you know! also yes im a student i remember the last time we talked you told me your story about the cookies and i never replied back but just letting you know i thought it was pretty funny haha thank you!

Cactus Jack 18 Dec 2016, 11:44

Fred,

I don't thing it is astigmatism related, but don't rule that out, completely. You may have some Latent Hyperopia that is resolving and you need a bit more + Sphere. Before considering another eye exam, consider the possibility of dry eye problems. I don't remember if you ever said where you live, but it is pretty common in winter with low humidity. I suggest trying some Artificial Tears WITH lubricant. There are several brands. I look for those with Carboxymethylcellulose or (as strange as it seems) Polyvinyl Alcohol. Whenever I think of Alcohol, I think of a possible stinging sensation. That does not happen with Artificial Tears. They are pH balanced and typically the drops are soothing, particularly if they are approximately body temperature. If that helps or doesn't help, please let me know. I have a couple of other suggestions.

One other thing, you said you were a student and do a lot of reading. Very often, you don't blink enough when reading. You might try consciously blinking more when you read, to spread the tears you have around more in addition to the Artificial Tears.

Fred 17 Dec 2016, 09:54

hey! i've been here before and you all seem very knowledgeable so here i am again! i have a new question.. so, my glasses are causing my eyes to burn lately like a burning sensation. sometimes they only show up when i first put them on, and sometimes they stay and i have to stop using them and rub my eyes and that often helps. i dont know if maybe my astigmatism isn't regulated anymore and i need a new prescription? even though i got mine only 6 months ago... i've been wearing them a lot and they've been fine only lately they've been causing this burning sensation and i dont know what it could be. anyone have any ideas? thank you! i didnt think glassses could make your eyes burn so im curious! also heres my prescription again in case anyone needs to know OS +0.50 -1.25 cyl x 175 OD +0.50 -1.50 cyl x 175. thank you!

Likelenses 28 Nov 2016, 20:33

Adam

See an eye doctor.

You will definitely get a prescription for glasses.

Do not be surprised if you get correction for both eyes.

A number of years ago a girl friend at the time,was having similar symptoms as yours.She thought that her left eye was bad only,but came away from the doctors office with a prescription slightly stronger for her right eye.

As I recall the Rx was, Rt eye +.25 -.75 cyl.

Lt.eye -.25 -.50 cyl.

After just a few days she was wearing the glasses full time,or she would get headaches.

Over the next few years the lenses got progressively stronger.When I last saw her she was around -2.00 sphere in both eyes,and the cyl was about-2.50 for the Rt.,and -1.50 for the Lt.

I could always tell when she needed stronger lenses,as she would squint badly with the glasses on.

She often complained that she thought that her Rt. eye had been perfect,and that the doctor set her up for ruining the vision in it by giving her a lense for it.

Adam 28 Nov 2016, 10:28

Dear Everybody,

According to online eye tests and my symptoms, I have astigmatism in my right eye (my left is perfect). It has never been a big problem because I could saw the eye chart with my right eye except the last row. On the other hand, I saw all the numbers and letters a bit blurred. It means that my distance vision is not that bad but the difference is easily recognizable compared to my left eye.

However, my near vision in my right eye is quite bad. It means I have to be close to the monitor to avoid squinting but it is never clear enough even if I'm very close. If I try to read the monitor with my right eye from normal distance, I am squinting very hard to read.

What do you think, should I visit the eye doctor to get glasses or contacts for my right eye or is it okay now? If I use both eyes, I have no problem but once I read that it is better to correct the worse eye. Thank you in advance!

Cactus Jack 22 Nov 2016, 21:21

Astigmaphile,

No chutzpah required. Just find an ECP that uses a regular Phoropter or Trial Lens Frame. Both have knobs for adjusting the Axis angle. Typically, you don't have to move it very far to find the sharpest image. If I am going to a new ECP, I always ask if he/she will let me fine tune the Axis at the appropriate point in the exam. I have never had a refusal. In fact, it tends to be an ice breaker and changes the atmosphere of the exam from an ECP to Dumb Patient, to one of Senior and Junior Colleagues working together to get the best prescription possible.

The relaxed, non-defensive attitude helps make the exam a pleasant memorable one for the Examiner. When I go back to the ECP, they often remember me and the exam become like a conversation between colleagues.

As you may recall, I have had some problems with Strabismus and getting the prescription right takes a bit longer. The ECP I like best, even has his receptionist schedule a double exam period for my appointments. He knows of my interest in vision and optics and I think he enjoys spending the extra time and taking the extra care.

Remember, the worst that can happen is that the ECP says NO! Of course, if that happens, that will be the last they see of me or my money. Once you try it, you will never want to do it any other way.

astigmaphile 22 Nov 2016, 15:31

Cactus Jack,

I have never seen the newest model of phoropter for real but have seen them on YouTube. The whole thuing is controlled from a keypad or keyboard. There are no knobs on them. I wish that I had the chutzpah to ask an eye doctor to let me get my hand on the axis knob.

Cactus Jack 22 Nov 2016, 07:32

lisa,

That type of Phoropter is a recent innovation. It is controlled by the panel you described. I had an exam a few years ago with one of those machines in a room that was very small, equipped with a special screen that optically simulated a much longer room. I was not happy with the resulting prescription and never went back to that ECP for an exam. Many ECPs use an exam room with a mirror and projector or display that gives a true target distance of 20 ft or 6 meters. That works OK, but a very few ECPs actually have exam rooms arranged with the Snellen Chart display 20 ft or 6 meters from where the patient sits. That seems to be the best of all. The problem with that is that office real estate is expensive.

Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with the machine you described. I don't think it is possible for you to fine tune the Axis the way I described.

I can't imagine that any really good ECP would object to your asking questions and asking for an explanation of what you should be looking for. There is absolutely no way for the Examiner to see what you are seeing. They have to depend on how you answer their questions. An Eye Exam is NOT an inquisition. It actually should be a very pleasant experience that leads to sharp, comfortable vision.

Remember, that in most instances, YOU are paying the Examiner for their knowledge and skills. A good exam is actually a team effort. Sometimes, you have to shop around for an ECP that you feel comfortable working with. It is regrettable that some ECPs are not good communicators, just as some MDs are not good communicators. Don't be afraid to ask for explanations. You don't know their language, it is their responsibility to speak yours.

I hope this helps. May I as where you live?

lisa 22 Nov 2016, 00:28

Thank you Cactus Jack for the comprehensive and clear explanation. You talk about turning a knob to change the axis yourself however there is no knob on the device that my optometrist uses its a white futuristic looking machine with lenses you look through and the optometrist gas some sort of control pad mounted on the worktop near him which he uses to change the lenses. So going back to GCs description of when the letters look short and squatty vs fuzzy but more accurate looking, what is the best choice? I always feel I answer it wrong and almost freeze up when it comes to that part of the test. Is it worth me actually stating out aloud what it looks like and ask the optometrist to be more clear in what he is asking.i think it could well be more of my own anxiety getting in the way of listening and taking the instructions though.

Cactus Jack 21 Nov 2016, 21:10

Oops, missed the title: " HOW TO STUDY FOR AN EYE EXAM"

Cactus Jack 21 Nov 2016, 21:09

CG and Lisa,

Here is a piece I wrote a while back that may be helpful. Pay close attention to the part about "fine tuning" the cylinder axis.

One important thing you need to keep in mind is that the Examiner has no way to experience what you are seeing. He/she has to depend on your answers to questions.

There are two parts to an eye exam. The first part is the Objective part. This part consists of:

1. Taking a Visual History where you describe your vision and the kinds of problems you are having.

A. Using a special instrument to lightly touch your Cornea. Not to worry here. Before doing this type of test a drop of mild anesthetic will make sure you dont even feel it.

B. There is a new type instrument that uses a puff of air directed against your cornea. No anesthetic is required, but the puff will startle you. The puff of air is harmless and there are huge benefits of detecting Glaucoma early before it can do damage.

3. Obtaining a preliminary estimate of your refractive error using an Auto-Refractor, or manually by using a small hand held instrument called an Ophthalmoscope or Retinoscope.

The Auto-Refractor is a relatively new instrument that was developed in conjunction with NASA to check Astronauts vision in space. You look into the machine with each eye individually at a scene or a pattern and the machine will adjust its internal lenses to focus the image you see on your retina. The Auto-Refractor only takes a few seconds for each eye and it then prints out your estimated prescription.

The object of this part of the exam is to get a starting place for the Subjective part of the exam where you have to describe what you see.

Typically the Subjective part of the exam starts with the Right Eye shutter open and the Left Eye shutter closed.

At this point the Examiner will probably swing the supplemental lens out of the way and may change the cylinder power while asking you which lens in clearer.

You may be uncomfortable, for your first exam, asking the Examiner to let you fine tune the axis, but I have found that most will appreciate your wanting to actively participate. The way that works is that he will place your hand on the Axis control knob and you move it back and forth a few degrees of the sharpest image, this time.

The Examiner can in effect sneak up on your Sphere prescription or he can use drops to Dilate your eyes. Lets talk about sneaking up on your prescription first. There are actually 4 lenses in your eyes lens system. All of them are PLUS lenses and the total power is about +56 diopters. The only variable focus lens is the crystalline lens whose PLUS power is controlled by your ciliary muscles. For distance, your Crystalline lens is fully relaxed and has somewhere around +15 diopters. When you focus to read, your Ciliary Muscles squeeze the Crystalline lens to increase its PLUS power by the amount necessary to focus which depends on the distance to the object.

He will then follow the same procedure with your Left Eye.

That pretty much completes the exam except for checking your near vision with a small chart about 14 to 16 inches from you.

Hope this helps.

lisa 21 Nov 2016, 15:47

GC, thank you for posting that up, I have always thought the same. I actually dread that bit of the eye test. The optometrist puts those cluster of black dots up, no letters up. Sometimes with the lenses choices the dots look like they've been smudged a bit. I don't understand why they make you choose when the two options look equally rubbish vision wise.

GC 21 Nov 2016, 15:41

I'm getting ready to go in for my eye exam - have been getting glasses for the past 3 years and am never quite happy with the prescription. My question sounds basic- but it gives me fits during the exam. Captain Jack said below: When refracting for astigmatism, you are being presented lens choices and being asked to judge which is clearest.

As I take my eye exam- I struggle with how to answer when the letters both change shape and change in fuzzyness. Is a letter that looks short and squatty, but is less fuzzy "better"? Or am I supposed to choose the letter that looks more accurate (i.e. not short and squatty), even if it's fuzzier around the edges. Can you tell me how to answer the question as to which is better, when the choices both seem off in different respects?

Thanks!

antonio 19 Nov 2016, 16:41

swap ,

sounds to me she will soon need them for more things,

as her eyes continue to go a little worse,

so just wait and see what happens and if possible encourage her to wear them, if that helps :)

best regards, antonio

Eudora 18 Nov 2016, 20:05

Hi -- I've worn a contact in my right eye (only) for years for nearsightedness (now -2.5). Today the optician suggested I also try a lens in my left eye, which just needs correction for astigmatism (.75). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it (both in terms of improved vision & cost). I've only tried the left lens for a few hrs, and things are seeming slightly blurry (but maybe that would improve with a little time?). Thoughts?...Thank you.

swap 29 Oct 2016, 21:03

Since childhood I like girls wearing glasses, ,

My girlfriend had prescription of -0.75 for both eyes before 2 years. She never wear glasses, she didn't like it. One and half years passed her prescription increased up to -1.25 for both eyes. Still she doesn't want to wear glasses, ,, she just wears it occasionally for driving, or working on computer. She can't see long signs. Can't read distant words, nameplates. Now again she complaining about eyes. Does it mean her prescription increased? Are there any chances of increasing her prescription further upto -3, -4 ?

Michael 28 Oct 2016, 17:04

Soundmanpt-Yes I recall you telling us about your hairdresser friend before. Sam's situation seems very similar to that. So I agree with what both you and Plus Tony are saying. Sam should wear his or her glasses full time for two weeks and then make up his or her mind how much to wear them after that. But Sam may decide it is more convenient to just keep them on and if the headaches disappear when wearing glasses that would be a clue to wear them full time.

Soundmanpt 28 Oct 2016, 14:08

Plus Tony

I know I had told about her before but I felt like what happened with her was very much what Sam has going on.

Plus Tony 28 Oct 2016, 13:09

Soundmanpt

I had forgotten about the example of your hairdresser friend but it is an excellent example of how even a seemingly minor prescription can make a huge difference to a person's quality of life.

Soundmanpt 28 Oct 2016, 11:11

Sam

What "Plus Tony" has already told you is pretty accurate. But I think that many doctors recommend full time wear even with a slightly weaker prescription than -1.00 for astigmatisms. It seems your ECP (eye care professional) must feel that way as well since he / she recommended you wear your glasses full time. Your eyesight is still really quite good and you should be able to still see very well without your glasses. But unlike being nearsighted or farsighted astigmatisms often cause headaches early on. So considering how much your reading either from a book or on your computer it's understandable that you're getting headaches and they will only get worse if you don't wear your glasses. Like "Plus Tony" said when you get your glasses you do need to wear them full time anyway for at least the first 2 weeks so your eyes can adjust to your glasses. And its very possible that at first you may feel a bit dizzy and feel like the room is tilted and even spinning around but after a short time things will straighten out and you will be seeing fine with your glasses. You can expect that during those 2 weeks you won't be bothered at all by headaches.

I have a friend that was much like you only she wasn't even doing any real close work she cut hair. But like you she was getting frequent headaches nearly everyday after only being at works a few hours. She went to her doctor and was advised to get her eyes checked. She wasn't having any problems with seeing and was sure she had perfect vision but she did go for an eye exam as advised. She was able to see the eye chart perfectly but when the exam was finished she was shocked to be told that she needed to start wearing glasses. The doctor wrote her a prescription fro glasse with this prescription. R plano -.75 180 / L plano -.75 180. And she was even more shocked when she was told that she needed to wear her glasses full time. She got her glasses but was determined not to wear them because she could see everything just fine, But the very next day she started getting her usual headache and she did have her glasses in her bag so she pulled them out and put them on. After only having her glasses on for a short time the headache was gone. She kept her glasses on the rest of the day. The next day she still wasn't convinced that it was the glasses that made the headache go away she she didn't wear her glasses but just like the day before after a couple hours at work she started feeling a headache coming on. Again she put on her glasses and again the headache was soon gone. From then on she has been wearing her glasses full time. She can still see nearly perfect without her glasses but she does admit that it is easier to see with her glasses on now.

Michael 28 Oct 2016, 06:40

Sam- I concur with everything that Plus Tony has told you. But ultimately how much or how little you wear your glasses is entirely up to you.

Plus Tony 28 Oct 2016, 04:38

Sam

Welcome to the world of glasses wearing. I should start by saying that while I am a full time glasses wearer I do not have astigmatism but have learnt a little about it from reading various exchanges over the years on this site.

Astigmatism (which means your eyes are shaped more like rugby balls than tennis balls) affects vision at all distances. Your prescription includes a tiny correction for short sightedness (the -0.25 sphere correction) and a slightly stronger astigmatism correction of -0.75 (Right) and -0.50 (left). The other numbers refer to the angle of your astigmatism in each eye.

I have heard it said that opticians recommend full time wear for astigmatism when it reaches -1.00 but I would recommend that you definitely wear your glasses full time to start with for at least two weeks. Why? Getting used to an astigmatism correction can be challenging. The room might look like it is spinning and angles may seem weird. If you wear your glasses all the time while you are getting used to this it'll settle down after a couple of days (if not sooner). It is best to be disciplined about this and get into a routine of putting them on as soon as you get up and keeping them on until you go to bed. Get your friends and family used to seeing you in glasses and don't be shy about it. It is quite normal for someone to start wearing glasses full time straight away (that is what I did) but it depends on the prescription and the individual's desire for clear vision. I have a relatively low prescription myself but know others with lower prescriptions who also feel more comfortable keeping their specs on all day. Ultimately it is up to you.

After the bedding in period is over you will have a better idea of when you need to wear your glasses (but you may well feel that it is easier to keep them on all the time and if you do it isn't going to do your eyes any harm). There are many advantages to this, not least clear vision but also glasses are much harder to scratch, break or lose if you're wearing them!

Your visual environment is an important consideration. What are you studying?

Sam 28 Oct 2016, 02:15

Hi, I've just been for an eye test. Since starting university a month ago I've been getting headaches when I've been using the computer or reading for a long time. It wasn't a problem when I was doing my A levels but I've had a year off since then. I thought I would b given glasses for when my eyes hurt, but the optician said the problem was that I've got astigmatism so I definitely need to wear glasses whenever I am studying, driving, watching tv or concentrating. She said that it would probably be best to wear glasses all the time when I get them. The card she gave me read right eye -0.25 -0.75 10 and left eye -0.25 -0.50 5. I am picking up the glasses on Tuesday. Most people I know with glasses start by wearing them some of the time and only start wearing them constantly later on. Will it be weird if I start wearing glasses all the time straight away and can I get away with part time wearing glass s?

Soundmanpt 18 Oct 2016, 08:56

Beachin'

You're quite welcome. When you got your previous glasses 3 years ago the one mistake you made was by not wearing your glasses full time until your eyes adjusted to them. That way it wouldn't have taken 6 months for your glasses to become comfortable. Then once your eyes adjusted you could have gone to part time wear which is really all you require. Your ECP (eye care professional) should have recommended that to you when he / she fitted your glasses.

I agree if your getting new glasses you should order them without the astigmatism for your left eye, but if you still like your current glasses it won't do you any harm to wear them as well. Certainly still a very good backup pair to maybe keep in your car.

Beachin' 17 Oct 2016, 19:36

Thanks Soundmanpt! When I was originally prescribed my previous script the glasses made me dizzy so I thought it was possible I was over prescribed. However, I knew it was normal for a person with an astigmatism to take a while (in my case 6 months of part time wear) to adjust so I didn't talk to my doctor about it. Maybe I was right to question things? Maybe my astigmatism really disappeared?

I don't get dizzy anymore when I wear them but I think I'll go ahead and get new glasses without the astigmatism in my left eye.

Cactus Jack 17 Oct 2016, 19:13

Fred,

Nothing wrong with being curious. I am also afflicted with curiosity. You are likely to be dealing with glasses or vision correction for many years and the more you understand about how vision and optics work, the better decisions you can make.

As a student, you may have some budget issues. Depending where you live, glasses can be very expensive. You may find it desirable to consider ordering glasses online. Many of our members have had good experiences with Zenni Optical. They offer single vision glasses for as low as US$6.95 depending on frame choice, lens material selection, and options. Shipping is extra. Let me know if you are interested, we can help you with your first order.

I remember when I was 19 and in University. I was on an allowance that did not permit many pleasures as were many of my fellow students. I remember a friend inviting me to go to a convenience store to get some snacks. I told him that I was broke until my Dad sent me my next allowance. He said, "In that case, you can look at the cookies and if you are lucky, I will share a few of mine." I was not offended because I knew that the situation would be reversed when I was in funds and he was not. That is what good friends are for.

Michael 17 Oct 2016, 14:23

Fred- We are all here to help you. But no way I would try to tackle explaining the technical stuff. I always leave that up to Cactus Jack.I think all of us here were pretty much on board as far as telling you we think it would be best to wear your glasses full time because of the astigmatism. Your sphere though is very low. We would never steer you in the wrong direction. Glad to hear wearing your glasses full time seems to be working out well for you. I along with some others here told you your eyes would feel more comfortable when you wear your glasses.No eyestrain and no headaches.

Fred 17 Oct 2016, 14:05

Thank you Cactus Jack! that's very informative! thank you... i mentioned in my first post that i'm 19 but not my occupation. im a student! literature aficionado so i do a lot of close reading every day haha.. and actually i did read about your method of "fine tuning" before! when i first came on here i was reading the post and saw you mentioned that so it's ok! thank you. and sorry to be bothering i was just curious about things!

Cactus Jack 17 Oct 2016, 03:49

Fred,

I am very glad to hear that we didn't steer you wrong about glasses.

To answer your question: Astigmatism typically does not go away with age.

Usually, Astigmatism is caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the Cornea. Ideally, the Cornea should be shaped like a slice of the side of a glass sphere. The exact cause of Astigmatism is unknown, but it appear that uneven growth of the eyeball may cause uneven tension around the Cornea and distort the sphere into the shape of a slice from the side of a glass American Football. It is possible that eyelid tension can cause Corneal distortion. Insufficient tears (dry eyes) can also cause Corneal distortion.

The distortion occurs when the curvature of the Cornea is steeper in one direction (short axis) than it is in the other (long axis). The actual difference in curvature is very small compared to a perfect Sphere. It is on the order of 0.3 mm per diopter of Cylinder. A little bit goes a long way.

Actual Astigmatism changes very slowly, but there are two common things that make the changes seem fast. The part of the eye exam where the Cylinder and Axis are measured is extremely subjective. The accuracy of the prescription is determined by the skill of the patient in judging relative blurriness of two lenses. It isn't easy. I have written a simple method of "Fine Tuning" Cylinder and Axis, but you need to make a deal with the examiner, prior to the exam, and you need to understand the procedure. Let me know if you are interested.

The second common cause of a really big change in prescription is the use of two different methods of writing an optical prescription. Traditionally, Optometrists and Lens Makers use Minus (-) Cylinder notation and Ophthalmologists (M.D.s) use Plus (+) Cylinder notation. Your prescription: OS +0.50 -1.25 cyl x 175 OD +0.50 -1.50 cyl x 175 would be written: OS -0.75 +1.25 cyl x 85 OD -1.00 +1.50 cyl x 85 by an M.D. There is a simple procedure for converting from on Cylinder notation to the other. The two prescriptions are optically identical. If a lens maker is given a prescription with + Cylinder notation, he converts it of - notation and makes the lenses.

As you can see, the difference is enough to scare anyone who does not understand how this stuff works.

Curiously, you may find that your brain remembers the algorithms for processing the images with your glasses and without them. Before you put on your glasses and after you take them off, it will load the old algorithm. When you put on your glasses it will load the new one. The difference will be the comfort you experience with the glasses because your glasses are optically correcting the images before they are delivered to your brain.

I don't think you have mentioned your age or occupation.

Fred 16 Oct 2016, 16:52

hey it's me again! so i've been wearing my glasses basically full time now as suggested and boy can i notice the difference! haha you all were right about my brain and my eyes being very trained on correcting my astigmatism... my eyes really feel a lot more comfortable overall now. anyways i was also wondering, will my eyes get worse or better over time? i read that astigmatism diminishes over time is that true? i was wondering if over time mine could decrease to the point i won't even need any correction anymore. could that happen?

Tom1 14 Oct 2016, 14:23

Sorry my reply is to SD .

Tom1 14 Oct 2016, 14:21

Your prescription is very low. Astigmatism may affect your close vision a little bit as well, but if you don't feel you need a perfect vision you can wear part time or even not at all. Do you have driving glasses? Do you need glasses to drive? Maybe not..

Soundmanpt 14 Oct 2016, 12:23

Beachin'

So there was no change in your right eye from your last exam 3 years ago. And the only change in your left eye was that apparently there was no indication of any astigmatism in that eye at this eye exam. It is very possible that it has gone away since your last eye exam. Now even though it seems to be gone if your glasses still seem good to you then unless you just want new glasses you should be fine with continuing wearing your current glasses. You should be able to determine how well your able to see with your glasses on by covering your right eye and checking your sight with your left eye. If everything seems fine then their is no need for new glasses.

Cactus Jack 13 Oct 2016, 21:47

SD,

Only if you like to see comfortably and have good vision.

1. Have you had the prescription filled?

2. May I ask your age?

3. Is this your first prescription?

SD 13 Oct 2016, 17:45

Hi there,

I just got a new rx, still pretty mild but do you think this is worth wearing full time at this point?

OD: -1.25 -0.75 x 180

OS: -0.75 -0.50 x 176

Beachin' 13 Oct 2016, 11:38

I'm a female in my mid 30s with a desk job. It was 3 years since my last visit to the eye doc.

Beachin' 13 Oct 2016, 11:36

I went to the eye doctor today for a routine check up. I didn't anticipate that my vision would chance much since my last visit bexcuse my script has been relatively stable. The doctor told me that the vision in my left eye was close to 20/20 and that he didn't detect an astigmatism anymore. Side note, this is a different doctor.

My script today is OD - 1.00 -.25 x 90 OS -.50

Previous script, exactly the same plus an OS -.50 x 85.

Is it possible my astigmatism went away or I was misdiagnosed? I'm curious to see what you think!

Fred 11 Oct 2016, 14:09

yeah it's true about the headaches so i might actually really have to wear them full time. i'll do it this week and then see what's best for me! if i do become dependent on them in the future though i could just get contacts too right? for a prescription like mine..... but anyways thanks for the replies! i appreciate it thanks for making the time!

Tom1 11 Oct 2016, 09:19

Considering that you didn't notice any trouble with your distant vision and the fact that only a minor fraction of each day is spent in close vision, you could also considering wearing glasses just for reading and close works.

Your astigmatism is not small, but your brain seems to be very trained in compensating. It is true that if you start wearing glasses full time, you will become very soon dependent on them. If you want to maintain some ability to function without glasses you should wear them only when you feel you need.

Having said that, what others told you before me remains absolutely true, the problems you are feeling now when you wear your glasses will disappear in a few days if you wear then full time.

Soundmanpt 11 Oct 2016, 08:39

Fred

You mentioned getting headaches several times a week by wearing your glasses full time almost certainly you won't experience those headaches anymore. That alone should make keeping your glasses on full time worth it. You mostly just have to get used to them.

Fred 10 Oct 2016, 21:04

thank you so much for the replies! i'll try just keeping them on during the day as suggested and i'll report back! haha .. but yeah i already noticed they help me! they freaked me out a little during the very first days to be honest, everything was different lol but its good!

Maxim 10 Oct 2016, 17:45

to Fred:

From my own experience:

Wear them all day for a week, and this will give you an answer: you'll be so happy, that you've got them, and you will wear them forever!

Good luck!

Cactus Jack 10 Oct 2016, 17:34

Fred,

Michael is correct. I think you will find that wearing your glasses full time is the best thing to do. Vision actually occurs in the brain. Your eyes are merely biological cameras.

Astigmatism causes distorted images to be delivered to your brain. Your brain has amazing image processing ability and it can correct the distorted images, IF it knows what something is supposed to look line.

When you get your glasses you may notice that some shapes are distorted and the ceiling corners of rooms don't appear to meet at right angles. What causes that is your glasses have optically corrected the images, but your brain continues to correct the images as if they were distorted. It takes a few days for your brain to reprogram itself and stop expending the extra energy it takes to correct the images. After that occurs, you will think that your glasses made your vision worse, but they really did not.

The best way to help your brain reprogram itself is to put your glasses on when you wake up and take them off when you are ready to sleep. If you shower, a few minutes without your glasses won't make any difference.

If you have more questions, don't be hesitant to ask.

Michael 10 Oct 2016, 16:23

Fred- You are mildly farsighted but your astigmatism is definitely of a moderate level and not mild. And astigmatism can affect both your near and far vision. I will let others chime in but in my opinion most people with this script would prefer to wear their glasses full time because of the astigmatism.Your eyes will feel more comfortable if you do so.

Fred 10 Oct 2016, 13:44

hi! i'm just kind of curious about my prescription and wanted advice!.. it reads OS +0.50 -1.25 cyl x 175 OD +0.50 -1.50 cyl x 175. i got them because i was having trouble reading books especially at night, and also had been getting headaches like twice a week (for as long as i can remember TBH but didnt think it was my eyes lol)... is this mild or moderate astigmatism? i was wondering if people usually wear them full time with a prescription such as mine? i'm 19 by the way!

Cactus Jack 08 Oct 2016, 21:47

Poppy,

Nothing to get excited about. That is actually only a 15 degree shift in the Axis of the Cylinder. 180 and 0 are the same Axis (Horizontal). The determination of the Axis is the most subjective part of an eye exam. The accuracy of the Axis angle depends, to a large extent, on the skill of the patient in judging relative blurriness of two trial lenses. It is hard to do without experience in what to look for, even with much larger Cylinder numbers. It is particularly difficult at -0.25.

There is a way you and your ECP can work together to fine tune the Axis, if the ECP is willing. Most are, but you have to ask before the exam starts. We can help you learn how to do it on your next exam, if you are interested.

poppy 08 Oct 2016, 14:08

It was left eye -1.25 sph no other numbers, right eye -1.00 sph cyl -0.25 axis 15

08 Oct 2016, 13:15

poppy

You need to provide your full prescription because it makes a difference which type of doctor you had your eyes examined by. For the CYL was it a plus sign or minus sign both times?

poppy 08 Oct 2016, 12:37

Hi just a bit of advice needed, had an eye test today, consistently got axis 180 for my cylinder correction, now it's changed to 15 . Is this a very large change in direction?

Malina 28 Jan 2016, 05:40

@Weirdeyes:

I also have astigmatism in one eye - in my lazy one. My stronger right eye has only a prescription of -0.5, the weak left eye has +0.75 / -1.00 / 81.

So I have one astigmatic and farsighted, and one nearsighted eye ;)

Weirdeyes 15 Jan 2016, 03:02

Why do I always hear about people having astigmatism in one eye? I don't hear as much about people being nearsighted or farsighted in one.

DS 30 Jul 2015, 13:05

question,

The doctors know how to adjust because *you* are telling them.

When refracting for astigmatism, you are being presented lens choices and being asked to judge which is clearest. Starting "somewhere"-- in reality being able to see well enough to discern minor clarity differences, the examiner shows a small astigmatism correction at two axes 90 degrees apart. The lens with the astigmatism correction is called a "Jackson cross-cylinder lens" and has (-) power in one axis and equal-but-opposite (+) power in the axis 90 degrees away. This lens has a spherical equivalent of zero. Thus, no power adjustments need to be made during this phase of axis refinement. A good starting point is a best sphere found in a coarse sphere adjustment, often with a little extra plus.

If one axis is closer to your prescription than the other, then you will report that it is clearer. This helps the examiner hone in on the best axis. When neither image is clearer, then you are looking at one axis +45 degrees and one axis -45 degrees from the axis that should be prescribed. The examiner has "straddled" the axis.

If neither image is clearer on the first presentation, the examiner tries again with both choices rotated 45 degrees. This is to differentiate between being lucky and having the proper axis the first time vs. having no astigmatism present. If the patient has no astigmatism, then there will be no clearer choice no matter the axis of the correction. If the patient does have astigmatism, rotating the lens 45 degrees changes it from straddling the axis to being a best-case/worst-case that should result in a clearer image being chosen.

Now with the correct axis, the examiner shows 2 cylinder powers. If one is closer to your actual cylinder then you will report it is clearer. When one cylinder choice is below the correct value and the other is equally above the correct value, then neither choice will be clearer. The examiner has "straddled" the power. Maintaining the spherical equivalent is easy. If you prefer one of the powers, the examiner moves both cyl powers in that direction by a certain amount. Whatever that amount is moved, it is compensated by removing 1/2 of it from the sphere. If the examiner makes a -0.50 change to the cyl power, the sph is changed +0.25 to compensate.

With axis and cyl power in place, a final spherical refinement is all it takes.

In your question, you say that "the best sphere only prescription isn't going to be the clearest with a certain amount of astigmatism." The best sphere will provide the clearest image for an eye no matter its astigmatism. The images won't be equally clear between eyes with different amounts of astigmatism. Since it is the same eye making all of the judgements during the refraction, exactly how clear the best spherical equivalent is doesn't have much bearing.

answer 30 Jul 2015, 11:34

fortunately all of that really questions my answer

question 30 Jul 2015, 10:20

unfortunately none of that really answers my question

Cactus Jack 29 Jul 2015, 22:39

question,

The test for cylinder and axis are the most subjective part of an eye exam and to some extent, the accuracy of that part of the prescription depends more on the skill of the patient than any other part.

The problem occurs primarily in determining the axis of the cylinder where in most circumstances, YOU are asked to judge relative blurriness of two images. It is much more difficult to do than judging relative sharpness of two images.

I recently posted a piece I call "HOW TO STUDY FOR AN EYE EXAM" on the Vision thread where I explained the basic elements of an eye exam for a member named Iristotle. He was scheduled for his first eye exam and was very apprehensive about it. The date and time stamp on the post was 29 June 2015 20:40 and 20:59

You might find it interesting and even useful for your next eye exam. Most ECPs appreciate your active participation in the exam.

question 29 Jul 2015, 21:37

During the refraction test, how do eye doctors compensate for say -1 cylinder astigmatism? Like obviously the best sphere only prescription isn't going to be the clearest with a certain amount of astigmatism. so how do they go about knowing exactly how much astigmatism you have? and how much sphere to add or subtract each time they up the power? to me it just seems too much like a guessing game. I've been to about four different places and they all have been different prescriptions (not just talking about axis, as that will obviously vary a little bit from refraction to refraction)

Jazzy 29 Jul 2015, 11:55

When you have your eyes tested and they show you how you should see is a suprise how bad your eyes are. I wore glasses all the time once I got them. I was told too and is good to see clear again. I've been wearing glasses for years now and my eyes have changed so will always need them.

Soundmanpt 27 Jul 2015, 07:18

Jazzy

What you were describing I take it to mean that when you watching TV your head and face was looking to the right, or left, but you were watching a TV that was in straight ahead of you so kind of out of the corner of your eyes? I really don't think that was caused by having astigmatisms. Astigmatisms are far more likely to cause things to look differently. What I mean by that is that if you were looking at a sign the words might appear to you as being all scrunched together or they could look all stretched out as well as a little bit fuzzy. Many optometrists suggest full time wear with as little as -.75 CYL in both eyes. When you got your first glasses were you told to wear them all the time or only as needed?

Jazzy 25 Jul 2015, 12:12

I remember when I was younger my parents caught me watching the tv but I was looking at the tv not straight like my eyes were to one side. They asked me if I needed glasses I said no because I didn't want to wear glasses, no one in my family wore glasses and I didn't want to be the first I guess. They seen me doing again and they wasn't happy so made me see a optician. I have astigmatism so been wearing glasses since. Im also shortsighted. Is that why I was looking straight because of astigmatism? Does anyone else remember why they got glasses?

astigmaphile 04 Jul 2015, 16:11

Due to a dfiscusion on the Guys with Glasses thread about extremely high minus prescriptions, I was wondering what the highest cylinder prescription in glasses is. I have seen an article online about an Australian man with -12 in one lens.

Weirdeyes 15 Jun 2015, 09:51

I think you should order a cheap pair with the full prescription to see if you can get used to it. If it doesn't work you can continue wearing your weaker glasses. If it does work you can order it with high index aspheric lenses.

SC 15 Jun 2015, 03:55

Weirdeyes,

My brain always prioritises the right eye and with progressives have a narrower field of vision anyway. I do make use of the image from the left eye for depth and for 3D cinema effects so it does work OK and the glasses do make a difference because I discovered a couple of years agon that I was terrible at catching a ball without glasses!

I was also told that if I had a problem with my right eye then the left eye may improve.

I know that 'Lazy eye' varies - there are people on here who can be fully corrected but their brain will never use the image and don't get any 3D effect. Mine is more like a low-resolution camera - I just can't make out small details whether they are in the distance or on the page.

The glasses I have now are +1.75 -0.5 x173 for the left eye as opposed to +1.00 -0.5 x80 prevously and +3.75 -1.75 x173 at the test. Having the stronger lens and the astigatism on the correct axis has a surprisingly big effect and left-eye-only vision is much improved but still not quite as good as the right eye without glasses. I'd be tempted to give it a little more next time, probably +0.5 on top of the right eye, but I won't give it the full Rx - vanity wins and the fact that I wouldn't use the image anyway

Weirdeyes 13 Jun 2015, 16:58

My prescription is pretty similar to yours, but I don't have a lazy eye. Does your depth perception improve when you correct your left eye? They used to think I had a lazy eye. My left eye couldn't get fully corrected, but I had better depth perception when it was corrected. Eventually it could get fully corrected.

SC 08 Jun 2015, 08:21

My left eye is lazy and cannot be fully corrected. Eyetests seem to vary - around the +4 mark for distance with astigmatism around -1.75.

I always get the lenses balanced so my left eye just gets the same as the right eye (+1.5) and has traditionally had the same astigmatism as well but I made a note of the info the eye doc typed in.

I decided that as my reading Rx in the right eye is now very close to the distance Rx on my left eye, I'd get a pair of readers online which had the distance Rx for the left eye (+3.75).

The result was not as good as I expected - my left eye can see but it is really only about the same as the right eye without glasses. The astigmatism I used was -1.75 x173. If I rotate the lens then vision quickly gets worse but around 180 degree rotation is is probably about the same if not slightly better. Is this expected - are 173 degrees and then a further 180 degrees about the same in prescriptions.

Judgement is very difficult when you can't get full correction - it is difficult to know which of +2.5, +3.0, +3.75 or +4.0 is better

DS 03 Feb 2015, 21:13

Willem,

Most of the optical simulators just "bin" images and select the closest one. That usually means rounding to more blur for weak prescriptions like yours.

I recommend WolframAlpha's implementation that is truly mathematically based and is rather accurate. It works well on the web, but I note that the tablet app will display graphical Snellen charts for stronger prescriptions.

Try entering the following queries at http://www.wolframalpha.com

OD +0.25 cyl -0.50 x 170

OS +0.50 cyl -0.75 x 025

Willem 03 Feb 2015, 21:12

Cactus Jack,

You and my O.D. must think alike. I absoutely did wear them full time earlier, and even now, by default I wear my glasses for the full duration of a typical workday. Yet I can forego correction for most recreational activities comfortably.

My doctor was suggesting this was because of my angles. I think what he means is that when my eyes work together, they can cancel out each other's astigmatism. I don't know if it really works that way, tut I can't really complain.

Cactus Jack 02 Feb 2015, 22:58

Willem,

The vision simulators show the optical effects of uncorrected refractive errors. They have no image processing capability. Your brain has amazing image processing capability, but it takes a lot of work and energy. If you start wearing your glasses full time to correct your refractive errors optically, your brain will initially apply its corrections to what you see. This can result in some "interesting" effects. For example, ceiling corners where the walls meet may not look like they meet at 90 degree angles. In a few days, your brain will discover that it does not have to further process the higher quality images and will will quit trying. When that happens, you will probably notice what appears to be a deterioration in your vision without your glasses. This causes many people to think that the glasses made their vision worse. It didn't really happen. All the glasses did was relieve the brain's excess workload. You can make your brain go back to work by not wearing your glasses, but your brain may rebel in uncomfortable ways. Because your prescription is so low, you may not experience the effects described as strongly as a person with a higher prescription.

I suggest wearing your glasses full time for 2 weeks and then make a decision about how much to wear them.

Willem 02 Feb 2015, 19:51

Cactus Jack, thanks very much for your explanation. In fact, what you said mirrored my own doctor's comments.

One other thing my O.D. said was that, some people cannot tolerate the astigmatism. The implication being, mine is not too strong, and therefore some people with a similar prescription can tolerate without correction. (In my case, I use glasses mainly for work in front of a screen, so I suppose I can tolerate the astigmatism for most activities.)

I think my real question was about these vision simulators. I plugged in my astigmatism (ignoring the sphere part), and I was struck by the blur in the image. I repeated the procedure, also adding the sphere component. It was even worse. I wonder if these vision simulators envision a worst case scenario, where the brain does none of its usual work, and where accommodation is nonexistent.

Cactus Jack 28 Jan 2015, 21:45

Willem,

Welcome to the group.

Vision occurs in the brain. The eyes are merely biological cameras. The brain has amazing image processing power IF it knows what something is supposed to look like. The brain can even create images with your eyes closed. Ever had a dream?

With all that said, your prescription is very low and its primary purpose is to make your vision more comfortable. You can easily correct your sphere refractive error by using your ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses. The troublemaker is your astigmatism. Astigmatism can mess up vision at all distances and you have no ability to correct your astigmatism, except by using external lenses.

The principal way your astigmatism affects your vision is in reading small text at any distance. Look carefully at the individual letters. Some letters (O, C, G, S, etc.) are made up of curved lines. Many letters are made up of straight lines that run in different directions. These lines are called strokes. Look closely at letters with strokes with each eye individually and you will probably notice that some strokes are clearer than others depending on which direction they run. This difference in sharpness causes your ciliary muscles to try to focus a blurry line which then makes the sharp lines blurry. It cant be done, so your ciliary muscles get tired of trying and convey their fatigue to you in the form of discomfort, headaches or pain.

I hope this helps you understand what is happening. Please feel free to ask more vision and optics questions.

Willem 28 Jan 2015, 21:20

I am wondering how I can see so well without my glasses despite some astigmatism. I was looking at some vision simulator websites, and they suggest some real blur with my prescription.

R +0.25 -0.50 170

L +0.50 -0.75 025

For the simulation I ignored my sphere Rx which is slightly plus ... mainly because my doctor said that it is very weak, and that at my age, it would not play a big role in my actual vision. I'm 24, and got glasses two years ago because of headaches. I spend too much of my day working in front of a screen.

Thanks for any explanations,

Willem

Soundmanpt 26 Nov 2014, 09:43

Likelenses

I remembered Marianne posting just after she got her glasses. Looking back to "24 Oct 2014 04:20" she said she had got her first glasses 2 weeks before and they were R 0.00 -.75 170 / L 0.00 -.50 175.

Likelenses 25 Nov 2014, 21:30

Marianne

You said that you got your first glasses at age thirty.

May I ask what your Rx was at that time,and what it is today,and your present age.

Marianne 25 Nov 2014, 13:44

I haven't replied, have been really busy these days with work and school.

I see that on this forum there are many people who wear glasses for astigmatism, and I can say that your comments and stories have been really helpful.

I'm not completely dependent on my glasses, but at work (staring at the computer screen all day) they really help.

As far as the comments go, my family and friends are in another country so, I have showed them pictures and wore them on Skype, and they really like them. I got full wire frames, oval/ cat eye shape, I think they suit me well since it was really hard to find frames for my small head :)

Somebody asked how old I am, I got glasses few days after my 30th birthday :) Really significant present, I would say.

I like wearing them, got used to seeing the world through the lenses really soon, the frames are not bothering me, sometimes when my face gets oily, they tend to start slipping which is a bit annoying.

I don't want to get too dependent on glasses, so I try to take them off on weekends and after work, but usually I leave them on at all times.

My mum is a bit surprised I wear the for walking around since she needs reading glasses only, but I can't explain to her what astigmatism is and that they help me to see close and far.

My boyfriend doesn't seem to notice the glasses anymore, he used to ask me about my vision with them on and off, and do I feel better if I have them on all the time, and after he got used to seeing me in frames, kind of lost interest.

Alice 24 Nov 2014, 11:45

All the time - can't stand any blur these days. Used to not bother wearing them.until I got to around -1.00

Rex 23 Nov 2014, 18:58

Alice,

My prescription was similar to yours with similar increase recently. How often do you feel you need to wear your glasses, or contacts?

Cactus Jack 16 Nov 2014, 06:48

Alice,

The most subjective part of an eye exam is determining the cylinder axis. The reason for this is that the accuracy of the test depends on YOUR ability to judge relative blurriness between two images. Remember, the examiner had no way to see what you see, but can only respond to what you say. It is particularly difficult if the cylinder is less than 0.75.

Over the 63 years I have worn glasses, I have probably had 75 to 100 eye exams. The most important thing I learned to do is make a deal with the examiner, even before the exam starts, that I would like to fine tune the cylinder axis at the appropriate time by adjusting the axis. slightly. Most ECPs (Eye Care Professionals) are glad for your participation and will place your hand on the axis knob. You can move it back and forth a few degrees to find the spot where all the letters look sharp and not distorted.

Determining the cylinder and axis occurs very early in the exam for each eye individually. The problem is that the axis is determined by using a supplemental lens that is mounted at a 45 degree angle to the actual target axis. When this lens is in place, it is flipped back and forth, 45 degrees each side of the target axis while you are asked to judge relative blurriness. The idea is that when you say that lens 1 or 2 is equally blurry, the actual angle is bracketed. It is a tough judgement call, even for someone who is very experienced. There are a couple of things you can do to improve the accuracy.

First, try to concentrate on a O if possible rather than a letter with straight lines (strokes). As the supplemental lens is flipped back and forth the strokes will appear blurry or clear depending on which direction they run in relation to the axis angle. Concentrating on a letter without strokes or tiny strokes, such as O, C, G, etc makes it easier to judge when the blurriness is equal.

Second, when the examiner places my hand on the axis knob, I fine tune the cylinder axis as described at the beginning of this post. I sometimes ask the examiner to check the cylinder power 1 step either side of the cylinder power previously selected just to be sure it is the best.

There is one other thing you can do at the very first time you are shown images from both eyes to get the best prescription. Usually, the images are separated either vertically or horizontally to check for muscle problems. What you want to do at this point is compare the image clarity of each of the images, they should be equally sharp and clear. If they are NOT, say something to the examiner and tell him/her which image is the clearest. The examiner will typically change the sphere prescription in the clearest eye until they the images are equal. Do not worry about the absolute sharpness of the images at this point, just that they are equal in clarity.

After the muscle imbalance check, the examiner will fuse the two images and proceed with the final determination of the sphere power for the best vision, by changing the sphere correction by the same amount in both eyes simultaneously. In general, the examiner will start with too much PLUS or too little MINUS. depending on if a person in Hyperopic or Myopic, and gradually decrease the PLUS or increase the MINUS until the 20/20 line is sharp and clear or possibly the 20/15 line if a person has exceptional acuity.

Alice 16 Nov 2014, 02:03

Sorry bad typing - I mean that there was a 30 degree change in my right eye and 5 degree change in left eye

ALice 16 Nov 2014, 02:01

Thank you DS . so KT would appear that my astigmatism axis hasn't changed that much with the fact that the axis runs from 0 to 180. So only a change of 30 degrees right? For low cylinders does it not matter much if the axis changes a bit?

DS 13 Nov 2014, 08:21

Alice,

Your prescriptions are rather close. The axis is degrees around a circle where 0 and 180 would be the same.

With such a low astigmatism correction (-0.25D) in your left eye the optical change from rotating the lens is very subtle. You're unlikely to get 2 refractions with the same axis.

Alice 12 Nov 2014, 16:12

Hi I recently had an eye test and compared my new prescription to my old one of 3 years ago. I have noticed that the astigmatism components have changed. I am concerned about this as I thought astigmatism is relatively stable and slow developing.I'll post my 2 prescriptions and await your advice and comnents .

Old

Left eye : sph -1.25 cyl -.50 ax 10

Right eye is exactly same as left eye

This prescription has worked well very clear and comfortable vision

New

Left eye : sph -1.75 cyl -.50 ax 15

Right eye:sph - 1.50 cyl -.25 ax 160

How come my axis angle has jumped so much on my new prescription in my right eye and the amount has gone down. My new prescription seems OK it just feels a little bit strong.

Soundmanpt 10 Nov 2014, 14:02

Geekhic

Sorry I just noticed that I have many typos as well as missing words in my post to you. I did that rather late and I should have checked it before posting it. I hope it makes some sense though.

Soundmanpt 10 Nov 2014, 13:59

hey

Great question? Before you order your glasses or even if you already ordered them you should ask why they are under prescribing you? It never hurts to speak up.

hey 10 Nov 2014, 13:38

sry **glasses were made with only.5

hey 10 Nov 2014, 13:38

Can anyone tell me why they said my prescription was .75 and .5 of astigmatism and my glasses were made with both only .75?

Soundmanpt 09 Nov 2014, 23:15

Geekchic

I am not sure why you would even want to change or increase your cyl in your glasses? It's more than likely only going to cause you headaches and blurred vision with your glasses on. You didn't say if you have and sph or not? But if your just wanting ot make your glasses more necessary then you much in just increasing your sph by -.50 -.75 or -1.00. Your eyes should not have much trouble in tolerating your eyes being a little more nearsighted. But I would not mess with your cyl or axis at all and include that just as it is written on your prescription slip. I also highly recommend that you get your glasses from Zenni as well. "zennioprical.com"

Likelenses 09 Nov 2014, 22:24

Geekchic

It would be better to go with more minus sphere.

Do you have any minus sphere in your prescription now?

astigmaphile 09 Nov 2014, 17:44

Geekchic,

I have done this, ordering from zennioptical.com. Don't try for more than .50 too much or your eyes will regret it.

Cactus Jack 09 Nov 2014, 16:41

geekchic,

Astigmatism is generally caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea. Don't waste your money, the ideal astigmatism correction is for the cylinder and axis to be as accurate as possible. Anything else is uncomfortable and may cause headaches.

If you absolutely, positively, have to try wearing more cylinder, order the least expensive lenses and frames from Zenni. Their least expensive glasses are about US$7.00 plus shipping and no options. Let us know how you like them.

geekchic 09 Nov 2014, 15:09

Hi I was just wondering whether I could order glasses online with a higher cylinder power than prescribed. I have naturally -.50 cyl in both eyes but want to try -.75 or -1.00. As long as I keep the axis the same as prescribed will I tolerate a slightly higher cyl.

Soundmanpt 02 Nov 2014, 11:54

Marianne

Very normal that wearing glasses for the first time would feel pretty weird. Like you have found out, it's not just the idea of adjusting to seeing with a prescription, but also getting used to how they feel sitting on your nose and how they feel behind and over your ears, not to mention just learning to look through lenses for the first time takes some getting used to. And testing your eyes with and without your glasses is very normal as well. After all you want to see how much difference they are making in your ability to see now. Even though your glasses aren't very strong i'm sure you can tell the difference?

So with being away from home and with a new job getting glasses when you did was a perfect time since many of your co workers may have just assumed you already had glasses and were wearing contacts. It might have been a bit more difficult for you if you had gotten your glasses while you were still living at home. It seems much harder to start wearing glasses around your family and friends that know you so well. But it helps that many of them have now seen you on Skyke wearing glasses and by the time you get back home for a visit your going to be so used to wearing your glasses you won't think a thing about it. Some will do the usual an want to try them and of course they will hardly be able to tell any difference with them an question why you really even need them? Have yo had that happen yet with anyone since you got your glasses? How do you answer them? Oh since your family and friends commented that they make you look older and smarter I have to ask your age for that daring comment?

In regards to the 50% coupon you got if there isn't an expiration date on it I would just hold onto it until you need it. If it is only good for 6 months then I would suggest that you should probably get your eyes examined at that point to see if there has been any change since you got your glasses. I wouldn't expect much if any change but it is possible.

Just a helpful tip. You said you got the AR coating on your glasses which is really nice to have on your lenses, but that coating does require a little bit more care. You got a micro cleaning cloth with your glasses and you should always try and use that when you need to clean your glasses. But if you don't have it with you a nice soft cloth will work. But whatever you do never ever use any kind of tissue on them. that includes toilet paper, tissues, paper towels and such. These items are made fro wood and they will put tiny scratches in your lenses.

Also you didn't say but what kind of frame do you get? All plastic, semi-rimless, metal, etc?

Marianne 02 Nov 2014, 04:58

I have been wearing them a lot, and by now I got used to having glasses on my face. At first it was weird, I felt them sitting on my nose, and had the need to adjust them, clean them and test my vision with or without them. I'm working in front of the computer, most of my coworkers did not comment on my glasses, because I have just started a new job, so they probably think I have them forever. Since I'm living abroad, the comments will come from my friends and family back home, next time I visit. My parents and some friends saw me on Skype and I was wearing glasses, the asked about my vision and commented I look older and smarter with them on.

Overall experience so far is good, I have a coupon for 50% off new frames if I decide to buy them in the next 6 months, I most probably will, I'm just not sure should I go for another eye test then, or put in the same prescription I have now.

Thanks for your support and comments :)

lazysiow 27 Oct 2014, 19:22

Marianne, you and I have very similar prescriptions. Astigmatism is blurriness at all distances and Ive been an advocate of even small corrections being very helpful since what astigmatism does is "ghost" images at all distances.

Just wear them as much as you want and enjoy HD vision and when your nose gets tired, drop down to standard definition ;)

Soundmanpt 26 Oct 2014, 13:25

Marianne

I think you showed a good deal of confidence in wearing your glasses right from when you got them. Based on what you have said I assume your job must have you on a computer most of the day? You must have been at least a bit nervous wearing glasses that first day at work, but it always helps when the people that do notice your now wearing glasses only have nice complements about how you look wearing glasses and just as you say others don't even seem to notice that you got glasses. I think that is because so many people now wear glasses, or contacts, that it is almost common place to see nearly everyone wearing glasses.

You didn't say but I think once you got into doing your work not only did your eyes adjust to your glasses but by the end of the day you almost forgot you were even wearing them because they got that comfortable. Not surprising after wearing your glasses for a full day of work taking your glasses off would make your vision a little distorted and blurry. That of course was because your eyes were adjusted to seeing with glasses. And like I told you astigmatisms effects your vision at all distances not just close but distance as well.

Your bf is probably just trying to let you know that he doen't have any problem with you now wearing glasses and he doesn't want you to wear them thinking he may not like how you look wearing glasses now. Also because you are wearing them quite a bit already he probably thinks you need them more than you really do. You just need to show him that things like signs in the distance okay without your glasses but it just not as clear and sharp as it is with your glasses on. And mainly your wearing them because if you don't wear them chances are your going to get a headache now.

Marianne 25 Oct 2014, 16:57

Thanks for your replies and support guys, I'm getting more confident wearing my glasses thanks to you. It's interesting, people don't even notice the change a lot, I got a few (positive) comments, and that's it. My boyfriend is funny, he is reminding me to wear my glasses so I can see better if I forget them, and I try to explain I can still see well, just not as sharp. He probably thinks I got blind instantly when I got glasses.

Anyway, this is only one of the new things that happened to me since I have turned 30.

agilpro 24 Oct 2014, 10:11

Marianne,

If people are asking you why your wearing your glasses so often, just tell them the truth, that you have found you see a lot better and don't get headaches anymore.

Soundmanpt 24 Oct 2014, 07:12

Marianne

It is true that the prescription you received is a rather weak one. However there is a big difference between say being nearsighted and having a prescription of -.75 / -50 and having a prescription ofr astigmatism at -.75 / -.50. If you were nearsighted your need for glasses would be minimal at most. most, but since astigmatisms effects your vision at all distances that is why yor finding you glasses are providing ou better vision fo distance as well as your computer work. Also even a small amount of astigmatism often times is a cause for headaches if your not wearing your glasses which you seem to have found out already.

Actually the AR coating (antireflective) you had put on is really a very good thing even though the coating does require a bit more care when cleaning the lenses. That coating is not only good for reducing eye strain while on the computer but is very good for driving at night with your glasses on as well. In fact I think everyone should have it on their glasses because it is that good.

Wearing your glasses full time or part time is really up to you, but if your comfortable wearing your glasses more often or full time they aren't going to do any harm to your eyes. So when anyone is questioning why your wearing your glasses so much just tell them your really very comfortable wearing them and they keep headaches away which is also true.

Julian 24 Oct 2014, 06:31

Marianne: which is worse, to be dependent on glasses or to see badly and have a headache? I think you should wear your glasses whenever they help.

Marianne 24 Oct 2014, 04:20

I got glasses for astigmatism only (-0.75, -0,50 with 170 and 175 axis)

I find everything much clearer and since I got them 2 weeks ago, I'm wearing them almost full time. They gave me antireflection coating, since they were prescribed for the computer mostly.

My question is, is it ok to wear glasses full time since it's a very low prescription and can the antireflective coating damage my eyes if I wear glasses for distance?

The reason I'm hesitant to take them off is, after wearing them all day at work, my vision gets distorted and blurry when I take them off and sometimes I get headaches even when I'm not looking at the computer screen.

I told everybody the glasses will only be for the computer, and now they are asking me how come I wear them so often :) But again, I don't want to get too dependent on glasses. Any advice?

Amelia 24 Oct 2014, 00:28

Soundmanpt,

Yes - thanks to your help and advice it's much better now! Obviously something went wrong somewhere, not sure how, but it's sorted and all free of charge. I know it's a very small prescription, but it does make everything so much clearer and sharper, particularly when I'm driving in the dark!

Thanks again.

Amelia

Soundmanpt 23 Oct 2014, 09:14

Amelia

The changes they made now makes more sense. That didn't look exactly right when it was a plus in one eye and a minus in the other eye. If you look back I even said as much in one of my posts to you. Now with both eyes being at -.50 your distance vision should be much better. Glad it all got worked out for you and like I said of course you didn't owe any additional money to get things right.

Amelia 22 Oct 2014, 14:49

Tom,

I wasn't actually given a copy of the prescription - not sure why. But I did see that the sph was at -0.5 for both eyes and I think the cyl was only at 0.25, but I'm not 100% sure on that one. Whatever it is, things feel much better now!

Amelia

Tom 22 Oct 2014, 14:19

Amelia: which is you new prescription?

Amelia 22 Oct 2014, 13:43

Soundmanpt,

Thanks for checking up. I went back, had a re-test and it turned out something had gone wron somewhere. Not sure how these things happen as it's based on what I tell them, but my right eye was completely off as it's short sighted too and my left eye needed a higher prescription too. Picked my new glasses up at the weekend and they are brilliant. Especially when I'm driving at night - such a difference and I didn't really know that I was having trouble with that before, just that I found it tiring. Really pleased with them now and so glad I went back to have them double checked!

Thanks for all your help and advice.

Amelia

Soundmanpt 18 Oct 2014, 07:26

Amelia

Just checking to see if your return visit to your optometrist got things cleared up for you and both eyes are now seeing equally good with your glasses now?

Your prescription isn't very strong at all, but it's amazing how much such a small amount of astigmatism can make such a difference in one's vision.

Cactus Jack 13 Oct 2014, 15:44

Dude,

Myopia and Astigmatism have two very different causes, but both can be corrected by one lens with sphere correction for the myopia and cylinder correction for astigmatism.

There are two types of myopia, Axial or True Myopia which is caused by a mismatch between the total power of the eye's lens system and the length of the eyeball between he back of the lens system and the retina is considered to be permanent. Pseudo or False Myopia is really the same thing as Latent Hyperopia and is usually caused by a temporary inability for the ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses to be able to relax back to their minimal PLUS power. Both types of myopia can be present and are additive. Both types are corrected with MINUS sphere correction in contacts or glasses. Pseudo Myopia is rare in younger people, but not unheard of. Axial Myopia is generally caused by excessive eyeball growth and for it to decrease would require that the eyeball shrink or "ungrow". Parts of the body can atrophy from several causes, but the tissue that makes up the eyeball generally does not shrink.

Astigmatism is generally caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea. The actual cause is unknown. It can change, but it generally changes VERY slowly. Most changes in astigmatism and axis occur because the exam procedure is VERY subjective because the test requires that the patient compare relative blurriness of two images as the axis is bracketed. A difficult task even for experienced glasses wearers who have had many exams. I have posted the technique I use during eye exams to fine tune the cylinder and axis part of the eye exam, several times on this thread. It works very well.

All this is to say, that the reduced cut-in you noticed was probably not caused by a significant change in your neighbor's prescription. More likely, she may have higher index lenses, a smaller frame (a little goes a long way here), or she is wearing the glasses very close to her face with reduce vertex distance. There is really no way to offer a reason for the reduced cut-in with out knowing more. Why don't you mention how nice her new glasses look. You can say that her glasses have always been very nice and very attractive, but the new ones are exceptionally nice and see how she responds. Hopefully, you will be wearing your glasses when you chat with her. You can mention that since you have had to get glasses yourself, you have become more interested in optics and vision and have been studying about how it works. Don't use the term cut-in. she is probably very sensitive about how strong her prescription is so don't ask directly about it. A little sincere flattery is a very good "ice breaker" and can lead to a very pleasant friendship.

Dude 13 Oct 2014, 11:00

Here in my neighbourhood, there's a girl who wears, she's about -7, yesterday, I saw her down street and noticed she got new glasses, I took a few looks and get confused because most of the "cut-in" disappeared, her new glasses seem to be about-3.

So, could that myopia become astigmatism? I can't find any reasonable answer to such as change.

Cactus Jack 12 Oct 2014, 19:00

Tom,

I would suggest that the test you propose could potentially confuse the issue and perhaps make the dinner party less enjoyable. There are a number of conditions that can cause difficulty seeing in low light conditions and it takes expertise and training to be able to isolate the source of refractive errors or other, more serious, conditions.

IF she brings up the subject, you can do her a big favor by encouraging her to make an appointment for an eye exam and leave it at that. Vision and vision correction are pretty delicate subjects to discuss over dinner. I wold think it would come under the heading of "Dinner conversations for people who are not very hungry".

The test you describe is useful for identifying a cylinder component in glasses. Most people would just notice that your glasses just distort the images and alter their shape as you rotate the lenses.

Perhaps some of our other members can offer different suggestions.

Tom 12 Oct 2014, 13:40

Cactus Jack, for both eyes the same: cylinder -0.75 axis 90°

Cactus Jack 12 Oct 2014, 13:03

Tom,

May I ask your prescription?

Tom 12 Oct 2014, 12:39

I have glasses that correct for astigmatism only, so no plus neither minus sphere. Use them for computr work, watching movies, and driving of course.

A friend of my wife has been complaining to my wife for a few weeks now about vision issues when driving at night , in the early morning or evening. This reminded me of my vision with and without my specs.

We have dinner together tomorrow night. I wonder whether she can find out about needing glasses or not by doing a small experiment using my own glasses. I'd suggest she closes one eye, then focuses with the other eye on an object a few meters away with distinct /sharp contrasting borders/edges. I would then the bring one of my glasses' lenses in front of her eye, and slowly rotate the frames while always making sure the center of the lens stays in front of the middle of her eye. If she thinks her vision gets bettr/worse, I'd continue the rotation until she finds an optimal angle. As a last step, I would in series of moves pull away the glasses from in front of eye, and put them in front again (always at the same angle). If her vision is better with a lens in front of her eye, then she probably better make an appointment with an eye doctor. Is this a good test?

Amelia 10 Oct 2014, 13:14

Apologies, Soundmanpt, my post on the 1st should have read +0.25, not minus for my old prescription. Sorry about that. But thanks for your advice. I'll see what they say and if necessary just keep persevering. And I'll certainly take your advice on not paying for changes!

Amelia

Soundmanpt 10 Oct 2014, 11:45

Amelia

I was referring to your first post you made back on Oct 1st 2014 at 6:30. in there you said you had previous glasses that were -.25 in both eyes and they were for longsight. Now that was a bit misleading because a -.25 is for short sight, or better put for distance. It is common for plus glasses to to a bit off or blurry for a while until the eyes can adjust to them. For most everyone seeing with a weak minus prescription is usually very easy which maybe why your left eye seems to be fine. It very well could be that they meant to make your right eye be -.25 and not +.25. But your doing the proper thing by getting it sorted out.

And if for any reason they try and charge you anything when you return you should refuse. Nearly every optical store now has a policy that you can return your glasses even if yu just decide you don't like the color of the frame or the style doesn't look as good as you thought. They usually give about 60 days to return them with no questions asked. And of course your reason is much more important than that.

Amelia 10 Oct 2014, 08:14

Soundmanpt,

Just saw your other post too. I'll see what they say, but will certainly bear that in mind if it comes to having to have another test. They hadn't mentioned anything about costs, but I wouldn't be happy to have paid all this money and not be able to actually use them! At the moment, I'm weighing up the clarity (mainly from my left eye but also partly with my right) against the blurriness of my right to try to work out whether they're even helpful. Hopefully they'll be able to sort it as I would love for my right eye to be just as clear as my left. I've been quite surpised by the amount of difference the glasses have made to my left eye.

Thanks again for your help.

Amelia

Amelia 10 Oct 2014, 08:09

It actually went from being +0.25 in each eye. Might have made sense had it been the other way round, but as it's my left eye that's changed from + to - and that one's fine, it doesn't seem to solve anything. But who knows - I'll find out next week I guess.

Thanks.

Soundmanpt 10 Oct 2014, 07:53

Amelia

I also am curious if maybe someone made a mistake when they wrote your prescription in? Since your previous glasses were -.25 in both eyes without the astigmatisms It is strange that it went from -.25 to +.25?

At any rate I am sure they will get it sorted out for you.

Soundmanpt 10 Oct 2014, 07:46

Amelia

Sorry to her that your still having a problem and they are telling you the truth about how sensitive the axis can be. In fact this may sound crazy but when you go back and they are doing the exam again ask if it would be okay if you turned the knob that "fine tunes" the axis. The doctor maybe surprised but I think he or she will be glad to allow you to do it yourself. The reason it is better for you to turn it is well if you recall an older radio that you used to have to tune it with a knob and you had to get it just right for the perfect sound. So if you were sitting next to the person turning the knob and that person couldn't hear the music and you trying to have him stop just when the music became perfect chances are his reactions would be slightly slow and the music would not be as clear as it could be. This is the same way when the doctor is turning the knob and asking you say when everything is completely perfect. The reaction time can be a bit off and so would your vision. Astigmatisms is the most difficult part to get right when examining the eyes and prescribing glasses.

I'm sure they already told you that there won't be any charge for a re exam or to get your glasses remade.

Amelia 10 Oct 2014, 07:28

Soundmanpt,

Unfortunately not. I've noticed that things are wonderfully clear with my left eye and there are things that I never realised weren't normal, such as seeing streetlights as a complete blur! And overall I'm finding things much brighter and like they stand out more. However, everything is still slightly blurry with my right eye which is affecting my vision as a whole. If only my right eye was a crystal clear as my left, I'd be really happy! However, I've got an appointment next week for the store to check everything with my right eye. They said something about the axis being very sensitive so anything slightly out may be causing me problems. I'll keep you updated.

Amelia

Soundmanpt 10 Oct 2014, 05:58

Amelia

it has been nearly a full week since your last comment about your glasses. During that time has your eyes adjusted to your glasses or at least got much better? If the answer is "no" then you probably should consider returning to where you got your eyes examined and have them make sure your glasses were made to the correct prescription, and to if they are then even be re examined. I'm sure the doctors as well as the store will want you happy with your glasses.

Amelia 04 Oct 2014, 03:33

Hi Soundmanpt,

Thanks and apologies for the questions. I just feel like the out of focus side of things seems wrong, but I'll keep going.

I wasn't really told anything about when to wear them by the optician, but he certainly didn't suggest wearing them all the time. I think that from what he was saying, it would be more for reading and computer use. And the person who gave me the glasses, when I double checked, said that they were mainly for the computer. At no point has distance or driving come up at all.

I'll try my best to wear them as much as I possibly can and see what happens.

Thanks again.

Amelia

Soundmanpt 03 Oct 2014, 16:40

Amelia

What your going through is really very normal and that was exactly what I was trying to prepare you for once you got your glasses. I'm sure it doesn't sound right when we tell you that your glasses are just fine and you just need to adjust to them. And the only way to adjust to them is to wear them as much as possible. The very best thing you can do is put your glasses on as soon as you wake up and don't take them off until your ready for bed. If you do this a couple of days you will be amazed at how well your able to see everything with your glasses. Now once your eyes make the adjustment your still going to be able to see quite well without your glasses but then you will have a much better idea when you really need your glasses and when you can do without them.

I have no real idea why you were told that you mainly need them for the computer? I assume that was the optician that told you that? It would have been much better to ask the doctor that question. My guess is because you probably mentioned something about your eyes being tired after being on the computer for long periods of time. But you also told me you noticed some loss of vision driving at night which I have no doubt your glasses will solve for you.

I highly suggest that you wear them as much as possible for the next few days and if your not seeing well by the end of a full week then you may want to have things rechecked.

Amelia 03 Oct 2014, 15:16

P.s. I've just been trying to work out exactly what is off. Closing my right eye makes everything clear for my left - especially at a distance. I hadn't even realised that what I had been seeing with that eye wasn't clear. It's great. However, doing the same with my left eye makes anything past book distance blurrier for my right eye. There's a very small improvement in text size for my right eye up close, but there is a significant difference in the density of the text, so perhaps the clarity and the astigmatism side? Put simply, the difference with my left eye is noticeable and causes no problems for text up close or for distance, however, the difference with my right eye is negligible up close and worse at any distance.

Really appreciate your help.

Amelia

Amelia 03 Oct 2014, 14:51

Thanks, Cactus Jack. That does explain a lot.

Although, I'm still struggling to work out why things seem slightly out of focus. Surely if I'm going to see a difference it would be a good one? The thing I'm struggling the most with is computer distance and this is what they were mainly for, so is it just a case of wearing them as much as I possibly can for the computer?

Would it have anything to do with the fact that one eye is long sighted and the other short? Or is it mainly the astigmatism?

Sorry for all he questions. It just feels very frustrating at the moment.

Thanks.

Amelia

Cactus Jack 03 Oct 2014, 12:21

Amelia,

If i may add to Soundmanpt's excellent advice. Maybe I can help you understand what is happening. It happens to almost everyone who gets glasses with correction for even mild astigmatism.

Vision actually occurs in the brain, your eyes are merely biological cameras. Because you really need glasses, your eyes have been delivering slightly distorted images to your brain and your brain has learned to correct the images in those instances where it knows what something is supposed to look like. Most people have trouble getting their mind around the idea that vision occurs in the brain, but it does and the brain is perfectly capable of generating images in the dark when your eyes are closed. Ever had a dream?

You brain is used to correcting the distorted images and for a few days, it will apply the correction to the new images that have already been corrected by your glasses. I remember when I first got glasses with astigmatism correction, corners of rooms did not look square, they looked like the kind of images you see in a "fun" house. In a day or so of full time wear my brain figured out that it no longer had to work extra hard to correct the images and corners looked square again and my vision was effortless and very sharp and clear.

The more you wear your glasses, the faster your brain will learn that image correction is no longer necessary and your vision will be more comfortable and with much less fatigue.

Amelia 03 Oct 2014, 09:26

Hi Soundmanpt,

So I picked up my new glasses this morning and am having real trouble :( I hadn't been expecting them to feel hugely different given the low prescription but they're quite a change. Things just seem a little 'off'. I'm not having too much trouble with the perspective side, since I'm not walking around in them. But it feels like things are out of focus. That's what's bothering me the most. I just feel like things aren't very clear. Saying that, though, they're no more clear without my glasses and things do seem brighter and more like they're in 3D than without them, if that makes sense? Especially text - it seems a lot darker than without the glasses.

The person at the store said that I should be mainly wearing them for the computer. If I close one eye at a time, my left eye seems to be ever so slightly clearer, particularly at computer distance. However, shutting my left eye, things seem too stay about the same as with both. Is it a case of my eyes just relearning how to work together, given that they've effectively switched roles?!

They said in the shop that it may just take some time to adjust and that if I wasn't satisfied to go back in a week.

Any advice?? As I've been told to wear them for computer/closer work, I'm not sure what to do!

Thanks.

Amelia 01 Oct 2014, 13:40

Thanks Soundmanpt. I'll bear that in mind if they do feel odd as my instinct would be to wear them a little and build up rather than the other way round! Hopefully with such a small amount it'll be fine :) hopefully it'll be enough of a difference that I actually end up using them though unlike my current ones (which as far as I know have no astigmatism correction). I'll let you know how it goes :)

Amelia

Soundmanpt 01 Oct 2014, 12:07

Amelia

I didn't mean to worry you when I said it is possible that you may feel a bit dizzy or light headed at first. You not even notice anything at all. But I only wanted to warn you because so often people think that their glasses were somehow made wrong. But if you do get that feeling really the best way to over come it is to keep them on and not try to adjust gradually.

Your correct in asking their advice when you pick your glasses up about when you should wear them. My guess is they are going to recommend whenever you feel like you need them. But based on things you have told me already you most likely will be wearing them whenever your on the computer for long periods of time and they will be an asset to you for driving at night and probably on cloudy rainy days as well.

Like I said your prescription isn't strong, but I think as you adjust to them you maybe surprised at how much they really help and relax your eyes.

Amelia 01 Oct 2014, 10:25

Thanks Soundmanpt - really appreciate your help.

And your explanation has been really helpful! I've seen a few websites saying that 0.5 isn't really worth it so am keen to see if it makes any difference to me. I come from a family with pretty poor vision so have always counted myself very lucky to have escaped that! Although perhaps there are very minor things I've been missing out on!

Yes I have ordered some and they should be ready this week or next. Will definitely let you know. I'll ask them about when I should wear them when I pick them up, but guess it'll also be a case of just wearing them and seeing what helps? I have noticed that I've become much less of a fan of driving at night in the past few years, so perhaps this is part of it. I'm intrigued! And a little worried about the dizziness you describe...but hopefully if I build up gradually with them it'll be fine :)

Thanks again.

Amelia

Soundmanpt 01 Oct 2014, 10:07

Amelia

If your spending most of your day working at a computer I think you will soon find that your new glasses will make a noticeable difference. Your no doubt getting eye strain which your glasses should relief and you will find that your not nearly as tired feeling at the end of your work day.

And like you were told, astigmatisms effects your vision at all distances so between that and a very slight bit of nearsightedness is very likely why that screen in the distance is a little blurry now. So your glasses should sharpen that up as well. What your doctor in effect really prescribed you is something called "monovision" by that your right eye is going to help with seeing things close up and your left eye is going to help you see distances. Now again since those numbers are both the lowest prescription possible it may hardly seem to make much of a difference and as your eyes get adjusted to your glasses your brain will do all the work to allow your left eye to focus for distances and your right eye to focus for reading a book or other close work.

Your questions are not silly at all, you simply want to know. I assume you ordered your glasses? When do you get them? Be sure to come back once you get them and let us know how they work for you.

Ameila 01 Oct 2014, 09:19

Hi Soundmanpt,

Thank you very much for your helpful reply!

I'm quite keen to see if they do make much of a difference. I do an awful lot of computer/reading work for my job, so am hoping that this will stop my eyes feeling quite so tired. I have noticed recently that some screen presentations have been slightly blurry - however, I put that down to it being in a different room so perhaps it is slightly out of focus. Maybe it's me...

I'm still a bit confused about how it works with my +0.25 eye and distances. My current glasses (which I hardly wear) are +0.25 for both eyes and the distance is ever so slightly blurry. I'm a bit worried that nothing will be in focus with the one long sighted and one short sighted eye! Will this be the case??

Thanks again and sorry for the silly questions!

Amelia

Soundmanpt 01 Oct 2014, 09:08

Amelia

Okay let me see if I can maybe explain your prescription to you. To start with you now have your right eye as being the very slightest farsighted possible and your left eye being the slightest nearsighted possible. Really because those numbers are so weak (+.25 / -.25) glasses would be of hardly any use to you. However, just as your optometrist told you somewhat about astigmatisms (-.50 / -.50) they do effect your vision at all distances. But even so your overall prescription is still on the weaker side. So for now when and how often you choose to wear your glasses will be up to you. You may not feel like they make enough difference for distance to cause you to wear them very often for that or you may feel like you don't really need them for seeing close up. And it's possible you may find they are a benefit at all distances and decide to wear them quite often. If you currently seem to be getting headaches every so often it very well could be caused by your eyes. If this is the case then you probably should consider wearing them more often or even full time. Astigmatisms often times can result in headaches even with a very small rx.

Now once you get your glasses don't be surprised that while your trying to adjust to them you may feel a bit dizzy and the floor may even seem tilted. This is very normal and will soon go away as soon as your eyes get adjusted to your glasses.

Hope that helped some and if you have any further questions please feel free to ask.

Amelia 01 Oct 2014, 06:30

Hi,

I've had glasses which were almost not worth it for -0.25 longsightedness in each each - had been having headaches so thought it would be worth it.

Now reading and working on the computer a lot more and found my headaches were coming back and my eyes just feel tired and watery after a lot of work. So had a check and this was what they said:

Right eye: sph +0.25 cyl -0.5 axis 165

Left eye: sph -0.25 cyl -0.5 axis 175

Am I going to see much of a difference when I get my glasses? Also, I'll check when I pick them up but wasn't told when to wear them. He seemed to suggest that they were mainly for the astigmatism, and as I had no idea what this was I headed to google! But that seems to suggest its for all distances - will it not be difficult to see far away with the +0.25? My current glasses do make distance slightly blurry. Will that be cancelled out by the astigmatism correction?

Thanks!

Nichole 27 Sep 2014, 14:56

Sorry, I forgot to thank everyone for their help, Cactus Jack in particular for his detailed explanation. I went to another ECP and my problem was resolved. I was right in that one step less astigmatism correction in each eye was better for me. The different ECP said she checked everything multiple times to make sure of everything. Thanks again.

DS 26 Sep 2014, 13:15

A couple notes to help understand a prescription for astigmatism:

1) Remember that the cyl portion of the prescription is relative to the sphere. I always like to think of "spherical equivalent" (sph + 1/2 cyl) and the cyl together to try to understand if "best focus" is myopic or hyperopic before thinking about the distortion of the astigmatism.

For example, plano -2.00 x 180 has a spherical equivalent of -1.00 (myopic) paired 2D of "distortion."

Compared to plano +2.00 x 180, the person with plano -2.00 x 180 will experience more problem with distance but still cannot escape the distortion at near.

2) A prescription can be written in plus form or minus form, so looking only at the sign of the astigmatism is leaves a lot of the story untold.

Tom-- the best way for me to describe what your friend sees is to direct you to www.wolframalpha.com with the following two queries:

OD 0.00 cyl -1.25 x 172

OS 0.00 cyl -1.75 x 180

In her case, if she looks at vertical lines at a distance they are sharp. Horizontal lines are blurry. In the practical world, everything is blurry.

Frank 26 Sep 2014, 05:54

I can't agree more with SC. I am far-sighted along with -2 dpt astigmatism. If people ask me whether I am long- or short-sighted I tell them 'shit sighted', since astigmatism causes blur across all distances. I don't know my vision without cylinder, but I know that would rather leave the sph. component out than the cyl.

SC 26 Sep 2014, 05:23

Cylinder correction can make all the difference - with my left eye I'm 20/200 without any correction, about 20/100 with just sphere and 20/30 with cylinder - this is 1.75 @173. Quite a surprise to me as no-one had ever bothered refracting that eye.

Cactus Jack 25 Sep 2014, 21:48

No Name,

That should read uneven stress on the cornea.

Cactus jack 25 Sep 2014, 21:47

No Name,

The actual cause of astigmatism is unknown, but is believed to be caused by uneven stews on the cornea by the tissue that makes up the eyeball or even tight eyelids or poor tear production. The part of an eye exam that determines cylinder and axis is very subjective because other than the measurements by the using an Opthalmoscope or Auto Refractor, the examiner must depend on your ability to judge relative blurriness when the examiner is trying to bracket the axis angle. I have written about the deal I make with the examiner before the exam to allow me to fine tune the axis and posted it here. Look up the post and try in at your next eye exam. The only reason that I can think of that 45 or 135 degrees of axis would cause any more problems than say 90 or 180 is that most letters have horizontal and vertical strokes and few diagonal strokes. Also, most man created objects have horizontal and vertical edges. At least with 90 or 180 degrees of cylinder, one of those strokes or edges will be sharp and the other blurry. At 45 and 135, both would be blurry.

Dude,

With that much cylinder, it could easily cause a headache very quickly. It is normal for the eyes to try to focus a blurry image, when cylinder is involved, it is simply impossible, but the brain does not know that, so it tries very hard anyway. The result is a headache. I also suspect she has a significant sphere correction also that would make it worse.

It would be very helpful to know her full prescription to give you a better answer. Do you wear vision correction? If so, what is your prescription?

Dude 25 Sep 2014, 19:06

I recently tried on a friend of mine glasses, she's about -1.75 of astigmatism(She says she doesn't know her actual precription), and I saw it was hard to focus(that's normal), but less than a minute after she asked me to give them back, because she had headache and she was getting desesperate by the headache and because she could not see a thing, I obviously gave the glasses back to her but I'm still curious about he eyesight. Is it possible to get a headache in such as short time?

P.D: She's 16 and full-time wearer

25 Sep 2014, 15:51

I don't have perfect vision, I have about only .75 of astigmatism, with a left axis of 170 and a right axis of 40. My concern is that all of this astigmatism as been discovered within a year of exams. before that (after last years exam) I was still perfect and I get tests every year. What could be the cause of such a high leap in cylinder? In general what axis is the most debilitating? I kind of feel like the 45 and 135 would be but Im curious as to your thoughts.

Cactus Jack 25 Sep 2014, 13:06

No Name,

It is incredibly difficult to describe the effects of astigmatism on vision to a person who has not experienced it for themselves. Astigmatism is generally caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea, sort of like an American Football. Ideally, it is a section of a perfect sphere or ball, but sometimes the curve will be steeper in one direction than it is in another. There is much discussion about what astigmatism axis is blurrier than another, but optically, it makes no difference. It depends on what you are looking at.

The practical effect of astigmatism is that your eyes have two different focus distances and what most people with astigmatism notice is that letters look funny depending on which direction the lines that make up the letters are going. For example. A person with astigmatism may see the letter "H" with the vertical lines (strokes) sharp and clear, but the horizontal line blurry or a "K" with all the strokes blurry, it depends on the amount of the astigmatism and the axis. The problem is that you have no ability to focus clearly without external help from what is called a cylinder shaped lens that is oriented correctly. People with astigmatism do not see slanted images, though the image without correction may be distorted. For example, an "O" may appear to be an oval. The slant effect is caused by looking through a lens with cylinder correction at an angle rather than through the optical center of the lens.

One thing to remember is that vision actually occurs in the brain. If the brain knows what something is supposed to look like, it can correct the image. The brain can even create images in the dark with your eyes closed, as in a dream.

By tradition, the 0 or 180 degree (same thing) axis is horizontal and the the numbers increase counter-clockwise looking at the patient through 90 degrees vertical to 180. Also by tradition, axis numbers range from 0 to 179 or 1 to 180 degrees.

There are two ways you can crudely simulate the effects of astigmatism. One is by closing one eye and placing your finger at the outside edge of your open eye. Pull gently outward while looking at some text. The pressure of your eyelids will distort the curvature of your cornea temporarily creating astigmatism. Another way is to tilt a pair of say +2.00 OTC readers so that you are looking through the lenses at a 45 degree angle.

The very best way to experience the effects of astigmatism for yourself, is to get an eye exam and ask the ECP to show you want it is like to need glasses with a significant cylinder correction and what happens when you change the axis.

Do you wear any vision correction? May I ask your prescription? If you think you have perfect vision, how do you know?

25 Sep 2014, 10:43

Here's an actual visual history taken from her patient records. Uncorrected VA was 20/100 OU. Refraction yielded the following prescription: OD pl. -1.25 x 172 and OS pl. -1.75 x 180 and VA's of 20/15 OU.

I knew her quite well socially, she was an attractive 28 year old, and steadfastly refused to ever wear her glasses at least in public. She did not meet driver's license standards for uncorrected VA and of course had the appropriate restriction on her license but it didn't matter as she refused to wear them under any conditions.

You may draw your own conclusions as to the effect of uncorrected cylinder.

25 Sep 2014, 09:27

**correction, I mean minification (while wearing glasses obviously) and my stupid computer autocorrected it.

24 Sep 2014, 19:44

also, what is the blurriest axis of astigmatism to have?

24 Sep 2014, 19:35

Alright so if you have a significant amount of myopia, there is magnification in your field of vision right? Does this work the same with astigmatism? like will your field of vision look extremely slanted? esp with two completely different axis numbers? i know you would get used to it eventually as you are forced to but still

Soundmanpt 24 Sep 2014, 17:29

Tom

I have to question when she says that she has a strong astigmatism" just how strong they really are? What she may think is strong might be actually very weak. If it really is so strong she would not have clear and sharp vision for distance and nowhere near what she claims to be 10/10 which I assume she means is 20/10 without her glasses. It would be hard enough to do that even if her glasses were brand new with an updated prescription. Also if it were that strong she most likely would suffer from constant headaches.

Remember astigmatisms effect your vision at all distances, not just close up.

As for the first part of your question a lot depends on how strong the prescription is just as being myopic. If someone is ay -1.00 in both eyes they can see remarkably well without their glasses. But the difference is with their glasses on the words are all normal size and spaced as they should be. Without glasses the same word may appear to be scrunged together and the letters taller. Or it could be just the opposite and appear to be stretched out much longer than it really is. If that person has plano SPH's they very often can see the the 20/20 line okay without glasses, just not quite as sharp and clear as with their glasses. And even at -1.00 if they try and go without wearing their glasses for more than a few minutes they often times will start to get a headache. Of course if the prescription is stronger than they will have much more trouble seeing the 20/20 line without correction and because letters and words would be run together even more to their uncorrected eyes they would then be impossible to make out on the eye chart as well.

astigmaphile 24 Sep 2014, 15:03

That woman's vision sounds more like latent hyperopia than astigmatism. Astigmats have less than perfect vision at all distances. I am +2.50 left and +1.25 right.I am about 20/70 in my left eye and about 20/30 right. I wear my glasses all the time. Road signs are easier to read with glasses.

Since I am 68, I am also presbyopic. I also need +2.50 sphere to see up close. I got my lined bifocals from Zenni Optical for $31.90, including shipping.

Cactus Jack may sign on here and give you more detailed information

Tom 24 Sep 2014, 13:46

I'm curious to hear from people which have a significant astigmatism (I mean, small sphere and high cyl in their prescription) which is their vision and if depends on the sign of astigmatism (+ or -). I'm nearsighted so well know how a nearsighted person sees without correction, not the same for astigmatism, I cannot imagine how an astigmatic person sees without correction, if he needs to wear full time, etc...

BTW today I met a young woman which told me she had an appointment with her eyedoctor since she has "strong astigmatism" and lost her glasses weeks ago. She tried to do without but although her vision is very sharp in distance (she said she is 10/10), she needs to struggle to read and this gives her headache, so she decided to take a new pair of glasses. This sounds strange to me, it seems more as hyperopia than astigmatism, but I'd like to hear from someone who is specialist or who has astigmatism, too.

Many thanks.

DS 15 Sep 2014, 14:50

Nichole,

Since you mentioned having an add... if you are wearing progressive lenses, then the problem might be with adapting to that lens and fit rather than the distance prescription from the doctor.

Especially with progressive lenses, aligning each lens properly is critical. Every bit that the fit is off reduces the clear field of view and can have you looking through suboptimal optics.

Cactus jack 14 Sep 2014, 18:56

Nichole,

You have enough astigmatism in your glasses to make vision, without proper correction, uncomfortable. Determining the Axis of your cylinder correction is the most subjective part of an eye exam and the examiner must base their actions on what you tell them you are seeing. The changes in your cylinder and axis correction between your 2010 pair and the 2014 pair are very small, but that does not necessarily mean that either one is right. Over the years, I have probably had between 75 and 100 eye exams and it seemed to me that I needed to participate more in the exam, if I wanted the best possible prescription.

The most important thing I did was make a deal with the examiner, even before the exam starts, that I would like to fine tune the cylinder axis at the appropriate time by adjusting the axis. slightly. Most ECPs are glad for your participation and will place your hand on the axis knob and you can move it back and forth a few degrees to find the spot where all the letters look sharp and not distorted.

I hope this helps. If you are not satisfied with the results of the exam, please ask for a remake. Frankly, lenses for your glasses are very inexpensive. You did not mention where your live, but with a prescription like yours, I would not hesitate to go to a different ECP (preferably not a chain, this time) get a prescription and order some glasses from Zenni. I think you will be shocked at the low cost and the quality of the glasses.

Nichole 14 Sep 2014, 12:42

Hi, thanks for your response. I just need to know if an ECP is obligated to fix these problems free of charge. I know it would cost them to order a new set of lenses. It is honestly bothering me right now. I am wondering if they could do a recheck...and just say that I liked the option with the stronger correction when given a choice...therefore the lenses are fine. That would be annoying. I think it depends on whether a difference of just 0.25 would be considered legitimate or not.

By the way, a colleague of mine went through two or three visits to her ECP to get her glasses done right. What happened was, the technician who read her glasses didn't read them right, because they were progressives, which led to a wrong prescription by the ECP. The exam went too fast to get it right the first time. The place was almost a factory where the ECP was pressured to finish each patient within 15 minutes or so.

Soundmanpt 13 Sep 2014, 16:51

Nichole

Yes and I agree that in any profession mistakes are made. However it would be different if the new prescription was much more different than the other 2, but it's not and like I said they clearly examined your eyes because the axis which is a part of the astigmatism is slightly different in all 3 of your exams which is not at all that unusual. If you didn't have astigmatisms you wouldn't have any number for axis. So they did examine you, but if your going on 2 weeks with pretty much constant wear and your eyes don't seem to be adjusting then by all means you should call where you went and have them recheck you to see what is going on.

I hope you get it resolved because headaches are no fun.

Nichole 13 Sep 2014, 14:08

Well, the headaches are annoying enough that I have to take off my glasses pretty often, which leads to...yet more headaches. It has not quite been two weeks yet, however.

I actually do not think that every ECP is equally skilled. I think that is true in almost everything from carpenters to musicians.

In most cases for vision, it probably does not make too much difference to us patients because we can tolerate small differences here and there. You are in any case saying that astigmatism can be tricky. What do you think?

Soundmanpt 13 Sep 2014, 12:25

Nichole

Looking at your 3 different prescriptions I think your new glasses are just fine and you just need to get adjusted to them. The optometrist didn't use any numbers off of your "old" pair of glasses. They don't do that! They did probably take you old glasses to check the prescription on them but so they had a starting point for your exam. That is very normal. Astigmatisms are very tricky and unlike being nearsighted or farsighted which generally only gets a bit worse each time astigmatisms can actually go up or down from one exam to the next. If you notice the axis numbers are not the same in any of the 3 prescriptions. This is also common as well. Just remember a big part of getting the astigmatism correct is based on your own answers. But I suggest that you wear them for about 2 weeks full time so your eyes can adjust and if they still don't seem right then you should go back and explain that something doesn't seem right.

Nichole 13 Sep 2014, 12:09

I recently lost my glasses, so I went with an older pair to the eye doctor. The issue is, she used my older, one-step stronger astigmatism number, in her new prescription for me. I think I notice the difference: it feels like a screw has been tightened too much or something. I also feel headaches whether I am wearing my glasses or not. Am I being overly sensitive?

Let me give the prescriptions:

Old glasses (2010) which the optometrist used as a guide:

+1.00 -0.75 172

+1.25 -1.00 023

Lost pair (2012):

+1.25 -0.50 170

+1.50 -0.75 018

Newest pair (2014) from my recent appointment:

+1.25 -0.75 175

+1.50 -1.00 020

All these prescriptions have reading adds as well.

Any advice?

Would or should the doctor be willing to lower the astigmatism correction? Or could they argue that I liked the stronger lens during the exam?

Are many ECPs a little unsure of what they are doing, or are they not very thorough in their refractions?

I am wondering about all this because the check-up was a little too quick. Perhaps not enough double-checking?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Cactus Jack 21 Aug 2014, 14:35

question,

Astigmatism is the predominant factor in your prescription, with just a little bit of + Sphere correction for very low Hyperopia. There are two unrelated causes for Sphere refractive error and Cylinder / Axis refractive error.

Hyperopia or Myopia which is corrected by Sphere (+0.50 in your case) is caused by a mismatch between the length of your eyeball and the total PLUS power of your eye's lens system. In your case it is a tiny error of about 0.15 mm.

Astigmatism which is corrected by Cylinder and Axis (they go together) (-1.75 x 90 in your case) is usually caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea. The actual cause of the uneven curvature is unknown, but there are several ways to correct it.

1. Glasses

2. Toric Soft Contact lenses.

3. RGP Contacts that reshape the cornea temporarily while you are wearing them. When you take off the RGPs, you may experience a period of pretty good vision without correction and blur if you wear glasses with your cylinder / axis correction. The blur with glasses will gradually go away as your corneas return to their uneven curvature after you remove the RGPs.

4. You might be able to wear a compromise Sphere only Contact Lens prescription. The typical compromise is 1/2 the cylinder added to the sphere or -1.75 / 2 = -0.875 +0.50 = -0.375. However, you can't buy -0.375 contacts. I would be tempted to try -0.50 Sphere only contacts, but I would not expect too much.

question 21 Aug 2014, 13:44

do rgps just null the astigmatism? like what would my prescription convert to?

question 21 Aug 2014, 13:43

no clue what it would be with rgp. but regular its +.5 -1.75 90 in each eye

Cactus Jack 21 Aug 2014, 12:11

question,

I have never heard that properly fitted rgp contacts would damage the corneas or make them weaker. May I ask you prescription?

Cactus Jack 21 Aug 2014, 12:09

jackie,

How is your vision with your new glasses?

question 21 Aug 2014, 11:29

Is there a possibility of making the cornea weak with constant switching in and out of rgp lenses? any of you guys have a thought on this?

Eyestein 20 Jul 2014, 09:31

It's a very high prescription but not too high if your eyesight is really that bad.

jackie 20 Jul 2014, 09:05

eyestrain,i`m 55,yes i thought it was high

Eyestein 20 Jul 2014, 07:21

@jackie

Do you have a reason to suspect it's too high? How old are you?

jackie 20 Jul 2014, 05:49

hi,i have just got new glasses which are -20 both lenses and 5.75 and 6.00 cylinder axis 90 is this too high or is it ok to have it this strong,or should i go back to the opticians and ask him if it is correct,any advice would be great,thanks

Cactus Jack 19 Jul 2014, 08:32

I have never heard of a direct connection between astigmatism and diabetes. There can be a connection between unstable Blood Glucose (BG) levels and an unstable glasses prescription. This is caused by changes in the Index of Refraction (IR) of the Aqueous Humor and the Vitreous Humor as BG levels change which in turn changes the SPHERE refractive power of the eye. It typically is not a problem in well managed diabetes.

19 Jul 2014, 02:18

Does diabetes cause astigmatism and how?

Cactus Jack 18 Jul 2014, 16:06

Jol,

Astigmatism, which is typically caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea, is one of the most difficult eye conditions to understand. Astigmatism affects vision at ALL distances and the only way to correct it is with external lenses or refractive surgery.

The effect of astigmatism is that it causes your eyes to need to focus at two different distances. You can do a simple test by looking at text with the letter K or W without your glasses. Some of the lines (strokes) that form the latter will be clear while other are blurry. Now move the text closer or farther away and it is probable that at some distance, the strokes that were clear will become blurry and the strokes that were blurry will become clear. You brain only has one tool at its disposal to focus images, your Ciliary Muscles that focus your crystalline lenses. Your ciliary muscles can change the focus very fast at your age, but it can only focus at one distance at a time, no mater how hard it tries.

Apparently, you have been reading about vision occurring in the brain and that the brain has incredible ability to correct blurry images if it knows what something is supposed to look like. The problem is that it takes a lot of extra work and energy.

The relevancy of my question about labor saving devices is that most people do not think of glasses as labor saving devices, but that is what they are, as far as your brain is concerned. When you are not wearing your glasses, your brain will work hard to try to correct even slightly blurry images. It may try to use your ciliary muscles, like it would do if you had hyperopia, but that simply will not work for astigmatism.

We are so used to labor saving devices that we dont always recognize them unless we think about it. The most ubiquitous labor saving devices these days are microprocessors. They are the heart of the computer you used to post your question and many other appliances we use every day. Imagine how much work it would take to send your question to thousands around the world, with out them.

What you are experiencing is normal. The glasses have NOT made your vision worse, they have just relieved your brain of the extra work it was having to do to process the blurry images from your eyes. It likes not having to work so hard. Some people may think your glasses are not strong enough to wear full time, but if they make YOUR vision more comfortable, that is all that really counts.

Jol 18 Jul 2014, 15:02

1. 22

2.male

3.and 4. not on the regular. Why is this relevent?

Cactus Jack 18 Jul 2014, 10:54

Jol,

Could I some seemingly unrelated questions?

1. Your age?

2. Your gender?

3. Do use any labor saving devices?

4. Could you name a few?

Jol 18 Jul 2014, 09:39

I have very mild astimatism (.5 each eye with a diagonal axis) that was just checked a few months ago. I only wear these glasses for class but this past month ive felt a much stronger need to be wearing them more often. Any explanation for this? Could my prescription already be worse? I can see perfectly fine with them on but the blur is a ton more than it has ever been with them off after only wearing them two or so hours a day. I understand all the stuff about brain dependency but i dont feel like im wearing them enough to be getting to that point.

Likelenses 05 May 2014, 00:18

I agree!

04 May 2014, 20:47

Being pushy won't help! I for one am tired of your constant begging for people to send you glasses and such. In other words your rather annoying.

HighMyopic 04 May 2014, 20:23

I emailed you a question about glasses and you have not replied.

Cactus Jack 04 May 2014, 19:20

Ty ty,

Please ignore the "Chicken or the Egg" comment it was not appropriate in my answer and it confused you.

There is no evidence or research that I know of that relates Astigmatism to rubbing the eyes. The actual cause of Astigmatism is unknown. There can be many reasons why a person might rub their eyes. One of the reasons is that they are experiencing some visual stress, but there can be many others such as allergies to substances in the air or insufficient tears.

Sometimes people with uncorrected hyperopia will experience visual stress when they use their ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses excessively to correct it internally. Astigmatism can also cause visual stress when the visual system tries to correct the blurry images using the ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses, but there is no way for that to work no matter how hard you try. Astigmatism can only be corrected by glasses, toric contacts, or refractive surgery.

There is no way to even guess what may be causing a person to rub their eyes. The person should be seen by an Eye Care Professional to get to the source.

Ty ty 04 May 2014, 15:05

I am a little confused by the chicken and the egg statement. Doesnt that imply that rubbing your eyes will cause astigmatism. But astigmatism might also cause more eye rubbing? what you are saying is there is no way of knowing but with the chicken and the egg statement implies that its just a vicious cycle, with both having hand in the other.

Cactus Jack 03 May 2014, 14:51

Ty ty,

I have never seen any research that related astigmatism to rubbing your eyes. I guess it could have a very temporary effect on astigmatism, but probably not much.

I believe this could be a "chicken or egg question" as to which came first. I suggest you investigate why a person is rubbing their eyes. Eye discomfort can be caused by many things such as visual stress, environmental irritants, allergies or reduced tear production. It is not something that can be analyzed or investigated from a long distance.

03 May 2014, 11:12

About 2.75.

Ty ty 03 May 2014, 03:00

How much will you astigmatism increase by rubbing your eyes a lot?

steve 29 Jan 2014, 09:14

Cactus Jack,

First off, I live in Southern California (Ventura County).

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

To rule out a possible eye muscle problem, I saw a specialist in Santa Barbara who ruled that out and told me that I had a very slight astigmatism but it was nothing to worry about. This was at about the 7 month post surgery.

I then went to an Ophthalmologist for a dry eye issue that ended with me getting a punctual plug put in my right eye because that one is dryer. When looking at my vision, he pretty much said the exact thing in regards to being slightly myopic (-.25 to -.50) in my left and having a slight astigmatism in my right.

In addition I have visited two Optometrists. Firstly, I went to my Optometrist that I've been going to since I was a kid. His equipment is extremely archaic and I just didn't trust his readings would be accurate.

I then went to my local Costco for a cheap exam. They had all the latest equipment there. The Doctor is super helpful and it was where I got the last pair of glasses from.

Prior to surgery I had been wearing contacts since I was in 7th grade. I couldn't stand wearing them any longer. Since I graduated college and got a job, I ended up going to just my glasses because the contacts would bug the living hell out of me almost every day. It was mainly my right eye. Knowing what I do now, I probably would have tried Restasis and Thera Tears for 4-5 months before proceeding with the surgery. All is done and it's water under the bridge now. No going back. Moving on....

My goal is not to wear glasses all the time. Just for up close computer work/gaming. That's all I want. I'm not looking for 20/10 vision. I just want comfortable vision up close.

My prescription after seeing multiple doctors is:

Left: -.50

Right: plano, -50X40

The Opthalmologist I saw regarding the dry eye mentioned I was -.25 in the left after briefly looking at the results from a machine that measures your eyes. He didn't perform a refraction. So maybe my left is between -.25 and -.50.

Kind of random, but a little thing I noticed is when I force myself to get really wide eyed and focus looking up close, I notice that my astigmatism is almost non existent.

Another kind of random thing I noticed is that when comparing vision in my right eye to vision with glasses with the astigmatism correction is this: If there is a straight vertical line on the computer (90 degrees) without my glasses, with them on it's at like an 80 or 85 degree angle; not perfectly vertical. Now, not ever having astigmatism correction, I'm assuming this is normal because it has to skew things in order for me to see things clearly.

Cactus Jack 28 Jan 2014, 23:23

Steve,

It is unlikely that you will be able to find any over-the-counter reading glasses in powers less than +1.00 (rare). More likely the powers available will be from about +1.25 to about +3.50, which would not be useful for what you are trying to do.

I would like to suggest that before you take any action, we need to explore your situation more fully. Obviously, something is not right. Vision should be comfortable and if you need vision correction, that should make vision more comfortable.

I make it a policy to not be judgmental about any surgical procedure a person elects to have. I think if I was your age with moderate to high myopia, my vision was stable (myopia not increasing), and I did not like wearing glasses, I would certainly consider refractive surgery. With your pre-op sphere Rx with no astigmatism, I might be inclined toward contacts, but with a dry eye condition, contacts can be miserable.

In your situation, I think I would think twice or maybe more times before deciding on enhancement.

I have a couple of suggestions before you do anything else.

May I ask where you live?

I think you should consider an eye exam from an Optometrist, a 2nd opinion if you will. Because you have not had any experience with an astigmatism correction, I need to tell you how to get the most accurate cylinder and axis you can.

-0.50 or +0.50 of astigmatism is really not very much, but it can make close vision uncomfortable if not corrected accurately. An eye exam is very subjective and the examiner cannot see what you see. He/she must depend on what you tell them, particularly went trying to determine the axis of the required cylinder correction.

First, try to concentrate on a O if possible rather than a letter with straight lines (strokes). As the supplemental lens is flipped back and forth the strokes will appear blurry or clear depending on which direction they run in relation to the axis angle. Concentrating on a letter with out strokes or tiny strokes, such as O, C, G, etc makes it easier to judge when the blurriness is equal.

Second, I make a deal with the examiner, even before the exam starts that I would like to fine tune the axis at the appropriate time by adjusting the axis. Most ECPs are glad for your participation and will place your hand on the axis knob and you can move it back and forth to find the spot where all the letters look sharp and not distorted.

Two more tips:

Do not try for 20/10 vision, unless you get a dilated exam. You may have an exceptional retina, but it is unlikely. Typical "normal" Visual Acuity is 20/20 in the majority of the population, but actually 20/15 is closer to "perfect" and 20/10 is likely over-corrected. A young person with plenty of accommodation can easily tolerate and enjoy being over-corrected by a surprising amount, but in your situation it is not a good idea. What happens is that after your vision is fully corrected, additional minus causes you to add additional plus internally using your ciliary muscle and crystalline lenses to compensate. The neat thing about being a bit over-corrected is that everything is more vivid and extremely sharp. In effect you are very slightly farsighted. It is easy when each eye is being refracted individually to get over one eye over-corrected differently than the other eye, which makes for discomfort. To make sure your vision is balanced, the opportunity will come next.

After both eyes are refracted individually, the shutters on both eyes will be opened and you will be shown two images, This is to check muscle balance, but it is also the only opportunity to compare the refraction for each eye. The images should be equally clear and of the same relative size. If they are not, say something! The examiner will likely reduce the sphere in the clearer eye to where they are equally blurry. Don't worry that will be fixed later in the exam.

After the muscle balance check, the images will be fused and the sphere lens power will be set for too much plus power by the same amount in both eyes. Then the plus will be gradually reduced until you can see the 20/20 line clearly and perhaps the 20/15 line. Probably, the 20/10 line will be a bit much.

This will determine your distance prescription and it is likely that your near vision will be checked. You may be surprised at the results. You should be give a copy of your prescription, but do not order glasses, no matter what. Please let me know the results before you make any further decisions.

You may consider mentioning the problem with discomfort using the computer, but I would like to be sure about your actual distance prescription first. We can show you how to order computer glasses if you want them, online for about $20 per pair.

steve 28 Jan 2014, 20:41

Cactus Jack,

Thank you for the response.

I just got done playing about 30 minutes of computer games with my glasses. Sure, it's noticeably a little clearer with my glasses but it still just doesn't feel right. Almost like my brain is trying to work too hard or something. I know it's my right eye that's giving me the problem. If I look away from the computer and then refocus it's fine for about 10 seconds and then it feels little funky.

Another thing I've noticed is that when I'm just browsing the internet, or doing "everyday" things, it's fine, really doesn't give me any problems. The problem is the gaming. It's one of my hobbies and it's kind of depressing that I can't enjoy it like I used to (even though I should probably cut down :-/). I'm thinking it could be the rapid eye movements with the cylindrical compensation just throwing me off and maybe I just have to get used to it.

I may go to Target tomorrow and buy a .25 pair and a .75 pair and switch out the lenses to see if that's better. Sure, my astigmatism won't be compensated for, but maybe it's not that that's really bugging me, maybe it's the 1/2 diopter difference?

Would you consider my outcome a success story, coming from a -5.75?

Also, would you even consider an enhancement?

-Steve

Cactus Jack 28 Jan 2014, 18:24

Steve,

That is NOT what I was suggesting.

I was trying to analyze what may be causing your symptoms of eyestrain when you have to do a lot of close work and increasing the "add" to minimize accommodation effort, was simply a test to try to isolate the problem.

However, dry eye syndrome could easily be part or most of the problem. You apparently have a tearing problem that is helped by Restasis and Thera-tears. Often, reading or using a computer can cause reduced blink rates and therefore reduced tears and lubrication to the eyes. This can cause discomfort and sometimes changes in visual acuity.

Symptoms of presbyopia can be caused by the actual onset of presbyopia, which is unlikely, but not impossible at your age, or by de-conditioning of the ciliary muscles. Presbyopia is caused by gradual stiffening of the crystalline lens which actually starts in childhood, but does not usually cause any problems until the mid 30s or early 40s. However, many much younger people are noticing the onset of presbyopia at a much earlier age because of the focusing effort required to read the tiny text on smartphones. Some teenagers, who are heavy text users, are having to get "functional" bifocals or progressives to avoid headaches when focusing very close.

Astigmatism affects the ability to read text comfortably at all distances, but is more noticeable and problematic when reading or using a computer. The snag with astigmatism is that the eye has no means to compensate for it, but the brain tries to focus the slightly blurry image(s), which it cannot. The result is fatigue and the symptoms of eyestrain.

You have the right idea by using glasses to provide equally clear images from each eye to the brain. There will be a slight difference in image sizes on the retinas, but in your situation the difference should be vey minor and of no consequence. Essentially, you computer glasses are glasses with your distance prescription with a +0.75 add in sphere to reduce the accommodation necessary to focus on the computer display. If they provide a REAL comfort benefit, you should use them. However, anytime you use an add to help focus close, they are taking over some of the accommodation work of your ciliary muscles and crystalline lenses, the auto-focus mechanism in your eyes. For their size, the ciliary muscles are typically the strongest muscles in the body because of their constant workout. If you reduce their workload too much, they will loose their conditioning quite rapidly and glasses to focus close will become a necessity sooner than they ordinarily would.

I hope this makes sense and is helpful.

steve 28 Jan 2014, 14:55

Catcus Jack,

I'm a couple weeks away from turning 27.

I originally got glasses to bring me left eye (-.50 diopter) up to my right eye and had my right eye's (plano)astigmatism fixed. Everything was much sharper, but after one day I didn't want to rely or WANT my glasses. So therefore I opted for computer glasses because distant vision didn't bother me at all, it's actually fairly good. At the ophthalmologist I read half of the letters on the 20/10 line.

I brought my left eye down +.25 and my right eye down +.75

So you're saying I should add another +1.00 diopter to the left and .50 to the right to make them even out at +1.25?

I just feel that they aren't quite balanced (obviously due to my prescription). The astigmatism also throw things off a bit, but I'm wondering if that's my problem anymore because it's pretty minor (-.50x40).

I have no strain (persay) without glasses now, it seems pretty natural and for the most part 'doesn't' bug me. It's weird that strain is induced when my "prescription" is applied to my vision. Some days it's better than other days. For example, yesterday I didn't notice any problems, but, today it's different and I do notice it. Very weird.

I started using Restasis after the surgery but I wasn't good about using it twice a day, which you HAVE to do in order for it to work. The last month and a half or so I've been using it religiously and it has been working. I've also been taking Thera-Tears tablets every day which also help a lot. I know dry-eyes do cause vision problems.

As you can probably tell, I have a bit of an OCD personality when it comes to certain things. Knowing what I know now, I don't know if I would have gotten the surgery or not. Being 1 year removed from it, it's certainly extremely nice not having to base your whole damn life off of if I'll have my contacts or not...or wanting to go out late, wait, do I have my glasses? I know my eyes will be dry when I leave at 2am. Not having to worry about that is amazing. So I guess the pros DO outweigh the cons.

Cactus Jack 28 Jan 2014, 14:05

Steve,

I have not been part of this conversation, but I looked back as far as your post on 23 January. I have a question, what is your age? The reason I ask is that you may be experiencing some symptoms of presbyopia now that your -5.75 has been corrected.

There are several phenomena associated with myopia correction. One of which is enhanced depth of field or range of useful focus. It is possible that your myopia and its correction has masked a bit of presbyopia. You might try some non Rx reading glasses in the +1.25 to +1.50 range, over your regular distance glasses to see if they are any help with the eye strain problem. Your computer glasses are already the equivalent of a +0.75 add. +1.50 over them would be the equivalent of a +2.25 add and that is probably much more than you need to focus comfortably at normal computer working distances.

steve 28 Jan 2014, 13:08

minus5wholuvsgwgs and lazysiow,

I've worn my glasses for a total of about 10 hours now (off and on). When I first put them on everything is pretty refreshing, relaxed, and clear. After about 10 minutes of watching YouTube, browsing, or playing computer games I start getting eye strain. It's not horrible, but I feel like it's the same amount of strain that I would have without my glasses. Yeah, the glasses make it clearer, but I still feel like I'm straining. I want to say it's from the slight astigmatism correction...

minus5wholuvsgwgs 25 Jan 2014, 02:40

Good luck but proves what many on this forum say don t risk your eyesight by having laser/wavefront for cosmetic reasons glasses are perfect

lazysiow 24 Jan 2014, 17:57

Steve, yeah you just have to get used to them. If you've never worn them before most people get distortion or a "swimming" effect until the brain adaptas. For me though things were clear instantly like when someone puts on minus glasses. Go figure

No I DONT recommend doing an enhancement. Like I said, there isn't much to laser off anymore. Sorry I dont know what the Wavefront treatment is if it's different but sounds like they don't recommend it either.

steve 24 Jan 2014, 10:56

lazysiow,

Thank you for the reply.

So you do NOT recommend an enhancement?

Why am having trouble adjusting to glasses to play computer games/use the computer? The glasses definitely clear up the vision but throw me off mentally a bit. Is it just a matter of getting used to them?

Will using the glasses make my vision worse?

Do you think my results are successful?

lazysiow 24 Jan 2014, 03:53

Meant to say not recommended instead of commended, see just missed that until I re-read my post. Not wearing the glasses right now ;)

lazysiow 24 Jan 2014, 03:52

Great description Steve. Yes astigmatism at low levels is that you can see something but it is either off or a part of view that you're unconsciously ignoring and if you focus and strain then "it's fine".

It's even annoying when optometrists and opticians say "it's just astigmatism" as they do with me a lot. However the best way to describe it to people for low levels is that you wear glasses for reading text since it will be ghosted or blurry. I've got low levels like you vs someone with no astigmatism they can do a quick glance at something and take in the text and details of what they've seen straight away. Without my glasses on I'll "see" but the text will just be a ghosted blur that I'll ignore unless I'm specifically trying to read it then my brain will focus it in. After -1.00 of astigmatism I think it gets too hard for your brain to correct and it's recommended to prescribe from -0.75. I'm guessing for people with uncorrected astigmatism they'll "miss" things a lot off the cuff unless they're concentrating

It's not commended Steve unless something goes wrong. Lasers only melt away the fat and you don't want it cutting into the bone (your retina) with repeated LASIK with far worse consequences than the minor inconvenience that you have now.

steve 23 Jan 2014, 14:07

Great thread.

I had Custom Wavefront done exactly 1 year ago today.

Before surgery I was -5.75 in both eyes with no astigmatism.

After surgery I knew something wasn't quite right EVEN though I could read the 20/15 line and part of the 20/10 line!

After doctor visits I finally found out my new prescription was:

LE: -.50, no astig.

RE: plano, -.50 X 40

I'm used to it now but it still bugs me every once in a while. Playing video games and low light is where I've noticed it the most.

I got a pair of computer glasses that puts both eyes at +.25 and fixes my astigmatism. Doing so definitely makes the text clearer but I get a slight headache/nausea after a while. Do I just need to get used to them (I've only had them for about 3 days).

The question is, I have 2 more years to decide if I want an enhancement done. My surgeon doesn't encourage it but will do it if I want (it COULD make things worse, doubtful, but could). Two ophthalmologists have also advised against it. Most people probably would be okay with it but I have somewhat of an OCD personality and when I start thinking about it I notice it and it bugs me.

Any advice?

Likelenses 20 Jan 2014, 22:00

Diver Bob

Just hold her glasses at about an arms length, and look at a distant object such as a window frame,door frame, or other square, or rectangular object,and while looking through each lense,one at a time,rotate the glasses. If the the object becomes skewed ,you are seeing the effect of the cylinder correction.

DiverBob 20 Jan 2014, 17:56

My girlfriend just received her first astigmatism prescription. The axis is 180, when I look through them, I can't tell if the astigmatism correction is in the lense. Is there a way to tell?

Soundmanpt 31 Dec 2013, 11:35

Kim

No, in my hair cutter's case, that was why she was in shock when she was even prescribed glasses because she no problem at all during her whole eye exam. It wasn't until the doctor started looking into her eyes that he commented that he found her problem. Even after she got her glasses she was still positive that she didn't need them and didn't take his advice to start wearing them full time. But she did have them with her and couldn't believe that as soon as a headache started coming on that her glasses quickly made the headache go away. Like you when her friends tried her glasses they questioned why she was wearing them all the time because they seemed to do hardly anything for them. Her bf was convinced that her wearing glasses all the time would cause her good eyesight to go bad. But she proved to him that she was still able to read road signs in the far distance without her glasses, but that if kept them off after a few minutes she would develope a headache without them. As she was making her plans to get married she was considering getting contacts for the wedding. But when I told her that the contacts she would need are quite expensive she decided to endure a headache for the wedding and wear her glasses the rest of the day. She has pictures both with and without glasses from her wedding day.

Kim 30 Dec 2013, 22:06

Yeah that's interesting. It's can relate. I do wear them full-time for that reason plus I do like to see things more clear. I do struggle a lot when driving I don't know if she did or not but I really do. Especially at night. I wouldn't really mind if my prescription increased in the SPH either because I wear them all time anyways. ... & I could wear contacts easier. yeah some people who try my glasses on say they are not strong and all things are little smeared, but that's about it. i guess if I did have more SPH i wouldn't mind. i do like the -.25 in my right eye, its sharper. & people wouldn't question why I wear them so much, especually my husband... who always says 'your eyes aren't that bad'. until I complain oh ace a headache or cant read some road signs when I'm giving him directions. lol!

Soundmanpt 28 Dec 2013, 14:28

Kim

Thanks for the update. I was curious how much difference you would be able to tell between your previous glasses and your new ones? Seems like you were able to tell right away. But it does seem like it was easier than when you got your first glasses. At least it only took about a day for your eyes to adjust to them which isn't bad. Its really interesting how little of a prescription for astigmatisms you need before you find that without your glasses a headache is sure to come. like you well know your certainly able to see quite well without your glasses. But as you know your glasses just make things at all distances a little clearer and a little sharper. But wearing glasses full time won't cause your eyes to get any worse. You sound like your much more comfortable wearing glasses now anyway? I didn't ask you, but how comfortable were you when you got your first glasses about wearing them? Did you pretty much wear them full time right away or just slowly started wearing them more and more?

Astigmatisms are so strange. A few years ago the young lady where I went to get my haircut at wore glasses and like yo she wore hers full time as well. Anyway in conversation one evening she told me about her vision history. She told me she had only been wearing glasses for about a year. She said she would be cutting hair and around mid day she would start to get a headache. After a while of this happening she went to her MD and he told her that he felt it was vision related. She didn't think since because she could see everything fine and even better than her bf could see. But she made an appointment to get her eyes checked. She was sure it wasn't her eyes when she was perfectly able to see the eye chart without hesitation. But after a few more tests she was soon looking at the same chart with abig machine in front of her eys and different lesnes being inserted and being asked which was better. When he was done he told her that she indeed did need glasses. She was shocked but when he told her that she needed to wear them full tine she thought for sure he was just trying to make a sale. but her insurance paid for her glasses, so she got a pair. She didn't wear them though but did have them in her bag. Well sure enough the next day a headache came on schedule. Remembering she had glasses that the doctor said would keep the headaches away she decided to give them a try. Within just a few minutes her headache was gone. She kept them on the rest of the day but took them off that evening. The next day she again didn't bother with putting on her glasses and of course around the same time of day her headache came again. Now she put on her glasses and realized that if she didn't want a headache she needed to wear her glasses. Her prescription then was only -.75 in both eyes. She didn't like wearing glasses and it didn't help when she could still see really good without them. She told me she really hoped that she would become nearsighted so she had a real reason to wear glasses.

Sadly she got married and moved away.

Kim 28 Dec 2013, 13:13

Sorry, Yes I did get them. Was busy over the holidays.

I had them for about 3 weeks now.

I really can tell a difference! Even though my script may seem low, to me it make a world of difference.

When I got them it took about 2 days of wearing them full time for things to take shape. Like my computer screen seemed skewed, and things seemed smaller, but on the second day that went away, and things looks normal.

I can tell more of a difference when I don't have them on too. Driving w/o them is more difficult at night and I find myself squinting at the grocery store and anytime I have to see things that are far or have detail. So yes, to me they make a big difference. I wear them full time, if I don't I get a headache and squint ( i don't want wrinkles. LOL!). Ialso notice the big difference when I watch tv, I can actually read the menu and see the HD quality ;)

Soundmanpt 26 Dec 2013, 20:42

Kim

I was looking for an update once you got your new glasses and that was back in November so I am sure you must have them by now?

Can you tell much difference in them compared to your previous glasses? Honestly its not much of an increase but you might have noticed more of a difference when you take your glasses off more than anything.

I don't think they would have had the same effect as when you got your first glasses as to making the room spin etc.

erman 26 Dec 2013, 14:27

Hi,

My prescription has hardly changed the last 10 years. I get my eyes checked every two years. The latest examination from a new opthamologist is a bit different from my previous years. It's the cylinder and axis I am curious about.

Old prescription:

OD -3.00, Cyl -0.75, Axis 180

OS -3.50, Cyl -1.00, Axis 171

New prescription:

OD -3.00, cyl -0.50, axis 172

OS -3.75, cyl -0.50, axis 175

I never realized the difference until I had new glasses. I find that its straining on my eyes reading with my glasses. Reading without my glasses is fine, but when I put my glasses on after reading I have a hard time focusing. I end up having double vision for awhile.

Should I be concerned with my new prescription and glasses?

thanks.

Kim 26 Nov 2013, 21:01

Soundmanpt,

Thanks! I get the new glasses next week. So I will let you know.

I just know I couldn't read the 20/20 line with my current glasses on. So I hope these one will help :)

I don't ever remember my first pair ever being too funny feeling, I do know that when I take my glasses off everything is slanted and "fun-house" like. So that is why I like to wear them all the time, to avoid everything being slanted and blended together.

I wonder though since the new script is slightly stronger if it will give that effect when i first wear them, and in turn even more now when I have them off.

I'll let you know.

Tom 23 Nov 2013, 17:54

Thank Cactus Jack that makes it clearer. I am 41 so the prescription doesn't change much normally anyway, and I had thought that to be the case rather than the astigmatism keeping it so.

Cheers again

Tom

Soundmanpt 23 Nov 2013, 14:45

Kim

Your vision without your glasses should remain about the same as it is now. But like you know without them words and letters tend to smudge together more than they should making it very hard for you focus on them. The longer you would be trying to focus the strain would bring on a headache rather quickly. Wearing your glasses full time as you are is not doing any harm at. the tiny bit of prescription (-.25) you have in one eye is having no real effect on your vision. You probably only missed being able to see a few letters on the 20/25 line. If that was all you needed the doctor wouldn't have even bothered writing you a prescription for glasses. Your only need for glasses is because of the astigmatisms you have and they aren't much either but enough that you need correction.

Your distance prescription didn't change at all since you got your first glasses so i see no reason to expect much change, if any in the future.

Were you able to tell much of a change when you got your new glasses in your vision?

By the way just curious when you got your first glasses do you remember if you had any trouble getting used to them? Often times astigmatism corrections can make you feel like the room is spinning until your eyes adjust to them.

Cactus Jack 23 Nov 2013, 10:32

I too am wondering why an ECP would say something like that. As I have said, many times I am not an ECP, but I don't understand how Astigmatism could have much, if any, effect on changes in Myopia or Hyperopia. Normally, they are caused by two different things. Perhaps, one of our ECPs would comment on possible interaction between sphere and astigmatism.

Tom, you didn't mention your age, but that is the primary reason prescriptions don't change. Astigmatism generally done not change very rapidly, but the determination of the axis angle is VERY subjective and the way the axis angle is determined is by "bracketing" the trial axis with a relatively low power cylinder lens at 45 degrees each side and asking the patient to judge relative blurriness. That test gets close, but often, not precisely on the axis. I usually ask the examiner if they will let me "fine tune" the axis for maximum sharpness at the appropriate time. Most often they are glad to place your hand on the axis knob and you can move it back and forth a few degrees for the clearest image.

I believe there may be some confusion about - cylinder and + cylinder correction, It really does not matter in the final analysis. Optometrists typically use - cylinder for correcting astigmatism and MDs use + cylinder. There is a simple formula for converting + cylinder to - cylinder and vice versa in a prescription. Lens makers use the formula to convert + cylinder to - cylinder notation and make the glasses. The optical result winds up being the same.

If you ever want to do the conversion, here is the formula.

1. Algebraically ADD the cylinder correction to the sphere correction.

2. CHANGE the sign on the cylinder correction.

3. ADD or SUBTRACT 90 degrees from the axis so the number is between 0 and 180 degrees.

That is all there is to it. Example:

OD -9.00, +3.00 x 75

becomes

OD -6.00, -3.00 x 165

They look a lot different, but they are optically the same. The difference can be very scary if you are used to going to an Optometrist and getting a - cylinder prescription and then go to an Ophthalmologist and get a + cylinder prescription. It looks like you have had a massive increase in sphere when there has been no change at all.

Tom 23 Nov 2013, 07:23

Melyssa

Thanks for that, wondering if it makes a difference too as yours is + and mine is -. I had never heard of it before either.

Cheers

Tom

Melyssa 22 Nov 2013, 07:39

Tom,

I have astigmatism, currently at +3.00, and I have worn glasses since age 8, with lots of astigmatism then as well. My prescription leveled off at its current -9.00 when I was 36.

I have never heard of astigmatism being good for anything, and certainly not to keep a prescription stable. Well, there was one thing in my favor -- not being able to wear contact lenses, I do enjoy wearing glasses -- since I was 28 when I bought my first pair of drop-temples.

Tom 21 Nov 2013, 21:21

My prescription is -3.5sph -1.5cyl in both eyes. It has stayed unchanged for a while now.

My optometrist said I should be happy to have astigmatism, as it keeps my script stable. I had not heard that there was a relationship between sphere stability and astigmatism. Can anyone elaborate on that?

Much appreciated

Tom

Kim 20 Nov 2013, 23:04

thanks Soundmanpt!

Glad to know it won't increase much. I was worried if I wore them everyday it would increase my astigmatism over time until I was absolutely dependent on them. Which I don't want. I just love to see crisp and clear!

Currently I cannot focus very well, so I do "need" them, as I have to struggle to see near & distance objects & letters (they tend to smear together). But would hate thing to smear more w/o them, due to complete dependancy.

Thanks for your input, I can now wear them worry free :)

What about the -.25 SPH? I wear them for reading, being at the computer, and close things as well. Will the L.E. SPH increase if I wear them full time. Ive heard nearsightedness can increase if you use a minus SPH for close objects like reading. Or does the Astigmatism balance it out?

thanks :)

Soundmanpt 19 Nov 2013, 11:59

kim

Your right that your prescription isn't very much. And your increase was the smallest you could get. not sure if you know what the numbers all mean, but your SPH which is your distance one eye is fine and the other is nearly perfect with just a correction of -.25 and those numbers didn't change at all in the past year and a half. those are usually the numbers that tend to change the most so not having any change is really good. Your astigmatisms did change (the CYL numbers) but again only by -.25 in each eye. The axis numbers mean nothing to you and have no power. But astigmatisms do effect your vision for all distances which explains why you find your glasses helpful for driving at night as well as close things. Your glasses really for the most part should just be providing your eyes with sharper vision something like what HD tv does. Just as you see a regular tv just fine but if it is HD it looks that much sharper and clear.

If you find wearing your glasses helps and your comfortable wearing them, your not doing any harm to your eyes by wearing your glasses as much as you like, even full time.

As for the future, well your distance didn't change at all so I doubt you will have much if any change for that and astigmatisms don't usually change much either so I think your glasses shouldn't change much at all until maybe when your in your late 30's or 40's and you may start to need bifocals.

By the way when it comes time to renew your drivers license you shouldn't have any trouble passing the vision test without your glasses even if you do wear them all the time when your driving.

kim 19 Nov 2013, 10:25

Hi. I just went in for an eye exam as it has been a year and half.

I feel I need to wear my glasses a lot more often these days, especially at dusk and at night while driving.

I have a very low prescription, but just enough to feel like I need to wear them all the time when on the computer, reading, at church, driving, and anything that involves dim light or distances, or seeing fine details.

My first prescription more than 1 year ago was:

RE: sph plano / cyl -.5 75º

LE: sph -.25 / cyl -.25 115º

my new a prescription did increase:

RE: sph plano / cyl -.75 70º

LE: sph -.25 / cyl -.5 120º

What would be my visual acuity now?

I know its a light prescription but find it very difficult with the astigmatism to go uncorrected at times.

Do you think it will increase from here as well?

I'm a 29 and I work at a computer all day.

Soundmanpt 05 Nov 2013, 12:26

Misha

So if it had been 11 months since your last exam it made good sense to go ahead and get your eyes rechecked before ordering new glasses.

It's the astigmatism part of your prescription that causes you to get headaches when you don't have your glasses on. It really doesn't take much of an astigmatism correction to make your glasses very necessary as you have found out.

Misha 04 Nov 2013, 23:29

Soundmanpt, I found my glasses that I had lost. I had already had another exam. It was less than a year by a month. I can get by without them but I get headaches.

Soundmanpt 31 Oct 2013, 11:01

Misha

The only number that changed was your axis in one eye and axis is not a power number but more about how the lenses are positioned.

So like Cactus Jack said there is no need to get new glasses since your prescription is really the same. Just curious as to how long the time was between the 2 exams? I ask only because if it was much less than a year you could have just used your previous prescription to order new glasses, but if it was much closer to being a year or more than it was a good idea t get your eyes rechecked in case there was any change. Your prescription is not a very strong one but you do have some astigmatisms to deal with. So how much do you wear your glasses?

Misha 30 Oct 2013, 21:46

Thank you Cactus Jack for the good news. I did not want to spend more money on new specs so soon.

BTW, love the name Cactus Jack!!!

Cactus Jack 25 Oct 2013, 00:21

Misha,

I doubt you would notice the difference. Determination of the axis angle of astigmatism is very subjective and depends to some extent on your skill at judging relative degrees of blurriness. I suspect if you had another exam tomorrow, the axis angle would be different.

I would suggest waiting until you want some new glasses for a different reason, new frames for instance, before ordering glasses with the new prescription.

Misha 24 Oct 2013, 21:01

Quick question about a prescription change, where there is a small change in degrees:

I recently lost my glasses and went ahead to get my eyes rechecked. Then of course I found my old ones!

old Rx R: +1.00 -0.50 168

old Rx L: +1.00 -0.75 006

new Rx R: +1.00 -0.50 168

new Rx L: +1.00 -0.75 018

So really the question is whether I should get a new pair with the 12 degree change in the left eye?

Thanks!!!

Cactus Jack 07 Jun 2013, 11:49

astigmaphile,

I am inclined to believe that the idea that astigmatism effects are somehow more significant if the axis is oblique is a myth.

astigmaphile 07 Jun 2013, 00:10

Cactus Jack,

I also have a trial lens set and tried your experiment and got the same results. I found an astigmatic test chart online and it was fun to slowly rotate the test cylinders and watch the lines that were clear change direction. I also get a big kick out of striped op art that runs in several directions with black and white stripes. The fun begins when I tilt my head one way or the other.

Cactus Jack 06 Jun 2013, 21:22

astigmaphile,

I tried a crude experiment with my trial lens set using both concave (-) and convex (+) cylinder lenses of 1.00 and 2.00 powers. Looking through the lenses with my glasses, it appeared that with both + cylinder and - cylinder the lines that were perpendicular (90 degrees) to the long axis of the cylinder were the sharpest and blackest. However, I have been reading and doing close work for most of the day and it is possible that my prescription is not quite accurate under these circumstances. When I get an opportunity, I will try the experiment again when I wake up fresh and relaxed. Somehow, I don't think we are going to learn anything significant from the experiment. Too subjective.

astigmaphile 06 Jun 2013, 21:01

Although my astigmatism technically isn't oblique, it is close enough that I see backslanted lines best with my left eye and forward slanted ones best with my right. In plus cylinder notation my right eye is axis 20 and my let, 155.

Cactus Jack 06 Jun 2013, 20:55

astigmaphile,

I have read that myself, but I can't figure out why that could be correct, so at this point, I don't believe it. Astigmatism typically causes edge lines to be blurry or clear depending on the the direction they are oriented in relation to the axis of the astigmatism. Admittedly, most edge lines or strokes (lines) of alphabetic characters are either horizontal or vertical (orthogonal) . So astigmatism axis close to 0 or 180 (horizontal) or 90 (vertical) might be a bit more disconcerting if it is off axis. However, there are also lots of lines and strokes that run at angles (A, K, V, W, etc) so non-orthagonal edges or lines should have have plenty of opportunity to be affected by an astigmatism axis that doesn't happen to obey the orthogonal "rules".

The important thing is to correct the astigmatism with external cylinder and axis that is as accurate as possible for best vision and maximum comfort.

astigmaphile 06 Jun 2013, 20:11

Matthew,

From what I have read online, it is supposed to be.

Matthew 06 Jun 2013, 19:13

Is oblique astigmatism worse than the other kinds of astigmatism (horizontal and vertical types) in terms of worse vision?

astigmaphile 26 May 2013, 08:56

JP,

If you do not need plus, it will just make you artificially myopic. I'm surprised that you could read with them if they have high cylinder in them and you don't need it yourself.

Crystal Veil 26 May 2013, 08:51

astigmaphile,

thank you for your kind reaction. I just sent you a message to the "Seen on the web" thread.

JP 26 May 2013, 02:38

I recently had a chance to try a friend's strong plus glasses. Plus lenses are not usually my thing, but occasionally they look hot on a guy so I figured I'd try out a pair.

My friend's lenses look strong to me, and he's certainly dependent on them for all distances, but I have no idea how to assess the strength of plusses. However I worked out that if I held them _close_ to a surface so that the image appeared clear, I could rotate the frames in order to identify astigmatism (just as you do with minus lenses, but looking at a _distant_ shape. He had strong astigmatism in addition to apparently strong lenses. I could read alright, but couldn't focus on anything distant. Nice try.

Cactus Jack 25 May 2013, 14:20

Fine tuning the cylinder axis will work with both trial frames and mechanical phropters. I don't think it will be possible with the new remote controlled phropters. That is too bad because it is a real time saver and can result in more accurate prescriptions.

astigmaphile 25 May 2013, 13:44

Crystal Veil,

Cactus Jack has also mentioned the same thing that you just suggested.

I love your latest photo shoot. See my remarks at Seen on the Web.

Crystal Veil 25 May 2013, 13:35

astigmaphile,

I remember that in the old days (say the 1970's), when the equipment was very simple, opticians allowed the client to move the trial lens with the cylinder herself until she had it right. This was only done to check the axis, not the strength of the cylinder. Some opticians still have the simple trial frame and trial lenses in their exam room. You might try to convince them that a few minutes of trial and error the way it was done in the old days can be helpful.

islitheatsiyt 25 May 2013, 11:01

m astigmatism is .50 in bothlef and right. is tha bad?

astigmaphile 27 Apr 2013, 09:57

I have wished that there was some kind of equipment that could determine cylinder axis better that an autorefractor.I have had slight differences in axis with exams. The refraction I got after cataract surgery was the best that I ever had and i Consider it to be very accurate. It is +1.25 x 20 right and +2.5 x 155 left. I realize that my answers to the Dr have a large bearing on the accuracy of the axis numbers. It just is hard to figure out which is blurrier of two images when the Dr is flipping the JCC.

lazysiow 27 Apr 2013, 09:32

My astigmatism is only -0.25 left and -0.5 on right.

The left eye stuff below the 20/20 line is blurry and right eye 20/30 but I am 20/10 for distance with them on. If you are a videophile like I am then you can finally really enjoy the black levels on good transfers vs being unclear what everyone else is talking about. ADD is only 0.75 but I am finding that my eyes can compensate pretty well most of the time and at least while its still low enough I can use these as one pair for everything. Also even with such a low rx its hard for me to take these off now. Thats because both eyes are oblique so generally worse than other axis.

Also been told by the girlfriend that im a way bigger horndog with these on ;)

svensont 27 Apr 2013, 09:05

Cactus jack,

Thanks for the explanation. My myopia is induced, I went for an eye test just to know if I can have any prescription. I knew that there is some astigmatism in my left eye, I always saw worse by that eye and on the astigmatic charts the lines were not clear. Now after a year I see the lines are more blurrier on left and right eye, so I guess maybe it increased. I will let you know after my next eye test.

I remember that the optician was confused by my answers, I had problems to tell her which is better. I saw a great video guide for optometry students where they were explaining how to refract and showed the examples what the patient sees, so now it is more clear for me.

It sound like my astigmatism part of the prescription for my left eye is wrong, I hope so

Cactus jack 26 Apr 2013, 22:23

svensont,

In answer to your last question about your astigmatism increasing. We can't tell yet because we do not know your actual cylinder and axis. Astigmatism itself typically changes very slowly and typically, not by very much. What does change quite often is exam results, because of some of the problems I eluded to in my previous post. Usually the thing that changes most is the axis number, again because of patient inexperience and the examiners failure to explain what he/she is trying to do. I will either find my previous post or write some new tips on "How to study for the astigmatism part of an eye exam".

Cactus jack 26 Apr 2013, 22:16

svensont,

I suspect the difficulty you had with the astigmatism part of the exam was because you were giving the examiner confusing answers to his/her questions. The astigmatism part of an eye exam is very hard to get right under two conditions. Very low astigmatism and an inexperienced patient. The astigmatism part of the exam is very subjective and the examiner MUST depend on your description of what you are seeing. The problem is that you very likely have little or no experience and the examiner did not explain your role in the exam. The result was not satisfying for either the examiner or you.

I have written an explanation about the active role the patient needs to play in the astigmatism part of an eye exam and I will see if I can find it. You might find it helpful on your next eye exam. The main thing is that you need to understand what is taking place and what to expect. It is really easy, once you understand what is involved.

svensont 26 Apr 2013, 18:19

What does it mean if I was told on my first eye test that my left eye has more astigmatism but is not accepting it? The doctor was checking many different lenses but none of them gave me the super crystal clear vision as in my right eye. My prescription is: R,L: sph -0.5 cyl -0.25 axis 160,170.

Does it mean that my astigmatism will increase?

Cactus Jack 26 Apr 2013, 17:44

As many of us have been saying for a long time now, NEVER, NEVER mess with a cylinder or axis part of a prescription. Astigmatism has the ability to mess up vision at all distances and the effects on text of uncorrected astigmatism at all distances are many and very discomfiting.

As lazysiow said below, if you have reading glasses with astigmatism correction AND you do not need glasses for distance, you might want to consider ordering a low cost pair of glasses with no or very low sphere and the exact cylinder and axis correction copied for use as distance glasses. You may be very pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes in comfortable vision.

If you need advice or help, let us know. Prescriptions with + cylinder are a bit tricky because they can have potentially confusing sphere values and are easily misunderstood unless converted to - cylinder and axis notation.

Lucas 26 Apr 2013, 17:24

Ive been thinking about doing that lazysiow. Can i ask what your astigmatism prescription and reading add is as well as your age to see if it would work as well for me

lazysiow 26 Apr 2013, 15:54

Been wearing my astigmatism only glasses full time for awhile now and I can't recommend this enough to more people.

Even if you only have a reading prescription, if it has some astigmatism in the rx, getting a pair with just that separately even if you don't normally need glasses for distance makes a world of difference. I still can't believe how sharp text and everything else looks at all distances and I can get by most of the time without the reading add. It was really the astigmatism that was making things blur in and out of focus a lot more.

John S 25 Apr 2013, 16:03

SMPT,

I have seen both sphere and cylinder values expressed in 1/8 diopter increments.

Axis is expressed in degrees. I have never seen the axis value written in anything smaller than an whole number, not to say it has not been done.

John

ghost 24 Apr 2013, 23:33

Thank you so much for the replies !! ;-)

specs4ever 24 Apr 2013, 13:03

Ghost, when a prescription calls for 0.50 of astigmatism it is generally considered to be too low a power to make toric contacts and the resulting problems worthwhile prescribing to a patient. A -0.50D cylinder correction is about -0.25 of a diopter in actual fact. So for a contact lens patient who requires -0.50D of cylinder they generally bump up the contact lens power by -0.25.

Toric lenses are a problem for the wearer because with every blink of the eye the toric lens often has the axis change slightly which makes the vision a little blurred until the lens settles back into the proper position. Also, with low values of cylinder correction a contact lens will in itself cancel out the astigmatism because they are right on the eye and will mold the cornea slightly. Once you get over the 0.50D though then it becomes more critical. However, I know some practitioners that do not put a patient into a toric lens until the cylinder reaches 1.00D

Hope this makes sense and if I am wrong I trust that Cactus Jack will help out here.

astigmaphile 24 Apr 2013, 12:49

Cactus Jack,

Looking thru a .25 lens bare eyed I don't notice anything, but when I bumped up my reading add from 2.25 to 2.50, I do see a difference. I'm holding newspapers and magazines somewhat closer. Likewise the computer screen as I have no midrange in my Zenni glasses.

Cactus jack 24 Apr 2013, 10:41

I think prescribing glasses down to 1/8th diopter increments (0.125) is something of an ego trip for the ECP and perhaps for the patient also, as a measure of the quality of the exam. The practical reality is that the refractive power of your eyes varies some thru the day.

0.25 diopter does make a difference as evidenced by the the difference in being able to read the 20/20 line instead of the 20/25 line on a Snellen Chart. You probably would not notice the difference looking at a world full of large objects. It might make a difference in reading a distant sign or seeing individual leaves on a distant tree.

astigmaphile 24 Apr 2013, 10:15

I have .12 lenses in my trial lens set and I can't even detect ant power in them. Quarter diopter ones don't make any difference in my vision, either.

Soundmanpt 24 Apr 2013, 09:40

John this is true but in this case they are referring to axis. Yes I agree that they now are doing sph in some cases with more exacting numbers which is really kind of foolish from what I have heard from my optician friends. In fact one of them even had the as they call it HD lenses put into her glasses but she said she didn't notice any difference then with her normal prescription.

ghost 24 Apr 2013, 00:17

Sorry, I meant lower CYL, not PWR.

ghost 24 Apr 2013, 00:08

Thank you all for the replies~ I guess I will call them and confirm.

I do have another question, I've been looking at toric contact lenses and am wondering if I can find anything that has a lower pwr such as -0.50 (the lowest I can find is -0.75)? Do you think I need a toric lense for my right eye?

Thanks again!

astigmaphile 23 Apr 2013, 22:35

I have also very rarely seen diopter amounts in 1/8. Somewhere else I have seen axis degrees with a whole number and a decimal point with 5 after it. I think I haven't seen this more than twice.

John S 23 Apr 2013, 20:12

---What your thinking of is the numbers for your sph and cyl which will always end in a "0" or "5" such as .00, .25, .50, and .75.---

That is not true. Some doctors write RXs in 1/8 diopter increments. It has happened to me personally.

(.12, .37, .62, .87)

Soundmanpt 23 Apr 2013, 11:36

ghost

What your thinking of is the numbers for your sph and cyl which will always end in a "0" or "5" such as .00, .25, .50, and .75.

Julian 23 Apr 2013, 06:33

ghost: I think all's well. The axis figure is the angle (in degrees) of the cylinder in the lens, and can be anything between 0 and 179.

ghost 23 Apr 2013, 04:57

Hi~

I have a question re my prescription:

R: -1.25 -0.50 x 165 DVA 20/20-

L: -0.50 -0.75 x 012 DVA 20/20-

I always see numbers ending in 0 or 5, is there such a thing as 012 (axis)?? Is that a mistake on the prescription??

Thanks in advance!!

Soundmanpt 03 Feb 2013, 12:44

bryinbry

Not sure what on line retailer you used but most offer some kind of return policy even if it is your mistake.

I know Zenni will give you 30 days and 50% of your cost back which isn't bad. But others may even give a 100% back? I would suggest emailing them or go to their site and see what it says there.

Not sure how wearing what you have will work for long term? You should probably get it changed if possible even if they seem okay.

bryinbry 03 Feb 2013, 03:58

I ordered specs online, but made a mistake!

R: + 2.75;0.75 at 175 L:+3.5;-0.25 at 90 degrees

& I should have written

R: + 2.75;0.75 at 145 L:+3.5;-0.25 at 90 degrees

- I put in the wrong angle for the R.eye astigmatism 175 instead of 145

But the astigmatism isn't big anyway. The glasses seem ok - is it ok to use them!?

john 23 Jan 2013, 15:19

Hello spectacular

your boyfriend's prescription shows more astigmatism that shortsighted correction.

Taking his Right eye...imagine him looking at a clock face with the hands point to about 7 minutes to two (so that there is a perfect right angle between the hands)

One hand he would need to 33cm (12.5 inches) away from before he could see it clearly (1/-3)metres

The other hand (pointing at right-angles) is where the additional power of the cylinder lens adds its effect. To see this clearly, his focus distance would be 16cm (6.25 inches) (1/-6)

If he is like me (I have -2.75 astig) without my glasses my watch looks oval (and everyone i meet looks wider than they look with with my glasses)

Cactus Jack 21 Jan 2013, 21:48

lazysiow,

It is not clear from your post exactly what you are wanting to do.

Could you provide the complete prescription in the sphere, cylinder and axis format. Sometimes it is hard to understand what the elements of a prescription are correcting in a + cylinder format. Most lens makers convert + cylinder to - cylinder and use that prescription to make the glasses.

A general rule is that when adjusting a prescription for focusing at various distances, you change only the sphere, you do not change the cylinder or axis. If you start with a distance prescription and want to change it to an intermediate or reading prescription, you either increase the sphere plus or decrease the sphere minus (same thing optically) by an amount related to the focus distance, using Sir Isaac Newton's formulas.

Filthy McNasty 21 Jan 2013, 19:39

Yes.

lazysiow 21 Jan 2013, 19:38

anyone know if plus cylinder can just be removed if I wanted to get glasses for normal (vs intermediate use) use with just the astigmatism correct?

i.e. would +1.0 axis 176 -0.50 become just plano and 176 -0.50?

Cactus Jack 21 Jan 2013, 17:07

spectacular,

Your boyfriend is moderately myopic (nearsighted) with significant astigmatism. Astigmatism affects vision at all distances and I would believe him when he says he can't see very clearly without his glasses. Generally, astigmatism is caused by uneven curvature of the cornea, but there can be other causes.

At 24, his myopia should be stable and typically, astigmatism changes very slowly if at all. Most astigmatism changes from one examination to another are caused by the very subjective nature of the astigmatism part of an eye exam.

I doubt using the computer a lot, has much effect on his vision at his age.

spectacular 21 Jan 2013, 13:50

I am wondering about my boy friends astignatism.

His rx is L -1.75x-3.50x56 R -3.00x-3.00x130. His lenses dont look very strong but he says he cant see without his glasses on, infact when hes doing his hair after a shower, he cant see to fix his hair in the mirror hardly. He is age 24. Is it a strong rx? Could it get stronger? Hes on the computer alot if that matters.

Soundmanpt 04 Jan 2013, 17:06

Natalie

Well glad to see you ordered your glasses. I assume they should be ready within the week as your prescription is not difficult to fill.

Your prescription doubled in your right eye and you have a slight astigmatism as well and your left eye the power stayed the same for your distance but you now have a fair amount of astigmatism in that eye. Not sure what you may or may not know about astigmatisms but since this is your first time with having it in your glasses this may help. Astigmatism correction effects your vision at all distances. Your current glasses were only for distance and you really didn't need them for much more than driving and maybe going to concerts and sporting events where you wanted a little sharper vision. Seeing close your vision was perfect and it would even been wise not to wear your glasses for reading as they weren't needed. You may still feel as though nothing has changed in your vision for that but it has. Maybe you notice now that if you read very long your eyes may get tired and maybe even a headache as well. That is what astigmatisms cause. Your current glasses may also seem to be fine yet for distance but you will quickly notice that with your new glasses everything will be much sharper and clear then they are now for you.

The only thing that i hope someone tells you when you go and get your glasses. you may even ask them about it. When you put your new glasses do not be surprised if at first you may feel somewhat sick to your stomach and the floor may even feel like it is spinning. It sometimes can take a little while for your eyes to adjust to the astigmatism correction. this may last several hours or less and maybe not at all. But I just don't want you to think something is wrong if that does occur.

Please let us know when you get your glasses how they are and so forth.

Natalie 04 Jan 2013, 03:04

Thanks so much for clearing things up. And Cactus Jack - I didn't think you were rude at all!

Have ordered the glasses now - will try full-time wear like Soundmanpt recommended and see where we go from there.

Thanks once again!

Nat

Cactus Jack 03 Jan 2013, 13:21

Hi Natalie,

I hope my response did not seem to abrupt. I was late to an appointment and I was hoping Soundmanpt would take over. We tend to work as a team.

The first thing I would like to do is convert your prescription to minus (-) cylinder notation because I think it tends to be easier to understand. Typically, + cylinder tends to be used by MDs and - cylinder tends to be used by Optometrists and some Opticians. Most lens makers convert + cylinder to - cylinder using a standard procedure and make the lenses. In any case, the resulting lenses are optically identical.

You provided:

R -1.5 +0.25 100

L -1.5 +0.75 160

In - cylinder notation, your prescription is:

R -1.25 -0.25 10

L -0.75 -0.75 70

Certainly strong enough to justify full time wear, but as Soundmanpt said, it is your choice except for driving.

The most visual discomfort will be caused by the astigmatism in your left eye. The problem with Astigmatism is that is causes acuity problems at all distances, particularly for reading text. Minus sphere (1st number) actually makes closer work easier, but -0.75 of astigmatism messes that up and there is no way to correct it except by using external lenses.

If you want to order on line, we can help you. Both Souindmanpt and I suggest checking out Zenni Optical, but you may be able to do as well locally in Singapore. Your prescription is pretty common, and many optical dispensers stock pre-made lenses that only need to be cut to correctly orient the angle of the cylinder (axis) and fit the frames you choose

Natalie 03 Jan 2013, 11:29

Hi Soundmanpt,

Thanks for your reply

I'm 33 and I work in banking. They're not actually my first glasses - I've actually got a pair for watching TV, which are very low prescription - -0.75 in each eye but no astigmatism. I've ordered a pair of glasses but am confused why I was told to wear them full-time. However, there seems to be an over-abundance of bespectacled myopes here in Singapore, so maybe opticians here advise full-time wear more so than they would in Europe/ the US??? And of course - I wouldn't think of driving without wearing them!

Soundmanpt 03 Jan 2013, 11:11

Natalie

I will ask you a couple of questions that I am sure Cactus Jack would ask you. What is your age and what kind of work do you do? The reason age is important is because the younger you are the more your eyes can accommodate which may explain why you feel like you are seeing okay without glasses. And the type of work you do will help in determining what you will notice most with your glasses.

A doctor can only recommend how you should wear your glasses. It will be totally up to you how much and when you wear them. But you must remember they are going by what you were able to see during your exam and they have experence in how much you will benefit from glasses.

I think when you get your glasses, I assume you did order glasses, you will quickly notice a difference in how well you can see. I would recommend that you should wear them to let your eyes adjust to them full time for about a week. Then you will have a much better idea as to whether you should continue to wear them all the time or if you feel you can see good enough without them for certain things. One thing Cactus Jack and myself would tell you is that your vision is NOT good enough to drive a car safely without glasses anymore. At least for driving you Must wear your glasses both for the safety of others as well as your own.

Your eyes have just gotten used to not seeing perfect over time and if your young they are also accommodating as well. I assume these will be your first glasses? You didn't say did you order glasses? If your in Singapore they should be pretty inexpensive there.

Natalie 03 Jan 2013, 10:03

Sorry! I missed out the last number at the end for R

R -1.5 +0.25 100

L -1.5 +0.75 160

If you can please tell me whether this is a serious prescription, that would be great! I'm an expat living in Singapore and went to the local optician

Thanks!

Nat

Cactus Jack 03 Jan 2013, 09:40

Natalie,

Your prescription is incomplete.

There must also be an axis (3rd number) associated with a cylinder (2nd number).

May I ask where you live and who provided the prescription. Some opticians have been known to provide incomplete prescriptions to keep the client from ordering glasses anywhere else, online for instance.

Natalie 03 Jan 2013, 07:40

Hello,

I've been for an eye test and walked away with the following prescription:

R -1.5 +0.25

L -1.5 +0.75 160

The optician recommended full-time wear but I think I can see okay as it is. Can somebody please explain more? Thank you! Nat

Soundmanpt 24 Dec 2012, 12:46

Dan

I have a friend that I met when when I was looking for someone to cut my hair as the previous person quit cutting hair as a profession. This young lady wore glasses full time and Her dog took her glasses off the night stand and chewed them badly. I had told her that when she needs new glasses to contact me as I could safe her much money on glasses. She was well prepared and had her prescription in hand already. I was somewhat surprised at seeing what her prescription was. it was exactly the same for both eyes plano for sph and -1.00 for cyl and 180 axis Odd to be exact in every number. She told me she had only been wearing glasses for a few months. She said she never even had any idea she needed glasses as she could see better than most of her friends. But she was constantly getting headaches by mid afternoon each day.

So like Cactus Jack said with her being in college and considering her prescription is twice as strong as my friends I would think she would be getting many headaches since she really should be wearing glasses full time. Did she say if her doctor recommended that she wear her glasses full time? I would certainly think they did. That was what shocked my friend when she got her glasses was the doctor telling she needed to wear them full time to prevent her headaches. Even with that advice she still tried not to wear them but she quickly found that when the headaches came on her glasses did make it go away. So she gave in and decided it was better to wear glasses than get bad headaches each day. By the way her vision was till very good without her glasses.

Cactus Jack 24 Dec 2012, 09:13

Dan,

If the + cylinder prescription is converted to the more common - cylinder format, you get this:

OD -1.5 +1.5 015 OS -2.0 +2.0 165

becomes

OD 0.00 -1.50 x 105 OS 0.00 -2.00 x 75

The two above look very different, but they are optically identical.

She done not need any sphere correction. The BIG factor in her prescription is Astigmatism (cylinder and axis) and it is significant enough to cause problems both near and far. She really needs to wear correction full time. It is hard to believe she could function in college without correction.

Dan 24 Dec 2012, 08:18

Have a friend who is in college and 21 I believe who has sporadically worn glasses since I have known her for the last few years. SHe's told me that she wears them alot for distance and computer but sometimes give germ headaches. I remember trying them on once a few years ago and not seeing much thru them (Im nearsighted). Therefore, I figured they probably had a lot of astigsmatism correction espeically considering that she didn't wear them all the time.

In any event, she hadn't had a check up in 7 yrs I believe and finally got one last week and came away with this prescription.

OD -1.5 +1.5 015 OS -2.0 +2.0 165

Im not too familiar with astigmatism but that certainly looks like a moderate to strong prescription. Does that mean she is nearsighted too? Either way, a very interesting prescription.

Brent 11 Dec 2012, 17:17

I am -16.00 and -16.50.

Cactus Jack 11 Dec 2012, 11:48

Bret,

May I ask your Rx?

Brent 11 Dec 2012, 10:24

CJ,

Many thanks again for your excellent analysis. I understand it now. I plan to buy some glasses in order to simulate her vision. My eyes are not perfect, but I wear contacts, and have no astigmatism myself, so this should work well, hopefully.

Cactus Jack 11 Dec 2012, 09:03

Brent,

The thing that confuses the issue is the -1.25 and -1.75 cylinder correction. Her sphere correction is caused by the mismatch between the length of her eyeball and the total plus power of her eye's lens system. The cylinder correction is typically caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea. They add together in axis of the cylinder so the Rx on that axis is -3.25, but the cylinder has no effect on the axis that is 90 degrees to that axis.

You asked how you could simulate or experience what she sees. To do that, you need glasses or contacts that have the exact opposite of her prescription. Again, the thing that confuses things is the cylinder correction and the axis. Mathematically, you would need glasses or contacts with a prescription of:

+2.00 / +1.25 x 070

+1.50 / +1.75 x 100

The problem is that you cannot actually buy glasses or contacts with a + cylinder correction. Fortunately, there is a way to convert a + cylinder correction to a - cylinder correction, which you CAN buy, if you want to spend some money. If you do the conversion you get:

+3.25/-1.25 x 160

+3.25/-1.75 x 10

(Really, you CAN order glasses with a + cylinder correction, but the glasses maker will do the conversion to - cylinder and make the glasses. The results in any case are optically identical.)

Note that the procedure for doing the conversion, in either direction, has been discussed many times in various posts on this site.

You did not provide your Rx so I assumed that your vision was perfect, even though that is unlikely. If you read what I wrote, you will note that I said in the last paragraph that the astigmatism would "mess up" (distort) their vision at ALL distances, which is the nature of astigmatism.

Brent 11 Dec 2012, 07:18

Thank you both for the prompt replies. I really appreciate your help. I am surprised that it would take +3.25 to simulate her myopia. I was under the impression that her astigmatism Rx would only slightly affect her sphere Rx. So, she effectively sees about the same as someone with a -3.25 Rx?

Excuse my lack of knowledge on astigmatism. I was thinking that since she has astigmatism, her vision would be distorted at every distance, even close up. Anyway, thanks again for your input! I am excited to simulate how she sees uncorrected.

Also, this is a contact lens Rx. I believe it is toric.

Thank you

Cactus Jack 10 Dec 2012, 19:22

As Soundmanpt said, at that power, contact lens and glasses Rx are identical except, a glasses Rx may have a slightly different axis angle because toric contact lens cylinder axis are only made in 5 degree increments and glasses are often prescribed with cylinder axis in 1 degree increments. Because the glasses prescription or contact lens prescription is intended to neutralize a persons refractive error, you could simulate what the person sees with out correction by wearing the following prescription:

+3.25/-1.25 x 160

+3.25/-1.75 x 10

assuming that the person wearing the prescription above had 0.00 refractive error and no astigmatism.

You can get a fairly good idea about their vision without correction by trying on a pair of +2.50 or +3.00 over the counter readers at a local store and trying to see distant objects. They might be able to see pretty well at less than 1 meter (3 feet) but their astigmatism has the ability to mess up vision at all distances. The OTC readers would not introduce any astigmatism distortion.

Soundmanpt 10 Dec 2012, 18:23

No name

Maybe I am missing something, but what you have written down looks to be a glasses rx as well as a contact rx. The cyl is strong enough that this looks to be a toric lens prescription for contacts. Generally most doctors won't increase the sph to compensate once the cyl gets over -.50 or maybe -.75.

10 Dec 2012, 17:06

I have a favor. Can anyone convert this contact Rx into a glasses Rx? Also, would it be possible to simulate this Rx using the inverse for glasses? In other words, I would like to be able to simulate how a person with this Rx sees, uncorrected. I know this might not be exact, but as close as possible.

Thank you.

-2.00 / -1.25 x 070

-1.50 / -1.75 x 100

Likelenses 06 Dec 2012, 02:39

Nice explanation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_BzQGLflDA

Dave 03 Dec 2012, 23:08

Cactus Jack,

Thank you for the detailed explanation about rotating glasses. I found the left axis to be out, a little or a lot, with every examiner I've had since my cylinder RX got strong. Very frustrating. I'll discuss next time I have an exam and see if they will let me "fine tune" it for myself.

astigmaphile 03 Dec 2012, 20:26

Filthy,

Thanks for the update. I had a feeling that movement of toric

contact lenses could be a problem. The warped view through the

specs must be a real trip. Must be like looking in a distortion mirror in a funhouse.

Kathi

Filthy McNasty 03 Dec 2012, 19:19

I will tell you what happened with my little experiment: It worked. But the contacts are so finicky that when they get dry or whatever they spin off-axis, making everything blurry. If my eyes were just a little wetter it would peobably work better.

The neatest thing is the glasses themselves. Images seen through the lenses are so compressed in one meridian and so magnified in the other. Wearing the combo is incredibly disorienting for the first while. Of course without the glasses you can't see anything meaningful at all, so you are basically forced to wear the glasses, with their perspective-distorting, coordination-destroying warpiness.

Like a little drug-trip, wearing them.

astigmaphile 02 Dec 2012, 19:00

Cactus Jack,

I have no intention of trying anything. Just wondered if it would work. I have been following Eyescene since 2011 after I

had cataract surgery. I found it by accident online.

My name is Kathi Backus and I live in Santa Barbara, CA USA.

My other interests beside gawking at other people's spectacle RXs are birding and playing ragtime piano

Cactus Jack 02 Dec 2012, 18:03

Not Guilty!

I would not even consider doing an experiment to increase astigmatism because I do not believe it is possible, among other reasons. Unlike myopia, you have no way to induce Astigmatism. The tools are just not there and if you could create astigmatism, there is no way you can compensate except by external lenses or surgical procedures. The primary "benefit" of uncorrected astigmatism is usually exceptionally good headaches to accompany blurry vision.

Astigmatism is usually caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea. Which may in turn be caused by uneven tension or possibly pressure on the cornea by the eye lids. The actual cause of astigmatism is unknown. It is known that you can apply pressure to the cornea and alter its shape, at least temporarily. Some hard contact lens wearers, who have some astigmatism, experience a blurring when they take out their contacts and put on their glasses. What causes this is that the hard contacts have slightly reshaped the outer surface of the cornea to the even curvature of the inside surface of the contact lens, eliminating their astigmatism. When they put on glasses with cylinder correction for their astigmatism, they experience blur until their corneas resume their uneven shape. It usually takes a few hours.

Orthokeratology is a method of reshaping the cornea by using specially designed contact lenses. The idea is that you wear the special contacts at night and the effect lasts the following day. Orthokeratology works best for people who are moderately myopic with little or no astigmatism.

There is also a surgical procedure that can correct mild astigmatism called corneal relaxation surgery. I believe It is a variation on radial keratotomy where tiny radial incisions are made around the central part of the cornea to alter its shape and reduce myopia. It might be possible to create astigmatism by using uneven spacing of the incisions around the cornea, but I suspect it would be nearly impossible to find an eye surgeon to try it.

It might also be possible to create astigmatism using Lasik procedures, but again, I doubt any eye surgeon would do it. They just are not programmed that way.

Julian 02 Dec 2012, 14:59

Okay I was just kidding, you've got it right baaayybeee. It was one of us, but can you figure out which one?

Julian 02 Dec 2012, 14:04

'Filthy McNasty was either Cactus Jack or Julian' ... I beg your pardon! My friend Filthy has been on EyeScene about as long as I have - about 15 years - but he had a different name at first (but then so did I) and rather longer than my other friend Cactus. And we are three different people.

02 Dec 2012, 13:16

um... Filthy McNasty was either Cactus Jack or Julian, I forgot which one it was. another myth laid rest.

astigmaphile 02 Dec 2012, 09:07

I wonder what has become of Filthy McNasty and his experiment

with astigmatic GOC. He posted over on the Lenses thread on 17 Sep and we haven't heard more about it. I'm not astigmatic

enough to be happy with it at 2.50 left and 1.25 right.I would

love to know if it would really work.

Puffin 02 Dec 2012, 05:47

personally I think some people are better than others at handling astigmatism (ie, without getting headaches) but there's a level where most people would not be able to cope and function normally. Somewhere 0.75 to 1.00 I think.

bahahahahaa 02 Dec 2012, 05:24

let me guess. her name was LauraC?

Likelenses 02 Dec 2012, 00:03

student one

It is interesting that you posted this,as today I saw a young lady with what appeared to be an astigmatism only correction

I went into a chain restaurant,and my server was an attractive woman of about 35 years old.She was wearing a very nice pair of rimless drill mount frames in a maroon color,with moderate size, somewhat oval shaped lenses.The lenses did not seem to have much power,but were quite thick at the inner,and outer edges,about 7 mm,and the upper,and lower edges of each lense was about 2 mm thick.

When she walked away from my table,I detected a fair amount of distortion through the back side of each lense.but no noticeable magnification,or minification.

The glasses looked new,but I suspect that she has worn astigmatism correction for a while as the cylinder did appear strong.

Soundmanpt 01 Dec 2012, 20:38

part 2 of 2 parts

She picked out glasses and ordered them. When they cam in several days later she picked them up. She told me she really couldn't tell much difference with her glasses or without them. So she ignored the doctor's advice and didn't wear them. But she was still being bothered by the afternoon headaches and since she did have her glasses in her bag decided to see if they would help with her headache. She was surprised that after she put the glasses on within a very short time her headache was gone. After a few more days of the same thing happening she finally knew that her glasses were the reason the headaches went away. So even though she hated wearing glasses she started wearing her glasses all the time. I asked her if she knew her prescription and all she knew was that she only had astigmatism correction. And she claimed she she still see perfect without them for everything, but she now had found if she tried to go without them she would get a headache very quickly after she had them off. She took off her glasses and had me pick something out for her to see outside, it was dark out even and i had her read several license plates and a sign across the way and she had no problem reading them out loud to me. Not long after that she emailed me and wanted to know if I would order her some new glasses as her dog had got hold of her glasses and chewed them up badly. She had gotten a copy of her prescription and it read R plano -1.00 180 / L plano -1.00 180. It was odd in that it is very unusual to see not only the cyl but for the axis to be the same for both eyes is very rare. She got married not long afterwords and was considering getting contacts so she wouldn't have to wear her glasses to get married in. I told her how expensive that would be and she decided that she would take her glasses off during the ceremony and wear them for everything else. Sadly she moved to another city and I have no way of contacting her anymore.

Soundmanpt 01 Dec 2012, 20:09

student one

I have told this in here another time. But since you asked about it I will tell it again. A couple of years ago i needed to find a new person to cut my hair, or whats left of it, the young lady that had been cutting it had a baby and decided to be a full time mom. I happened into a chain type store one evening and there were 2 young ladies working. As good luck would have it the girl that finished with her customer first was a cute young lady with long dark hair, and she was wearing glasses. As she was cutting my hair I noticed that she had to stop several times to push her glasses back up as they kept sliding down. When she finished cutting my hair, I paid her and told her if she wanted i would adjust her glasses so they wouldn't slip. She gladly handed me her glasses and I slowly reshaped the temples with a little more bend around her ears and also pulled them in as they seemed stretched out some as well. I had her try them several times until they were perfect and didn't slip anymore. I complemented her on her glasses as they looked very stylish and rather new. She proceeded to tell me how she hated wearing them. I hadn't looked through them when I had finished adjusting them but I did clean them from any finger prints i may have put on her lenses. She told me she had only had them a few months. She said that for a good while she had been getting headaches every afternoon. She finally went to her medical doctor to find out why. When she told him where the headache was he asked her right away when she last had her eyes checked? She told him that it had been a while but she was pretty sure her vision was still perfect as she could see distance and close without any problem. He still insisted that she needed to get her eyes tested. She did as he suggested and she was sure it wasn't her eyes because she had no problem seeing everything asked of her on the eye chart. But as he was looking into her eyes with a bright light he found something and now he pushed the refractor in front of her and started putting in different lenses all the while asking if it was better or not. After a while he told her she did in fact need glasses and wrote her a prescription. But she was shocked when he told her she needed to wear them full time.

Part 1 of 2 parts

Cactus Jack 01 Dec 2012, 16:33

Student one,

1. is it possible to have no need for distance or far correction, but have a need to correct astigmatism? Yes. Sphere correction and cylinder correction for astigmatism are two different things.

2. if that were to happen would the glasses look like minus or plus, or would they appear to be plain glass? Probably, minus in the axis of the cylinder even if the original prescription was written as plus cylinder. The conversion process by the lens maker would change it to minus.

3. would someone else with normal vision see a distortion out the glasses lenses that were designed just for astigmatism? Yes, objects would appear thinner than normal in the cylinder axis and normal 90 degrees from that axis.

student one 01 Dec 2012, 14:50

is it possible to have no need for distance or far correction, but have a need to correct astigmatism? if that were to happen would the glasses look like minus or plus, or would they appear to be plain glass? would someone else with normal vision see a distortion out the glasses lenses that were designed just for astigmatism?

Cactus Jack 01 Dec 2012, 07:22

Dave,

By convention, cylinder axis is measured, as the examiner looks at the patient, in a COUNTER CLOCKWISE direction from the horizontal (0 degrees) thru the vertical (90 degrees) and then again to the horizontal (180 degrees (same as 0 degrees)). Axis is always listed as 180 degrees or less.

From your point of view (inside, looking out), the axis numbers would increase in a CLOCKWISE direction from the horizontal (0 degrees). I believe when you said that your vision improved when you rotated your glasses DOWN on the left that you were rotating them COUNTER CLOCKWISE from your point of view. If that is correct, you were REDUCING the axis so it is likely that the axis needs to be LESS than 014.

However, you need to be careful here. If you rotated the left lens MORE than 14 degrees for the best clarity, you will have gone past 0 degrees and by convention mentioned above, your axis would be less than 180 degrees.

If I can offer a tip, your vision is heavily influenced by your astigmatism. The ECP must depend on what you tell them regarding what you see. The most subjective and most difficult part of an eye exam is determining the cylinder axis. There are a number of methods for determining the axis, but the most common is to flip a supplemental cylinder lens back and forth and ask you which is clearest. The lens is mounted with the pivot located so the lens axis is 45 degrees either side of the "true" axis. While the question is "which is clearest", the ECP is actually looking for equal blurriness each side of the "true" axis. This is a hard judgement to make for patients who are not experienced in how to get the axis as close as possible to the "true" axis for the best possible vision.

I have found that it is best, for me, to concentrate on the letter "O" if possible. The nature of test is such that letters with straight lines (strokes) will have individual strokes go from sharp to blurry, depending on the direction of the stroke, as the supplemental lens is flipped back and forth. The "O" seems to easier to judge "equal blurriness".

As a final step, in the exam process for each eye individually, I ask the ECP to let me "fine tune" the axis. The way this works is that the ECP places my hand on the axis knob and I rotate it back and forth a few degrees. In this instance, I am looking for the sharpest image of the smallest line of letters. In some ways it is like "fine tuning" an old analog TV for the best picture.

You may need to make this deal with the ECP before the exam starts. Some are delighted that you want to take an active role in the exam and fine tune the axis. Others don't seem to understand the point. In that case, I thank the ECP for their time and find another ECP who understands the problem and the simple solution.

There is another quick thing you can do to make sure the prescription for each eye individually, results in equally sharp vision in both eyes. After both eyes have been refracted individually, the first test with both eyes is usually a check for muscle imbalance. For this test, the ECP will use a different supplemental lens that causes you to see two separate images. While you are seeing two images, compare the sharpness of the two images. If one is clearer than the other, say something. Usually, the ECP will re-do part of the exam or reduce the sharpness of the clearest images until they match. Don't worry about that, it will be taken care of during the last phase of the exam when you are being asked to read the smallest line you can with both eyes.

Comparing the images while you are seeing double will usually catch the cylinder and axis problem you mentioned in your post and also catch differences in the sphere correction.

I hope this helps. If you have trouble understanding this or have other questions, please ask.

Dave 01 Dec 2012, 00:34

Rotating my glasses down on the left makes my vision better in my left. If the axis is out a little bit does that mean the axis should be higher or lower than 14?

My left eye prescription is: -0.75 -1.75 x 014

Cactus Jack 23 Nov 2012, 04:48

I did not correctly position the ( ) symbols when I posted the algebraic addition to Danny's sphere correction in the + to - cylinder conversion. I posted it as(-3.00 +(+0.75=-2.25). It should have been -3.00 + (+0.75) = -2.25. The fact that the prescription numbers have important signs make the ( ) necessary to avoid confusion about exactly what you need to do. The problem is more obvious in converting from a - cylinder to a + cylinder prescription. For example: -2.25 + (-0.75) = -3.00. Fortunately, you don't need to do the conversion in that direction very often unless you are trying to mislead the customer.

No excuse for that error.

Danny 22 Nov 2012, 12:10

Thanks for the advice guys - is much appreciated.

Danny

Julian 22 Nov 2012, 11:07

Good idea, helpful.

Cactus Jack 22 Nov 2012, 10:30

Danny,

Julian's conversion from + cylinder to - cylinder resulted in a reasonable Rx with a reasonable change from your old one , depending on how old your previous prescription was.

It is the FIRST (sphere) number that indicates if you are near or far sighted. Minus is nearsighted and plus is farsighted. The SECOND and THIRD (both are required) are for cylinder and axis. That is the astigmatism correction. It can be - or + depending on the preferences of the examiner. However, as you probably noticed in the prescription you posted that + cylinder and make it appear that you are more nearsighted than the - cylinder prescription. It really does not mater if the prescription is written with a - or + cylinder as long as the resulting sphere is correct. When the lens maker gets a prescription with + cylinder, he will use the same method as Julian to do the conversion and make the lens. The conversion between the two cylinder signs is easy. Just algebraically add the cylinder to the sphere (-3.00 +(+0.75=-2.25), change the sign on the cylinder, and either add or subtract 90 degrees to the axis number so it is less than 180 or more than 0.

I would be tempted to another exam, but it might be cheaper to just order some inexpensive glasses from Glasses Direct or Zenni to see if you like the prescription. If you do, then order the frames and options you want. Let us know if you need help.

helpful 22 Nov 2012, 09:41

Danny

The simple answer is to go back to them and ask for an explanation saying you have a friend with some knowledge who raised the matter as unusual, Best of luck

Julian 22 Nov 2012, 08:25

Danny: OPTICAL Express? Or VISION Express? VE is a rather pricey optical chain, but I think OE advertises laser surgery on TV. By law in the UK, they are *required* to give you a copy of your prescription; but the opposite signs for cylinder are very suspicious. Translating your left eye to minus cylinder, it comes out as -2.25-0.75x70; so, no, you're still short-sighted in both eyes, a bit more than you were, with a little bit of astigmatism on the right and rather more on the left. Best of luck finding an honest provide for your new glasses. Glasses Direct is quite good and lets you try four frames at a time till you decide, nd gives you a second pair free.

Danny 22 Nov 2012, 06:25

Many thanks for your advice Cactus Jack

The stuff you mentioned about "being given a fake RX to keep you from getting glasses from anyone other than the person/company you got the prescription from" could well be true - my eyes were tested at Optical Express and I asked for a copy of the prescription to hunt around for cheaper glasses first.

Does the +0.75 astimagatism in my left eye mean that I'm slightly far-sighted in that eye then?

I live in London, am 32-years old and my previous prescription was -1.5 in both eyes (no astimagtism)

Best,

Danny

Cactus Jack 22 Nov 2012, 06:18

Danny,

Where do you live and where did you get the prescription?

It is not unheard of for a person to be nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other, but I doubt that would be a surprise to you.

The thing that is very suspicious is the - cylinder for one eye and the + cylinder for the other. Phropters come in either minus cylinder or plus cylinder, not both. An examiner could do an exam with a trial lens frame and set any use s- cylinder for one eye and +cylinder for the other, because most trial lens sets have both minus and plus cylinder trial lenses, but why.

I think you have been given a fake Rx to keep you from getting glasses from anyone other than the person or company where you got the prescription.

Do you know your previous prescription? How old is your previous prescription?

Danny 22 Nov 2012, 03:53

I've just been given the following prescription:

R: -2.50 -0.25 100

L: -3 +0.75 160

I've been told to wear the glasses full-time but I'm confused about the astigmatism part. How is my right eye minus and my left eye plus? And is the astigmatism part of this prescription significant?

Rach 21 Sep 2012, 05:40

I just posted to the Hyperopia/Presbyopia progression thread about my latest Rx. I have had a slight jump in cyl:

2.5 years ago:

OD: +1 -0.5 x 85?

OS: +0.65 -0.25 x 80? (can't exactly rememeber axis for this Rx)

new Rx is:

OD: +0.75 -0.75 x 95

OS: +0.50 -0.75 x 70

I'm very interested to know how cyl correction works, and what will the effect be on the new lenses? Will they be thicker?

Can someone remind me how -cyl works with plus lenses? I should probably know the answer to this, but does the -0.75 cyl cancel out the +0.75 on that axis? Or I am I barking up the wrong tree entirely?

I'm getting my new specs on Monday and can't wait to see how I feel with them. Am I likely to feel dizzy with this small increase in cyl? I have enough problems with my balance as it is.

Cheers :-)

Julian 16 Jul 2012, 06:23

Uh, won't +1-1 lenses be *equally thick* with +1 on one axis and *thinner* at 90 degrees to that?

Val 16 Jul 2012, 05:48

Hallo No Name,

The answer to your question is partially yes. The lens will be thicker only on some axis. Will be the thickest on one axis, and gradually lose the thickness until 90 degrees.

12 Jul 2012, 09:05

Hallo

I have a question about glasses for the astigmatism correction. For example if I have prescription like Sph +1.00 Cyl -1.00, so does this glasses will be thicker than glasses with only sphere correction Sph +1.00? Thanks for answer!

Astra 12 Aug 2011, 21:40

Cactus Jack ,

I notice that, the sharp image can be restored, if I stop using my current glasses to read, and use my previous rx or i.e. without cyl, and continue reading.

Then, the image problem doesn't show up for 60 min + reading.

Cactus Jack 12 Aug 2011, 10:26

Astra,

It could be, but it is more likely that your eyes need more tears. You typically don't blink very much when you read. Try blinking more and occasionally looking away form your reading and see if that makes any difference. Also, try some artificial tears with lubricant. If you still have problems it is possible that you are developing Dry Eye Syndrome. There is an Rx (in the US) eye drop called Restais. It is pretty expensive, but it seems to be very effective at improving the underlying condition. Remember, your corneas have no source of nutrients except tears and no source of oxygen except tears and the air.

Please let us know if and of these suggestions help.

Astra 12 Aug 2011, 04:37

I notice after reading for 15 min , I get double image in each eye.

The eyes need to relax to restore the sharp image.

Is this a sign of changing cyl rx ?

Aubrac 10 Aug 2011, 02:45

New

Although rimless are a little more fragile than a semi or full frame they can be a good choice for a first frame.

Not only are they very light, but you have no frame to obstruct vision and so are less aware of them when looking from side to side or up and down.

My wife had rimless for her first pair and got on well with them, in some photos of her they are hardly discernable, and for a first time wearer do not make such a 'statement' as bolder frames do.

Soundmanpt 09 Aug 2011, 13:15

New

One thing to consider with rimless glasses is that they are generally not the sturdiest style of glasses. Probably not the best for a lot of on and off wearing. Also because your rx is very mild you should pick the 1.5 lens option if you get them from Zenni as that is a little bit thicker lens and will help in not breaking them. If it were me where ever you choose to get your rimless glasses from I would get a 2nd pair just in case of breakage. Don't get me wrong I actually like the looks of rimless glasses just that they need special care.

If you can post a picture of what you choose.

Cactus Jack 09 Aug 2011, 12:21

New,

You didn't mention where you live and that can affect you decision on where to get glasses. You should probably get your first glasses from a local retailer, but you may be able t order on line at considerable savings. Check out Zenni Optical as one possibility, but there are many others. The only thing you need is your Rx and your PD (Pupillary Distance). It is easy to measure with a rule marked in mm and a bathroom mirror. We'll tell you how, but many on line sites will also tell you how.

The fact that no one in your family wears glasses, does NOT mean that no one in your family needs them. Most people think that however they see is "perfect" until the difference between how they see and how they could see is demonstrated to them.

Astigmatism changes very slowly and it is unlikely that it will change much. Most cylinder and axis changes are the result of the inexperience of the patient. Look back through the Astigmatism posts for an explanation of why and how to do your part in the exam.

Depending on your age and occupation, it is more likely that your myopia will increase some.

New 09 Aug 2011, 07:51

Dear Cactus Jack, James & Guest

Thanks for your comments

Still I havent ordered my glasses, I wish to order rimless pair.

Do you have any recommendations?

No one in my family wears glasses. So its bit odd to me.

Will my astigmatism get worse in the future ?

Guest 08 Aug 2011, 13:19

NEW

I found that even when I had low cylinder I tended to wear glasses all the time. I found there was a discomfort period when I took my glasses off which took a few minutes to dissipate.

One thing about needing/wearing glasses. Some people will resist wearing them but in the end their eyesight will determine how much they do wear them. If you drive at night you will probably be wearing your glasses. Everything else is optional (for now). If you have more self confidence you will probably adapt to them sooner.

James 08 Aug 2011, 11:54

New

My girlfriend has astigmatism and her prescription is only slightly stronger than yours RE SPH-0.50 CYL -1.25 AXIS 88, LE SPH-0.75 CYL-1.00 AXIS61. She got glasses at the end of April this year and has been wearing them more and more as time goes on. She started just wearing them for distances and using her laptop, now that she has got another pair of glasses (same prescription but with "Reactions" type lenses and different style frame) she seems happy to wear them pretty much all the time. You might not need to or want to wear glasses all the time but you'll be really heping your eyes even if you only wear them when you really need to. If your eyes feel more comfortable when wearing glasses then that is a sign you should wear them. As Cactus Jack said, you must wear them when it could be dangerous not to. The rest of the time it's up to you.

Cactus Jack 07 Aug 2011, 09:48

New,

The simple answer is: "Then don't, no one is going to MAKE you wear glasses", except in those instances, like driving, where you ability to see clearly affects the safety of others.

However, you need to be aware that even though your Rx seems very low

(your sphere certainly is) the thing that will cause you discomfort is your astigmatism as indicated by your cylinder correction. The axis (90 degrees is not very important, but the amount of cylinder in your left eye is followed by the cylinder in your right eye.

Astigmatism is unique because it causes problems at all distances and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it internally. The only way to correct it is with cylinder in glasses or toric contact lenses, which don't work for everyone, and they are a little pricey.

Astigmatism tends to be most noticeable when reading small text. If you read a lot or use the computer a lot, the astigmatism is really adding to your fatigue. You low sphere correction means that anything beyond about 2 meters or 6.5 feet is increasingly fuzzy as the distance increases beyond that distance.

Have you ordered glasses or contact lenses yet?

New 07 Aug 2011, 05:01

Hi! I did my first eye test today. This is mr Rx I got

LE -.50 -1.0 x 90 RE -.5 -0.5 x 90

Can somebody explain this to me? Will I need to wear glasses full time? I don't like to wear glasses.

Soundmanpt 06 Jul 2011, 11:20

Chris

I'm a bit surprised that being fitted with -.75 contacts for both eyes without correction for your astigmatism didn't work. It would have also been much cheaper that way. As you probably noticed toric lenses are a good deal more expensive. But not to worry if you want to wear contacts and not glasses and you can see perfect with the -.50 -1.25 toric lens. It will do no damage to your eye and will not make your eye worse. You can't induce astigmatism. I know you don't like glasses but you should still get a pair to rest your eyes from the contacts even if you only wear them at night around the house before bed. Once your eyes get adjusted to seeing all the time with contacts you will find when you remove them things will be blurry enough that you will need glasses. For your glasses I would use the correct rx you got and only have -.75 for the astigmatism.

Chris 06 Jul 2011, 02:04

I started to require glasses about a year and a half ago as a cause of astigmatism in my right eye and some mild myopia. The astigmatism bothers me more than the myopia, because it affects my clarity of vision at all distances.

I was prescribed glasses at OS -0.75 OD -0.50 -0.75x007.

I've never liked wearing glasses, and recently attempted to be fit with a toric contact lens on the right eye. Subjectively, my astigmatism has increased over time. The CL optician tells me his autorefractor pins my astigmatism at 1.1. Curiously, my vision is still clear with my glasses.

We tried a 0.75 toric lens at plano, but it left things blurry. With the next step, 1.25, my right eye vision is totally clear. However, I become dizzy and disoriented after about 8 hours, and when I remove the lens, my astigmatism seems significantly worse.

Is there a danger of increasing my astigmatism by wearing this lens, even though it makes my OD vision clear?

ksnl 04 Mar 2011, 05:34

I went for my eye test... apparently in 7 years my eyesight went from RE -0.50 LE -0.75 (only details I remember) to PERFECT with slight astigmatism in the left eye: -0.25x15. The optometrist also said my eyes don't converge properly.

The worst was that the optometrist knows my dad from back in the day when he was still in the optical business. He kept asking about my dad and asked for his email address which I "suddenly forgot". I think this guy tested my eyes back in '98.

John S 03 Mar 2011, 19:03

ksnl,

Make sure you stress to the doctor the reason you can in. When you read, things get fuzzy and you get a headache. Some doctors don't pay a lot attention to reading complaints in younger people. They just correct for distance. The first exam I had, that is exactly what happened to me.

Please post the RX you get. Good Luck!

Soundmanpt 03 Mar 2011, 16:20

ksnl

Good job! It will be fine, once they give you the injection with the long needle in the pupils to help cut down on the pain of the exam you hardly will feel a thing. Well if you haven't passed out, I am only kidding. Nothing like that will happen, I am actually like you with the white cot thing. In fact I actually had a doctor include it on my record because it is that dramatic when I go and they check my blood pressure. They had found that time after time when they first check it and then we sit and talk about other outside things that my numbers are completely different. Fact is my doctor said she had never seen anyone that showed that much difference due to white coat syndrome. But an eye exam is totally painless except for the price of purchasing glasses from them if you need them. remember the option to go on-line and save a ton of money. Good luck, you will do fine.

ksnl 03 Mar 2011, 14:12

I have really amazed myself... I plucked up some courage and booked an eye exam for tomorrow... YIKES! Will have to see what the outcome will be...

Cactus Jack 02 Mar 2011, 08:52

ksnl,

May I suggest that you have a very severe case of "White Coat Syndrome" when it comes to doctors. I have a similar condition when it comes to Dentists. The real measure of COURAGE is knowing that the experience WILL NOT be pleasant and doing it anyway. Fortunately, eye exams, if you like REALLY sharp vision, can be a rather enjoyable experience. It is neat to watch thing get sharper and clearer as lens power is increased - Caution, it can be very pleasantly addictive (see the Inducing Myopia and GOC thread).

The make-shift test is is very subjective and the results can be easily affected by any astigmatism you have. The idea behind the "test" is to take advantage of the fact that a person who is myopic actually has too much PLUS power in their lens system for the length of the eyeball or if they do not, use moderate + power in reading glasses to make them myopic. If they are already a little myopic, a bit of + from readers can increase the apparent myopia enough the get the distances involved into the comfortable range (12 - 24 inches or 30 - 60 cm).

When you are ready to do the test, bring the small text close enough to be as sharp as possible and then move it away and note the distance where it just begins to become fuzzy. You want to approach that distance from the sharp to fuzzy direction. In other words from close to more distant by moving the text away from you. The reason for this is when you hold the text close, your crystaline lenses may add what ever plus is necessary to focus clearly. By then moving the text away, your crystaline lenses will relax until they cannot relax any more and the actual refractive error will come into play. If you used reading glasses to get the blur point into a convenient range, you have to adjust the results for the extra external plus power you used.

ksnl 01 Mar 2011, 23:04

Cactus Jack,

I agree, it is a flawed reasoning but my reason is that I have a general fear of doctors, dentists, ophthalmologists, etc... it's not so much the eye exam, it's more a phobia I have. I also did your make-shift eye exam which you have spoken about in previous posts. Do you measure from where you can see the words or from where the blur goes away? I measured from where I could see the words which made both eyes around -1.00.

Puffin,

I don't want any extra attention, lol, that's why I would only wear glasses around strangers who don't know any better.

Puffin 01 Mar 2011, 16:38

If you do turn up suddenly wearing glasses, most likely you'll get some attention (which may be welcome, I don't know) and maybe questions for short while, and then everyone will get on with whatever else they need to get on with.

Cactus Jack 01 Mar 2011, 16:06

ksnl,

May I courteously suggest that your reasoning and perhaps motivation (or lack thereof) is flawed. It really takes no COURAGE to get an Eye Exam. The procedure is totally painless (other than some time and expense). The results of an eye exam are between you and the examiner. You do not HAVE to get glasses, nor do you have to tell anyone (but us, if you want) the results of the exam. If you get an Rx an decide to get glasses, you do not HAVE to wear them if you don't want to.

When it comes to health issues, it is better to know than not know. The results can be our little secret.

ksnl 01 Mar 2011, 14:07

I guess I am a bit apprehensive. I have liked the idea of wearing glasses but probably would never wear them around anyone I know - only around strangers... lol, if that even makes any sense. If I EVER pluck up enough courage to go to an eye doctor I'll inform you...

Soundmanpt 25 Feb 2011, 16:12

ksnl

You are probably correct that you do need astigmatism correction. You can be pretty short sighted and never have headaches but even a small astigmatism of as little as -.50 can cause headaches depending on how much you are straining your eyes.

It sounds like you are still resisting getting and wearing glasses? It would be wise to get a current exam and order the proper glasses and see how much they help your vision and headaches? It would be up to you how much you choose to wear them.

ksnl 25 Feb 2011, 14:07

I posted this full story on the thread "When I was at school":

My dad had quite strong glasses (before he got Lasik, ugh)... I think he had/has astigmatism (I have only recently heard about astigmatism)... many eye conditions run in that side of my family, including Keratoconus.

When I was a little kid I think my parents were concerned that I would inherit his poor eyesight. They would ask me if I could see certain things and make me try on my dad's glasses to see if I was able to see with them on... to me it looked like there was a large hollow in the ground that I was about to fall into.

My parents got my eyes tested when I was about 5 (I was praying that I wouldn't have to get glasses) and my eyesight was fine... they were told that I would probably be wearing glasses before the end of primary school (which never happened).

When I was about 10 my parents sent me to get my eyes tested again. Once again I was praying that I would not have to get glasses. The guy tested my eyes with some machine that I looked into and he asked me questions about what I could see, lots of bright lights, etc. Afterwards he asked me if I got headaches and I said no which was a HUGE LIE - I would experience constant headaches - I don't know if I would have landed up with glasses if I had said yes but he decided I didn't need to get glasses... I have a feeling that I have some astigmatism which he had probably picked up (knowing what I know now). I know that there was a difference in rx between my two eyes and this used to really irritate me for several years afterwards. Later on I felt that my eyes had improved because it didn't annoy me as much or maybe I just got used to it.

The last time I got my eyes checked was in 10th grade (once again on one of those machines you look into) and I think I remember my eyesight being RE -0.50 LE -0.75 and I think I remember there being some other numbers on there which I assume were for astigmatism. I kept that piece of paper and can't for the life of me remember where I put it. Since then I finished high school, went to university and am currently working. I have no idea what my rx is now but I find when I'm doing paperwork and working on the computer at my work my eyes get blurry, I feel eye strain and I get headaches. I have read up about astigmatism and I'm guessing that's it.

Cactus Jack 01 Feb 2011, 19:17

Dan,

I though so. Try my epistle to Puffin and see if any of it makes sense? It is not my best work. Astigmatism is hard to explain in plain language and without pictures.. At -0.50 I would bet any axis up to 15-20 degrees either side of your true axis would not cause too much trouble. However, close is still better. I think what started all this way my trying to tell you not to get very excited about apparent axis changes at low cylinders. The differences are probably measurement errors rather than actual changes.

Cactus jack 01 Feb 2011, 19:08

Puffin,

I'm not sure I understand your question, but I think the answer is No.

The first thing to remember is that the purpose of corrective lenses is to neutralize the errors in the eye's optical system. The correction of pure spherical errors (no astigmatism) is pretty easy to imagine once you understand that if a person is myopic, their lens system had too much PLUS power for the length of their eyeball which causes distant images to focus in front of the retina. All you have to do to fix the problem is determine how much MINUS you need in an external lens to move the focus point back to the retina. Generally this is done by having the patient view different size letters on a relatively distant chart (20 feet or 6 meters) and read increasingly smaller sized letters as the amount of minus is increased.

When you mix in some cylinder error (Astigmatism) the problem gets much more complex. You have to figure out how much cylinder you need to neutralize that error before you neutralize the spherical error.

Fortunately, I have a trial lens set and I can simulate different levels of astigmatism and cylinder correction. For this simulation, I will use a + 1.00 convex cylinder lens to simulate mild astigmatism and a + 8.00 convex cylinder lens to simulate severe astigmatism. I also have -1.00 and -8.00 concave cylinder lenses to neutralize the convex cylinder lenses. To keep this simulation simple, I will only simulate astigmatism with an axis of 90 degrees (vertical) and describe what I see. I am wearing my glasses which should correct my spherical and cylinder error to 0.00. I have had cataract surgery with IOLs so I have no accommodation to confuse the issue.

Looking through the +8.00 convex lens with the long axis vertical and comparing the relative blurriness of horizontal and vertical lines, horizontal lines are sharp and vertical lines are very blurry. Lines that run at 45 degrees are still very blurry, but not a blurry as vertical lines and not nearly as sharp as horizontal lines. If I rotate the lens so the long axis is just a small amount either side of vertical, the horizontal lines get blurry very quickly and rectangles look like parallelograms. If I use the -8.00 concave lens and match the long axis of both lenses, the distortion and blurriness is neutralized and I see everything as if I was not looking through the two cylinder lenses.

Doing the same test again using the +1.00 convex lens with the long axis vertical, The difference is very obvious. Horizontal lines are still sharp, but vertical lines are just a little blurry. Lines at 45 degrees are only slightly blurry and it is very hard to judge the difference in the clarity between the lines. If I rotate the long axis as much as 45 degrees away from the vertical the relative blurriness of the vertical, horizontal and 45 degree lines change very little and the amount is hard to judge, rectangles become parallelograms but the distortion is substantially reduced compared to the +8.00, but easy to detect.

Conclusions (for me at least) the lower the cylinder correction, the harder it is for the patient to judge relative blurriness. I have fairly low astigmatism I have had more success judging relative blurriness by concentrating on letters with no straight lines (an âOâ? if possible). The supplemental lens used by the examiner is actually a lens with fairly low cylinder mounted with its long axis at 45 degrees to the trial axis. When the examiner is flipping the supplemental lens back and forth, it allows you to compare the effects of shifting the axis 45 degrees either side of the trial axis so there is a change unless the true axis is exactly bracketed .

To me, asking the examiner to allow me to âfine tuneâ? the axis after he has finished works very well because even with low levels of astigmatism and cylinder correction, I can easily spot the distortion of the letters and pick the angle where the letters look right.

To put it in engineering terms, at low levels of astigmatism the âpeakâ? or ânullâ? is broad and it is hard to judge the center. At high levels, the âpeakâ? or ânullâ? is narrow and it is much easier to find the center.

I hope this makes sense. Any comments, corrections or improvements would be appreciated. If everyone is throughly confused, I'll stop.

Dan 01 Feb 2011, 18:49

Cactus,

My cylinder is only -0.50

Puffin 01 Feb 2011, 16:56

Cactus Jack,

are you implying that, for low astigmatism as you described, the rotation of the axis might just be apparent rotation due to someone viewing the situation under different circumstances, better able to judge the situation, etc?

If so I am assuming once the astigmatism goes up beyond this point determining axis gets easier, or at least less subject to interpretation.

Cactus Jack 01 Feb 2011, 13:08

Jennifer,

I would consider anything less than 0.75 to be low cylinder, but that is just my opinion.

The reason it is hard to find the correct axis for very low cylinder is that you, as a patient, have to judge relative degrees of blurriness betweens different axis angles, which is much harder than judging relative clarity of different lenses, and the lower the cylinder Rx, the lower the overall lower the overall blurriness of the letters.

As I mentioned in my reply to Dan, the way the examiner determines the axis is by presenting you with trial axes 45 degrees each side of the trial axis (by flipping the supplemental lens back and forth). Depending on your answer, he will change the axis. Theoretically, when he has the axis bracketed, you will perceive #1 or #2 as being equally blurry. The snag is that at very low cylinder powers it is sometimes very hard to tell much difference and the result is that the actual range of acceptable axis is pretty broad. As the cylinder power increases, the difference between #1 and #2 will be more pronounced if the trial axis is off.

Remember, the examiner has no way to see what you see. That is why I ask the examiner to let me fine tune the axis once he has the axis very close. At this point, I am looking for the sharpest image. The difference in my selection of axis and his is usually only a few degrees, but every little bit of accuracy helps make acuity better.

Jennifer 01 Feb 2011, 11:08

Cactus Jack, what do you consider to be a low cyl prescription? And why is it hard to find the axis on lower cyl. Just curious, since I have astigmatism and never really understood much about it. Some eye professionals don't even discuss the cyl part of my rx. I became aware that I had astigmatism when I was getting my rx filled, some years back, and the optician tech said that I should get anti reflective lenses to help with my astimatism.

Cactus Jack 31 Jan 2011, 21:22

Dan,

You did not indicate the cylinder Rx, but I suspect it is fairly low. Astigmatism changes very slowly compared to sphere and part of the variance is related to your skill in playing your part in the exam. No one knows what you are seeing and the examiner had to depend, to a large extent, on your answers to his questions.

Accurate determination of the axis at low cylinder powers is not easy because it depends to a large extent on the skill and experience of the patient in judging relative blurriness rather than judging relative clarity as you do when comparing lens powers for sphere correction.

The axis is determined by bracketing the trial axis with lens choices that are 45 degrees either side of the actual axis. You have to compare relative blurriness of the two choices and determine when they are equally blurry.

I find that concentrating on letters that are made up of straight lines at various angles make the choice harder because the lines may be alternately sharp and blurry depending on the trial axis, the angle of the lines, and your astigmatism. I therefore concentrate on an "O" if possible and I also ask the examiner if I can fine tune the axis at the appropriate stage in the exam where he has determined the cylinder power and he believes he has the axis very close.

To do this, the examiner places my hand on the axis control knob of the phropter and I move it back and forth a few degrees for the sharpest, image like adjusting the fine tuning on an old TV.

Dan 31 Jan 2011, 19:33

Mine started at 90 in my left eye with none in my right. Now, 3 years later I have 95 in my left and 85 in my right. Definitely a tricky thing to fine tune.

Puffin 31 Jan 2011, 18:52

mmm, does it go in one direction only? if so in 18 years it will be back where it started!

benn 31 Jan 2011, 16:39

About 20 degrees. And it changes every year with the same Dr.

Puffin 31 Jan 2011, 16:02

For those of you have astigmatism (and regardless of anything else) - a question:

How much does the axis rotate between checkups? Does it slow down as the myopia progression slows?

I have seen some wild changes reported here in the past, but can't remember specifics.

ray 06 Oct 2010, 07:47

thanks cactus.

Chrissi 28 Sep 2010, 21:47

Hello Puffin. I apologize for the delayed response.

My visual acuity is 20/30 with my current contacts. I need slight astigmatism correction and a slight increase in my minus to achieve better vision.

I will probably get new contacts in 8 months or so, since my vision is okay.

I will, however, order new glasses as I haven't gotten new ones for a while!

Stingray 27 Sep 2010, 23:06

Cactus Jack: totally off topic, but by any chance do you repair aircraft instruments? Or at least be able to test them to see if they are operational. contact me at helcat@bellsouth.net

Thanks

Cactus Jack 27 Sep 2010, 21:57

Ray,

I live in Texas. I am semi-retired. My background is electronics, computer design, and engineering with a little aviation and avionics thrown in for good measure. Over the years, I have done a lot of industrial teaching and have a reputation as an explainer and a problem solver.

I am just one of several members on Eyescene with above average optical knowledge. My optical knowledge comes from Optical Physics and a lot of research and self study to solve some uncommon vision problems of my own.

Later, I discovered Eyescene and started sharing my self taught knowledge. About 95% of the new posters on Eyescene, like yourself, have unnecessary concerns about very common vision problems. Sometimes, it is because they are not familiar with how their eyes and vision work. Many Eye Care Professional (ECP) do not have or will not take the time to explain, in easy to understand terms, what to expect from a new prescription, a new pair of glasses or why they are needed.

I sure do not have answers to all the questions and quickly refer those questions to other members who may be able to help. On rare occasions, someone will ask about symptoms that indicate a potentially serious eye condition and we will strongly suggest that they seek highly qualified professional help, immediately.

I tend to be long winded because I am generally trying to do more than just give a quick answer. I am trying to help the person UNDERSTAND why something is happening and increase their knowledge.

I urge you to explore the different threads and read of others experiences. In a few short months, you will come to understand more about the miracle of vision, what can go wrong, and what it takes to make it right.

Welcome to the group.

Ray 27 Sep 2010, 20:28

@Cactus

Thank you! i'm from philippines. how about you? i think youre an ophthalmologist? ;)

Cactus Jack 27 Sep 2010, 20:15

Ray,

You are just going through an adjustment period. Your prescription is very low, but the difference in the sphere combined with the astigmatism, probably makes sitting at a computer all day without glasses very tiring.

It is normal for your Rx to vary a little even through out the day and the amount your Rx changed over 2 years in insignificant and nothing to get excited about. Sphere correction can vary significantly in younger people, but astigmatism changes very slowly no matter what your age. At your age, I would be very concerned if your sphere Rx changed 2 or 3 diopters over 2 years, but not at all concerned about the very small change you had. It is nothing.

The doctor gave you good advice about wearing your glasses full time for 6 months, considering the work you do. In a few years, you may need some different glasses to make your computer work easier, but that is to be expected also. It just happens to almost everyone,

You didn't say where you lived?

Ray 27 Sep 2010, 19:29

@cactus

I thought im not near or far sighted only astigmatic. do my vision will be corrected right?

My doctor told me to wear eyeglasses for six months.

hi! im 32 years old and i'm always in front of the computer monitor in short i'm a IT person.

i'm new to this eyeglasses is it a normal reaction the sometimes i'm out of focus (blurr) when i stare for so long to a specific object. then if i blink twice it will focus the object clearly. also my focus return if i close either of the left or right eye. and i feel that there is a barrier between my eyes and the object maybe because of the eyeglasses that i wore and because this is the first time i wear eyeglasses permanently.

the first question that i asked lately can be explain like this

2 years ago the doctor says my vision as far as i can remember was

OD 1.25

OS .50

and today is

OD -50=-0.50x99

OS-25=-50x99

is it possible that my vision will change to this values?

Sorry to bother you more :), i need to comprehend myself about this. Thanks in Advance and GOD BLESS.

Cactus jack 27 Sep 2010, 07:23

Ray,

SV/Crizal means Single Vision with a Crizal coating. Crizal coating is an anti reflective protective coating to keep down glare and help protect the lens from scratching.

You are a little myopic (nearsighted) with mild astigmatism in both eyes.

The Rx us not very clearly written - not unusual - and can be clarified like this:

Right Eye (OD) Sphere -0.50 Cylinder -0,50 at 99 degrees Axis (just a little past vertical

Left Eye (OS) Sphere -0.25, Cylinder -0.50 at 99 degrees Axis

If it were not for the astigmatism, you might be able to get by wearing them only for driving and maybe sharp vision at night if you didn't want to wear them full time. Your astigmatism is low, but enough to make fine print a little fuzzy at all distances.

Eyes out of focus and a headache does not seem normal to me.

What is your age and occupation? Did the doctor suggest when to wear them?

Ray 27 Sep 2010, 01:51

Thanks Cactus... btw this is the actual reading that the doctor presribed.

SV/Crizal

OD -50=-0.50x99

OS-25=-50x99

can you explain this to me thanks.

i'm wearing my new eyeglasses now but it seems that sometime my eyes is out of focus. and i feel an headache is this normal?

Thanks.

Cactus Jack 27 Sep 2010, 01:41

Ray the specific answer to your question is NO, it is not possible for all the reasons I listed. If you can provide your complete new Rx, we will try to explain it if it it would help.

P.S., (With a smile) Don't ever ask me the time, unless you want to know how to build a watch.

Cactus Jack 27 Sep 2010, 01:32

Ray,

I think you must have misread something. 20/something and 6/something are used to indicate visual acuity in standard formats. Their meaning is actually the same because the first one is referenced to an eye test chart at 20 feet and the other is reverenced to an eye chart at 6 meters. 20 feet is 6.09 meters or almost the same number. 20/50 means that the best you can do is read the 50 foot line on the chart from 20 feet, but it doesn't give any information regarding the reason why that is the best you can do. The problem could be a need for minus glasses, plus glasses, or if astigmatism is involved, cylinder correction. It could also be caused by cataracts or retinal problems.

The 50/125 could be and indication of the cylinder Rx needed to correct astigmatism. Because there is no sign and no decimal, it could mean cylinder correction of +0.50 at an axis 125 degrees. That could be a possible component of a prescription for corrective lenses for someone with around 20/50 vision. However, complete prescriptions have much more information in them.

It is customary form, almost world wide to write a corrective prescription in the following format.

OD (Right eye) Sphere, Cylinder, Axis, Bi or Trifocal Add, Prism, and PD

OS (Left Eye) Sphere, Cylinder, Axis, Bi or Trifocal Add, Prism, and PD

Add, and Prism are often left blank if not required.

PD can be shown below OS if it is total distance between the centers of the pupils of both eyes. If listed for each eye, it is the distance from the center of the nose to the center of the pupil for that eye.

There can be remarks below all of it.

Usually, if no Sphere or Cylinder required there will be something in the box to indicated that it is 0.00 or Plano. Axis is required only if Cylinder is a number other than 0.00 or something to indicate that no cylinder is needed.

I hope this rather long winded explanation helps answer your question. Glasses prescriptions are very precise instructions from the Eye Care Professional that tell the lens maker how to make the exact power glasses you require, but they are not hard to understand.

Ray 26 Sep 2010, 21:20

Hi all i need to ask is it possible that my vision last 2 years ago was 50/125 and i often used my eyeglasses then today i went to the different doctor and said that it is 20/50.

Puffin 24 Sep 2010, 18:52

Chrissi

Just wondering, what is your visual acuity with just the contacts?

Glasses for astigmatism should correct distortion rather than distance or near focussing errors. Probably should be a bit thicker in the middle, but not so much as true plus lenses.

Chrissi 24 Sep 2010, 17:28

Hi, everyone. I posted this on the New Glasses thread, but as this is not relevant to new glasses (except for me), I'm now reposting it here.

I was wondering about glasses for astigmatism. I recently got prescribed glasses to correct my astigmatism for wear over my contacts.

What are glasses with astigmatism correction like? like, glasses for myopia have thicker edges and if you hold them far away, things look smaller; glasses for hyperopia have a bit of a thicker middle.

Are glasses correcting astigmatism supposed to be slightly thicker in the middle?

I think the optical dept put the wrong prescription in my glasses. The lenses are supposed to be plano with +1.50 @90dg for cyl. I wear them over my -10.5 and -9.5 contacts. However, when I wear the glasses, print up close is clear, but everything far away is blurry. This was not the intended result. I was hoping I could have a pair of glasses to correct only my astigmatism for things like driving (when I start doing so), but the glasses don't seem right. is there a way to tell without bringing the glasses into the optician's to have them check the prescription? lol because I don't want to have mistaken and then have them tell me that...because that would be a bit embarrassing.

I hope this is enough description. if not, I will try my best to explain more thoroughly if need be.

Julian 12 Sep 2010, 13:27

unclear: yes, certainly. Mine do.

unclear 12 Sep 2010, 11:27

My prescription is:

O.D. +100 cyl +025 axis 180

O.S. +125

ADD +200

When I went to get bifocals I was convinced progressive lenses would be much better.

My question-would the progressive lenses provide correction for my astigmatism?

inthecloset 04 Sep 2010, 04:59

My astigmatism side of my glasses, seems to minify my ear/side burns...

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5582/dscn0260c.jpg

inthecloset 04 Sep 2010, 04:52

Hello all. My current contact lens script is. -2.00 Left, -1.00, -1.25cyl x90 Right. My last contacts script was -1.75 Left, -1.25 -1.25sph x100 I had issues reading with my old right eye script for contacts. However my distance vision seemed great better when I was fitted. I really like glasses better(in the closet), but don't wear them a lot. I was wondering why looking at an online astigmatism test that my right eye with glasses is clearer then my left? Does anyone know why, right lens in my glasses looks thicker/minifies the sides? The script when putting on trial contacts read to be stronger for my right eye then my current right contact?? Can someone explain. I'd like to order stronger glasses approx -1.00 diopter! Does anyone know if my cyl side be updated to accommodate? thx

Kris 29 May 2010, 20:37

I should mention that my glasses prescription is L1.25 add 1.25 and R 1.75 add 1.25. My contacts prescription is L 1.5 and R 2.0.

Kris 29 May 2010, 20:35

Thanks Cactus Jack. I should note that I really had 3 exams that day, 2 by students and one by the optometrist and all confirmed the prescription that I currently wear on the subjective part of the exam (when they ask which lens is better). The astigmatism prescription was determined in the objective part of the exam where they adjusted the phoropter to focus the light on the back of my eyes.

I am wondering if, despite seeming to prefer not to have my astigmatism corrected, I should ask to have the cyl correction on my prescription at my next eye exam (due in a few months). I don`t have real problems with the current prescription but do feel that I could have sharper vision. I only started to wear glasses 2 years ago and and required a 1.25 add at my last exam with my regular optometrist. I suspect he is easing me into my full prescription as I struggled with my glasses at the beginning (seasickness for a couple of weeks after starting to wear fulltime and needing an increase in my script within 2 months of getting glasses). I think he wanted to make sure I adapted to progressives before toying with the cyl correction.

Cactus jack 10 Apr 2010, 08:33

Kris,

Your question is not very clear. Is the Rx you posted of L +1.25 and R +1.75 your complete glasses Rx or is it a contact lens Rx?

If you HAVE significant astigmatism and it is not corrected, your vision will not be as good as it should be. If you DO NOT HAVE astigmatism and a cylinder correction is included in the Rx, your vision will not be as good as it should be.

Typically, for contact lens Rx, small amounts of astigmatism are partially corrected by adding 1/2 of the cylinder to the sphere to avoid having to prescribe toric contact lenses. Toric contact lenses are rather expensive and are hard to fit in some patients because the lenses will rotate as the patient blinks which will cause the axis of the cylinder to not be aligned with the patients astigmatism. There is no reason to not correct astigmatism in glasses. Cylinder correction does not affect the cost of the glasses unless it is very large and there is no problem of misalignment.

I do not understand the statement that you "rejected" the cylinder correction unless she got confused by your responses during the exam. Accurate determination of the cylinder and particularly the axis portion of the Rx depends to a large extent on the skill and experience of the patient in selecting the more blurry of two axis choices. The axis is determined by bracketing the axis with lens choices that are 45 degrees either side of the actual axis. I find that concentrating on letters that are made up of straight lines at various angles make the choice harder. I therefore concentrate on an O if possible and I also ask the examiner if I can fine tune the axis at the appropriate stage in the exam. To do this, the examiner places my hand on the axis control knob of the phropter and I move it back and forth a few degrees for the clearest image.

You may want to consider another exam.

Kris 10 Apr 2010, 06:32

I recently had an eye exam by an optometry student who commented that I rejected my astigmatism correction. My current prescription is L +1.25 anf R +1.75. The student refracted me at about L ??? cyl -.75 R +2.5 cyl -1 (I was trying to read her notes when she wasn't paying attention).

My questions are: Wouldn't I see better with the astigmatism correction? Is it common not to prescribe for astigmatism? I have told my optometrist that I feel like my vision could be sharper, so should I ask for the astigmatism correction on my next lens prescription or will it not make that much difference? Have other people has this experience?

Thanks

Curt 01 Apr 2010, 12:43

Val: There is another way to think about this. A cylinder lens either magnifies (plus lens) or minifies (minus) along one axis only. Magnifying something along one axis is the same as minifying (shrinking) it at 90 degrees opposite the axis. The concept sounds simple enough; if I had any kind of graphic skills at all I would do a diagram of it...

Val 31 Mar 2010, 13:58

Thank you Cactus Jack,

I've posted on photobucket a drawing of what I've had in mind: http://s1016.photobucket.com/albums/af284/popie_zd/?action=view¤t;=sph-cyl.jpg

Maybe there is a reason why lens maker almost always use minus cylinder. I'm thinking of the typical human eye refraction error is PLUS and has to be compensated with MINUS. But you say that results of using plus or minus are optically identical, so maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway your work in the ES Community is kindly appreciated. Your patience for explaining everything.

Cactus Jack 31 Mar 2010, 06:46

Val,

There are two techniques for doing a refraction for astigmatism correction. One techniques involves using PLUS cylinder lenses and the other involves using MINUS cylinder. Trial lens sets typically include both PLUS and MINUS cylinder lenses and phropters are available in two "flavors" - PLUS and MINUS cylinder. Both techniques work equally well and the results are optically identical.

Generally, the choice depends on the preferences and training of the examiner. In the US, optometrists (ODs) typically use MINUS cylinder and opthalmologists (MDs) use PLUS cylinder. Sometimes, a person, who is used to their glasses Rx being written in MINUS cylinder, will get an exam from an ECP who prefers PLUS cylinder. Often, the new Rx will shock them because it will look like there has been a sudden large change in their sphere Rx when really, there has been little or no change at all.

There is a simple procedure for changing an Rx from PLUS cylinder to MINUS cylinder and vice versa:

1. Algebraically add the cylinder to the sphere ( eg. Sph -4.00 and Cyl + 1.00 = Sph -3.00)

2. Change the sign on the cylinder (+1.00 becomes -1.00)

3. Add or subtract 90 degrees to the axis so that the result falls between 0 and 179 degrees or between 1 and 180 depending on what is customary in your country, (The axis convention is that 0 and 180 are horizontal and the angle increases counter clockwise facing the patient. 90 degrees is vertical.)

Lens makers almost always use MINUS cylinder. If they receive an Rx written in PLUS cylinder, they perform the above procedure and grind the lenses with the cylinder being concave in the back surface of the lens.

Val 31 Mar 2010, 04:21

I've always want to ask a question about the cylinder in the lenses. I've learned that you can write in two ways the power of the cylinder lenses, but a question still remains: if two lenses are grinded differently, one convexe and one concave, can the lenses produce the same optical effect ? Does not apply the same principle

like in the sphere lenses ? Convexe = magnifying, concave = minifying (all axes for sphere and only one axe for cylinder)

Al 27 Feb 2010, 13:37

Thanks CJ for the assurances as I was wondering if maybe things got backwards and I sure can't blame the makers of the eyeglasses for something written for me if both eyes turned out blurry in my order.

At least it sounds like I have a very ethical doc in not trying to push torics. Another thing that surprised me as I wasn't sure about this either but the base curve stayed the same (figure diameter would have stayed the same) on my old and new contacts. I thought maybe that would have changed based on brand of contacts.

I will post final results hopefully next week. 7 to 10 business days to process eyeglasses and I have not been emailed a tracking number just yet.

Also makes sense for the right eye in what you say as I do see a distinct mid range vision change from when I take the contacts out to an hour later so the contacts must be doing some shaping of the eyes albeit temporary.

Cactus Jack 27 Feb 2010, 10:33

Al,

Your contacs and glasses are reasonable. Usually the sphere Rx for contacts and glasses are the same up to about + or - 5.00. Above that value, vertex distance effects of the glasses lens being 10 to 15 mm from the cornea become important and there is usually a difference between the contact and glasses Rx. For minus Rx the contacts Rx will be less than the glasses for plus Rx the contacts will be more than the glasses. The importance increases as the Rx goes up by the square of the Rx value.

Theoretically, astigmatism can be corrected by using toric contacts, but torics have plenty of problems including cost and instability on the cornea. They sometimes rotate as you blink, really messing up your vision.

The practical solution is to ignore low values of astigmatism. This works because astigmatism is usually caused by uneven curvature of the cornea and even soft contacts can help smooth the curvature of the cornea slightly (your OD Rx of -3.50).

At higher values of astigmatism, one solution is to add 1/2 the cylinder value to the sphere. This works pretty well up to about -1.00 (your OS Rx of -1.50).

While you may notice a difference in acuity with each eye individually, with both eye, your brain will use the best image as it s primary source and supplement it where possible with information from the other eye. Remember, vision occurs in the brain and the eyes are simply biological cameras.

Above about -1.00 of astigmatism, torics sometimes get enough resistance from the uneven curvature of the cornea to hold them in the correct position on the cornea, but at some point they become more trouble than they are worth and the only solution is glasses with cylinder correction.

Al 27 Feb 2010, 09:15

Just an update... Have not received glasses yet but did my standard contact followup visit and got my next year's worth of contacts

I was surprised at what was given to me as I was expecting the sphere values to be less then my eyeglass prescription.

Contacts are

-3.50 right eye

-1.50 left eye

Is my astigmatism values picking up the remaining sphere in the eyeglasses for the left eye?

Adding the 1 sphere and 1 cylinder would make it 2 which would make sense 1.5 on the contacts?

Or does it look like I am under prescribed on the eyeglasses prescription?

I do know with the contacts, I can see 20/20 based on today's exam with both eyes. 20/40 is the best I could do with left eye (no surprise here) and 20/20 with my right eye only.

guest 22 Feb 2010, 11:14

With an age of 50 you will probably find it hard to accomodate 1 dpt for a long period of time. I would have ordered the original prescription with no changes if you just want to comfortably use the glasses. Noone would have noticed any difference in lens thickness and you wouldn't have noticed any difference in image size.

Al 21 Feb 2010, 11:31

Thanks Catcus.

While I had a vague idea that the astig couldn't be played around with, I wanted to be sure.

I appreciate you clearing up the sphere part not affecting the cyl part, that I definitely didn't know. I was just thinking the effective power on the left would be the two values added together.

Not "quite" easy experimentally ordering willy nilly with a better half not understanding :-)about throw aways or getting + contacts to counter the extra minus.

Soooo, I did place the order based on your input but went with a 1 diopter higher on the sphere -2.00 (call it a compromise) as while I will be wearing contacts, I want these glasses to be functional for those days I don't wear contacts.

I also did put a 2.25 add rather then 1.75.

I will post my results when received (website said about 5 to 7 work days)

Cactus Jack 21 Feb 2010, 10:47

Al,

At these prescription levels, it is a pretty exact exact science. You always start with your actual Rx and modify only the sphere or the add, never the cylinder or axis. Usually, if you change the sphere, you change both eyes the same amount.

However, I still do not believe that you understand how this stuff works and what we are trying to tell you, but if you want to experiment, I would suggest ordering some low cost glasses from Zenni Optical. Their single vision glasses are only US$8.00 plus shipping. Bifocals are only US25.00 plus shipping. In both cases, I believe the lenses are polycarbonate. Glass lenses are pretty expensive and easily broken. At those prices, if you don't like the glasses, you can afford to throw them away and try again.

I suggest trying some single vision glasses first and some cheap reading glasses over them to see how you like the reading add. Once you arrive at an Rx you like, you can order what you want.

Al 21 Feb 2010, 10:17

Thanks Cactus

Glass lenses don't come cheap so I want to do this right (within reason of course as I know this is not an exact science).

Since now that I know the the sphere is separate entity I think I will go the cautious route of only increasing by one diopter as I put in my original post. I am 50 this year.

This year is the first I have ever been given an add, so my accommodation up to date must not be too bad (I was dilated).

Another thought I had was to go -3 as you suggest and then go 2.25 as an add. I will be ordering 35 mm flat top bifocal. Would this be somewhat feasible to keep the overcorrection in check?

Cactus Jack 21 Feb 2010, 09:44

Al,

I think you are having some trouble understanding that the sphere correction (first number) is for your myopia (eyeball length) and the cylinder/axis correction (second and third numbers) is for your uneven cornea and that they are two independent factors in correcting your vision. If you want the lenses to have approximately the same thickness, you could order the following:

OD -3.50 -0.25 025 add 1.75

OS -3.50 -1.00 075 add 1.75

OS -3.00 -1.00 075 add 1.75

That would make the lenses approximately the same thickness and it would also make the image size on your retina approximately the same size, which is a good thing.

However, it will requires your left eye to attempt to accommodate for the additional minus. Depending on your age, that may be possible, but it will take some practice to make your eyes accommodate independently. A good solution to that problem is to wear a +2.50 or +2.00 contact on your left eye to compensate for the overcorrection so that your effective sphere Rx in your left eye is either -3.50 or -3.00. If you do that, no mental or visual gymnastics are required to hopefully give you the best possible vision. By supplying the same size image to both retinas, you may find that over time, you may begin to develop some stereo vision.

Whatever you do, I would suggest ordering some low cost glasses to see how they work for you.

Al 21 Feb 2010, 08:04

Guest,

So, would I be OK in ordering

-2.00 -1.00 075 without affecting the astigmatism?

Other then accommodating for the sphere blur, the glasses will be useful in clarity with extra accommodation?

I know I can accommodate easily one diopter.

guest 21 Feb 2010, 07:08

You can change the sphere without affecting the astigmatism. But less minus will mean more blur and more minus will mean more accomodation and therefore more strain.

guest 21 Feb 2010, 07:06

Don't try this. This will be very umcomfortable because your eyes will try to regain a sharp image, but they just can't. It's a constant struggle.

btw: I don't think you will notice a difference in thickness of the both lenses.

Al 21 Feb 2010, 07:04

Puffin,

Would the same happen if I just adjust the sphere or does that affect the power of the cylinder as well?

What you describe sounds like progressives type of experience and I could deal with that in that I will have a "sweet spot" of clarity.

Again the eye being messed with is not my dominate eye (I don't have stereoscopic vision or depth perception) so most of my seeing is out of my right eye which I will leave that eye the actual prescribed amount.

Puffin 21 Feb 2010, 06:15

You're going to find that uncomfortable to look through.

Myopic or Hyperopic blur is not the same as the distortion caused by astigmatism. With the astigmatism not the right amount and angle, you'll find the image fairly sharp in some parts of the visual field, blurred and stretched in others, all in all rather confusing and irritating for your visual system. Your eyes won't know what to do, except complain!

Al 21 Feb 2010, 06:03

I plan to order through the internet and wanted to get the thickness of the left lens the same as the right lens and I figured by adjusting the script would be easier then putting in remarks

Since I like heavy glasses, I am ordering glass lenses with a large frame (59 and 60 mm with a vertical of 50 and 51)

Would I mess up anything by bumping up the sphere or is that also bumping up the astig power "by default"?

A "little" blur in that eye is fine as it's my non dominate eye but I don't want it be be not functional.

Cactus Jack 21 Feb 2010, 04:58

Al,

NO! You cannot accommodate in any way for astigmatism. Astigmatism is generally caused by uneven curvature in the cornea and there is no internal way to compensate for it. It has to be corrected externally with glasses (best) or toric contact lenses (maybe).

The only variable focus element in the eye's lens system is the crystaline lenses which can, until they get too stiff with age to do it, be squeezed by the ciliary muscles to increase their normal plus power to focus closer or compensate for a relatively small amount of additional minus of overcorrection.

A good rule is to never mess with cylinder or axis components of a prescription. Even people who wear high Rx GOC only adjust the sphere power of contacts and glasses and leave the cylinder and axis in the glasses exactly as in their real Rx.

Could you tell us what you are trying to accomplish? maybe we can help.

Al 21 Feb 2010, 04:22

Can one accomodate for additional astigmatism?

My new prescription is

-3.50 -0.25 025 OD add 1.75

-1.00 -1.00 075 OS add 1.75

What would be the big difference in the following OS and which could I accomodate to easier?

-2.00 -1.00 075

-1.00 -2.00 075

My thoughts are while the astigmatism still is -3, the "overall" blur may be a little less with the first line.

I am a computer support person in the US

Henry 30 Dec 2009, 10:39

It's not a set, it's just lenses with a prescription given by you (these are meant to be used in glasses). There are many opticians on ebay who offer those.

Dave 29 Dec 2009, 15:00

Henry

Can you send me a sample link for the trial lens set? My rx is -0.5 sphere and -1.75 cyl and -2.25 cyl.

Thanks,

Dave

eyescene_dave (at) yahoo.com

Hollie 27 Dec 2009, 12:23

Andrew,

I find the 2 for 1 deals not so much useful as spares, but so you can have a couple of different looks. : )

Andrew 27 Dec 2009, 11:59

I'm with D+A and always get half-price glaases from them as I also get contacts as well. Rcenetly they have sent me a voucher for 50% off new glasses (yes, I know it's the same thing), probably because I had my eyes tested there a couple of months ago but did not buy new glasses then and there. Perhaps that's the trick; get the new prescription but hold off on getting the glasses until you can get a deal on them.

Two for the price of one does not do it for me; in over 30 years of glasses wearing, I have only broken one pair (so far), and that was when my sister decided to try and fight me...

Julian 27 Dec 2009, 08:34

Kate: I'm in the UK too and I've usually got better service from an independent optician than from what you call the mainstream ones, though I've never been to Boots. I've also found D&A; hideously expensive, and Vision Express too (how else did they offer two pairs for the price of one?) The last independent I used was remarkably cheap - but I'm living in another part of the country now, and my present independent is not so cheap, but less stingy with near vision add!

Henry 25 Dec 2009, 01:40

Kate (and everyone else who is not satisfied with his/her optometrist), why don't you just buy a set of lenses to determine your prescription at home. On ebay you can buy lenses only (with no frame) with a prescription given by you. You can then order some spheric and toric lenses with values around your current prescription and determine your glasses-prescription at home.

Then you don't have to worry about the examiner and another big advantage is that you can try multiple times to see how different daytimes or visual stress affect the prescription.

It's actually very cheap and easy. I bought 8 lenses (spheric: +.25, +.50, +.75, +1 and toric: +.25 -.25, +.50 -.50, +.75 -.75 and +1 -1) for something around $50. But this saves you from having eye-exams in the next years and therefore you will actually save money.

Cactus Jack 23 Dec 2009, 08:54

Kate,

Oops! The last post was from me.

Eyescene 23 Dec 2009, 08:52

Kate,

Independent optometrists tend to be under less pressure to get you into the chair and out again than those associated with a chain. Skill of the examiner plays a greater role in the resulting Rx than most people think, but teamwork is essential. It takes some effort and some expense to fine a good optometrist, but the effort pays off in comfort and good vision. Once you fine a good one, stay with them.

Remember, if you pay for the exam, you paid for services rendered and the Rx is your property to do with as you wish. Buying glasses from the prescriber is strictly up to you. With your Rx and your PD (we can tell you how to measure it) you can order glasses on line. You have to take control of the situation and the more you understand about vision, optics and exam procedures, the better your Rx. Many here have ordered from Zenni and been pleased.

Low astigmatism is very hard to correct satisfactorily with toric contacts because it is hard to keep them at the correct axis as you blink. When they get off axis, your vision is usually worse than without correction.

Kate 23 Dec 2009, 07:59

Cactus Jack

I am in the UK and have been to most of the mainstream opticians (Specsavers, D+A, Vision Express, Boots). I've never been to an independant before. I find their glasses more expensive and am less happy taking the script away and then shopping elsewhere, though I probably shouldn't be. I will ask around and see if I can get a recommendation. I think i've mentioned this before but i've never had any luck getting contact lenses in the UK either whereas I get the feeling eye docs in the US will prescribe lenses for any prescription. Being someone who is interested in all things to do with eyes and vision I get very frustrated indeed when I want someone to help me get the best possible vision that I can!

Kate

r.o. 22 Dec 2009, 18:50

It surprises me not, Cactus Jack.

Cactus Jack 22 Dec 2009, 15:39

Kate,

Don't be afraid to change optometrists. It took me a while to find a a really good one. One thing to remember, the optometrist will see you for about 15 minutes, but you have to wear the glasses for a year. If you are not sure which lens is clearer or blurrier, in the case of determining the axis, ask to see it again.

I have had the best luck with younger ODs who are independent or semi-independent. Surprisingly I found a very good one a a local Wal-Mart.

Kate 22 Dec 2009, 15:00

Hi Cactus Jack

OK, I will try and remember what you said in your previous post when I have the test. My experience of optometrists is that they don't have much patience and expect you to say 'first' or 'second' in a few seconds. I find that hard! I guess I should tell them to slow up a bit, and I guess the other thing is that if i'm not happy wiht how I see once I get new specs they should sort that out for me (OK within a certain time frame) shouldn't they?

My test will be early in Jan. Will let you know how it goes!

Kate

Cactus Jack 22 Dec 2009, 12:02

Kate,

There is no real significance to the phenomenon you described, The primary change is in the horizontal (0 degree) axis. There has likely been a small change in your Rx. The important thing is for the cylinder correction to be accurate. Remember, the examiner must depend on your responses to the questions. Do not hesitate to ask to see a lens again and please be sure you understand my previous post.

Kate 22 Dec 2009, 06:56

Cactus Jack.

Thanks for that, very interesting. I've just discovered that I get slightly better vision when I tilt my glasses upwards i.e. instead of putting them level on my ears, put them abit above into my hair. Does this mean anything? I read that people with minus prescriptions that need more sph tend to get better vision doing this. Does this apply for hyperopes or astigmatism? I would imagine for hyperopes it means the opposite. Am just curious. I will get an exam in Jan as I am fed up with not seeing properly both with and without my glasses!

Merry Christmas

Kate

Cactus Jack 15 Dec 2009, 13:56

Kate,

Cylinder and its angle for correcting astigmatism is very hard to prescribe accurately, particularly at low values of cylinder, because it depends to a large extent on the skill of the patient. What makes it hard is that you have to judge relative blurriness as the examiner flips a lens back and forth. The lens is mounted so that as it is flipped back and forth, its two positions are 45 degrees either side of the actual angle. When I am being examined, I try to do two things to improve the accuracy of the cylinder and axis Rx.

1. I try to concentrate on a "O" if possible. Letters with straight lines more obviously will alternate in clarity depending on the direction of the line, the angle of my astigmatism, and the angle of the lenses. An "O" seems to make it easier to judge blurriness because it has no straight lines.

2. Also, I ask the examiner if he/she will allow me to "fine tune" the angle when the sphere, cylinder and axis are determined. Most will place your hand on the angle knob and you can rotate it back and forth slightly for the sharpest image. This is done with each eye before the final phase of the exam where both eyes are checked together.

One other thing to check is equal sharpness of the individual images. This is best done when you are shown two separated images (muscle balance check). If both images are not equally sharp, you should advise the examiner. Absolute sharpness for the muscle balance check is not important at this point, but the images need to be the same degree of sharpness. Absolute sharpness becomes important a few steps later in the exam when the examiner is increasing the sphere in both eyes at the same time for the best overall correction and ability to read as far down the chart as possible.

An eye exam is very subjecting because the examiner can't tell what you are actually seeing, only what you tell him/her what you see.

Kate 15 Dec 2009, 12:03

Willy

Thanks. I've experimented with angles as best as I can but it is rather difficult to do! I think there is a very slight improvement if I rotate the lens a little but it really is hard to tell.

My near vision is definitely better with the glasses, and things generally look sharper all around but there is just something not quite right. If I cover my left eye and look over my glasses with my right eye I can see better in the distance without the lens. Wearing my glasses tends to give me a bit of a sore/achey right eye and things in the distance seem to look a bit distorted and focusing on particular things like signs is hard. I do think it has something to do with the cyl Rx, although do you think I could have a similar problem if the sph is either too weak or too strong?

Because of the problem i've recently reverted back to not wearing my glasses full time, which is OK, but when I do put them on for certain things it takes me a while to adjust again which I find really annoying and uncomfortable.

I guess the only way to find out is to get an exam. It is a year and a half since my last one.

Willy 07 Dec 2009, 07:24

Kate - guest is correct about experimenting with rotating the glasses. Alternatively, do you find that the right eye is less clear than without glasses, or is it clearer than without, but just not as clear as you'd like? It may be that you need a stronger sphere or cylinder correction in that eye. Let us know.

andrea 06 Dec 2009, 12:45

guest,

yes, my astigmatism is corrected, -0.50 in both eyes. Sometimes when I blink the angle changes only slightly, sometimes up to 45 degrees.

guest 06 Dec 2009, 02:08

@andrea

Is your astigmatism corrected? Are the given values the shere? How much does the angle change per blink? Actually I noticed this myself. I have .5 astigmatism and it varies in a range of approximately 30 degrees.

@Kate

Just cover your left eye (don't close it with the lid) and look through your glasses with the right eye and try different angles by turning them. If you find another angle is sharper then it is probably wrong.

Kate 05 Dec 2009, 13:50

I've been wearing my glasses full time since September (see earlier posts) to correct for low hyperopia and astigmatism. I've been having some problems focussing at distance though my close vision is perfect. Any ideas what is wrong? Since I first got that pair of glasses prescribed I noticed my distance vision in my right eye was a little off, and this hasn't adjusted over time. I wonder if the axis is wrong. I want to find my old scripts as I think looking at the numbers it may be a few degrees different to my old specs. Would it be that noticeable if it was?

andrea 05 Dec 2009, 07:33

Hi!

I have a stable prescription of about -1 -0,5 for five years, doing an eye exam every two years. Recently I noticed, by checking the online astigmatism test, that my astigmatism changes every time I blink, especially in the left eye.

Is this normal??

Katy 15 Oct 2009, 08:33

Thanks JD, I think I might order some and see how they are :-)

JD 15 Oct 2009, 04:04

Katy,

Re Daysoft contact lenses. I use them on a regular basis without any problems.

Quality certainly has not been sacrificed for price.

Katy 15 Oct 2009, 02:15

Still on contact lenses theme (not sure where else to put this), has anyone tried these?:

http://www.daysoftcontactlenses.com/GB/CountryHomepage.aspx

They seem amazingly cheap but I don't know how you could tell if they're ok/safe to use or not.

russell 13 Oct 2009, 02:21

One of two things may have happened: 1.) She may never have needed the astigmatism correction.

2.) She may still need it but it is so small that her optometrist may not have detected it.

Refraction for glasses is subjective. It all depends on the response that is given at the time of the exam. And with a relatively small correction, a responder may say "yes" or "no" and then get the glasses and never realize that things could be better with a little additional correction.

minus 5 who luvs gwgs 12 Oct 2009, 22:38

Sorry typo she is 51 !!!

minus 5 who luvs gwgs 12 Oct 2009, 22:37

Is it normal for astigmatism to disappear My gf age 52 is a -6.50/-5.50 myope she had astigmatism of about -0.50 in both eyes until about 2 years ago but for the past 2 tests it has apparently gone

Katy 12 Oct 2009, 13:36

I tried some toric contact lenses the other day - I had been passing a local opticians and seen an ad for a free trial, so went in and ended up being persuaded to try them there and then! They were strange compared to what I remember of cls from when I had them before - when I looked in a mirror they looked really big - much bigger than my irises, and so really noticeable. Also the vision wasn't brilliant, not like with glasses. Has anyone here any experience of toric cls? Do they always look so big?! These were Acuvue - apparently they are 'melon shaped' now rather than weighted. I'm wondering whether I can get away with normal ones - cyl is -0.75 and -1.25.

mommy 20 Sep 2009, 10:12

sorry, I meant Cactus Jack. Must've had Pirates on my mind!

Melyssa 19 Sep 2009, 06:56

The place where I get the vast majority of my glasses usually does them in one hour. But with my RX, I found out recently that the reason it takes a week to do my glasses, even just updating lenses in old(er) frames, is not because of my -9 diopters, but because of my +3 cylinders of astigmatism.

mommy 19 Sep 2009, 04:24

Thank you for the responses!

Captain Jack, we live in Michigan. My daughter will go back in 6 months for another check. She's been under the care of a pediatric ophthalmologist for almost two years-she had surgery in January to correct bilateral ptosis (drooping eyelids). She may need another surgery when she's older. Right now they can't raise her lids any higher as they don't shut all the way in their current position.

The optician that dispensed her glasses questioned going that long before a recheck, but the pediatrician said it may be because she needs the time to get used to "seeing".

Thank you to the person that posted the link. I'll have a headache the rest of the day :) I can now see why she couldn't identify a difference between animals in the field behind our house!

As for long-term strategy, I think the opthalmologist is doing a wait-and-see. He's not sure if the lids are still putting pressure on the lids or if the astigmatism worsened between the last check and her surgery.

As for when I asked how bad her eyes were, all he said was "bad enough that she needs glasses". Not much help to me, who's never worn them!

Cactus Jack 19 Sep 2009, 02:14

Mommy,

Guest is correct. The simulator is a very good one, but if you do not read German, the first block is age, the second block is sphere and the third block is cylinder. The "GO" button is in the lower right corner of the square.

The Rx was written without the decimal points. For example, the sphere and cylinder should be written and entered as -2.00 and + 2.25. The axis is number from 1 to 180 or 0 to 179 but is not required for this simulator.

With this substantial first Rx, it will take a while for your daughter to get used to seeing properly. Fortunately, you have discovered your daughter's vision problems at an age when the vision center in her brain is still developing. It is likely that she has not learned to control her focusing muscles and eye positioning muscles very well and the PT should help her do that rapidly. It takes a newborn with good vision about a month to learn how to control their vision system and vision plays a significant role in balance. Initially, development will seem slow but then, once the basics have been learned, it should proceed rapidly. Be aware that until she learns to control her focus mechanism, she may need bifocals and/or or she may need frequent Rx changes. It is possible that she was prescribed less minus sphere than she really requires for good distance vision, to help her develop her focusing system for close vision.

Hopefully, the Doctor asked to see her again in a few months and you will know to ask him/her to explain the strategy for her long term vision correction, so you will know what to expect.

May I ask where you live?.

guest 19 Sep 2009, 01:15

@Kate

A person with a -1 -.5 script can see clear in distances up to 1 m and a person with +1 -.5 has to strain the eyes on every distance. I think, that is what Willy is saying.

@mommy

Your doughter has a very strong astigmatism. With that amount she can't see clear at any distance and has propably a lot of eyestrain and headaches. For an estimated view of her sight check http://www.optiker.at/simulator/

Kate 18 Sep 2009, 14:12

Willy

Thanks for the encouragement :-)

However, not being a myope myself I don't really understand what you are getting at when you say 'unlike for example a -1 sph, -0.5 cyl myope'......am very interested to know what you mean though.

I think I will go full time, I don't feel I can put up much more with the eye aches etc. I just need to get some new frames and feel really comfortable with how I look as well.

Cactus Jack 18 Sep 2009, 14:04

Kate,

The rule of thumb for low cylinder correction in both + and - sphere only contacts is to add 1/2 the cylinder Rx to the sphere value of the contacts. In the case of +1.00 contacts and -0.5 cylinder. The result would be +0.75 contacts. In most instances the examiner would try +.75 contacts. For cylinder of -0.25 they would likely just prescribe the sphere value.

Astigmatism is caused by uneven curvature of the front surface of the cornea and even a soft contact can slightly correct the unevenness to the point where it is not much of a nuisance.

The reason torics are not fitted for low cylinder is that many of the lenses depend on the uneven curvature of the cornea to keep them aligned on the proper axis. If the curvature is low, the lenses may rotate and get out of position which, rather than correct the astigmatism, makes it worse.

Willy 18 Sep 2009, 13:44

Dieter and Kate -- I can't speak on contacts and I won't totally get into the optics (I'll leave that to Cactus Jack), but Kate, as a hyperope with astigmatism, if you discern that you see more clearly and comfortably with your glasses at all distances, then you should not feel at all "guilty" about wearing them full time. The combination of the hyperopia and astigmatism means that you cannot get a clear picture at any distance without effort (unlike for example a -1 sph, -0.5 cyl myope), and once your eyes are used to having both problems corrected, they will strain more without the glasses. But let us know what you decide...!

Dieter 18 Sep 2009, 12:35

Kate,

That's a good question. Perhaps Cactus Jack or someone who has dealt more with plus prescriptions can answer. I'd like to know that, too.

Kate 18 Sep 2009, 11:56

Dieter

Does that apply for plus contacts as well, i.e. my glasses Rx is +1.0 and +0.75. Surely adding 0.25 to sphere (as my cyl is 0.5 in both eyes) would not work?

Dieter 18 Sep 2009, 11:47

Dan,

For contacts, it is customary for eye docs to increase the sphere by half of the cylinder to accommodate for astigmatism until they prescribe toric lenses. My wife has the same astigmatism as you so I am surprised at your contacts prescription. I would expect a glasses script of -1.00 -.50 x 90 and -.75 -.50 x 90 to become a contacts script of -1.25 and -1.00. In other words "bumping" the sphere by -.25 (half of the -.50 cyl).

mommy 18 Sep 2009, 11:44

I was wondering if someone could give me some insight. My daughter recently was given a glasses prescription. Based on her prescription can you tell me just how bad her eyes are? What does she see without them? She's not quite three and can't tell me herself.

Rt: sph -200 cyl +225 axis 100

Left: sph -125 cyl +275 axis 60

Any insight is appreciated. She's having some learning difficulties that the doctor is attributing to her eye problems. She's also currently having balance issues with the glasses on, so she's starting some PT soon for that.

Dan 18 Sep 2009, 09:08

Kate,

I live in the US and I feel my vision is the same with both glasses and contacts. I know that for mild astigmatism it usually can be almost unnoticable if corrected in the sphere for contacts. I had no trouble having the doctor prescribe me contacts.

Kate 18 Sep 2009, 03:17

Dan,

Thanks, that's interesting to know. Do you mean the contacts you wear only correct the sphere Rx and not the astigmatism? If so, how do you feel your vision differs between that and glasses? Also are you in the UK, did you have any problems getting contacts for that Rx? I totally agree about prefering crisp vision all the time.

Dan 17 Sep 2009, 19:11

Kate,

I have -1.00 -.50 x 90 and -.75 -.50 x 90 as my prescription and I wear my glasses all the time (usually contacts though which are -1.00 and -.75). I don't like the blurry vision w/o correction.

Clare 17 Sep 2009, 11:55

Danbert, Kate - I have -0.50 of astigmatism in one eye and when I compare with the other, which is only -0.25 less in sphere but with no cyl, the difference seems quite signficant in terms of how blurry one eye is to the other. Overall though I probably couldn't tell if the astigmatism makes any difference other than that.

Danbert 17 Sep 2009, 10:21

@Kate: As CJ says a few posts ago (22nd August), it doesn't necessarily take much astigmatism to make clear focusing difficult.

A good friend of mine only wears glasses at night or when she has to read a sign/billboard or view something in the far distance. She insists that her vision is ok, just slightly blurry. Once we were out sightseeing and she commented on something in view to which I replied that it was clearly visible about 1km back. Of course that was a little mean of me, but if she had worn her glasses she too could have made out that finer detail.

I have other friends with prescriptions which look very low and yet I have never seen them without specs on. Ever. I don't know what they're seeing without glasses, but I doubt they're all "blind as a bat" without glasses.

It comes down to your personal comfort. If you want to wear them all the time, just do it. If you only want to wear them some of the time, that's fine too. Who cares what anyone else thinks. Most of the time they probably don't think anything of it at all, and if they do, they are probably just curious, like the friend you talk about.

Kate 17 Sep 2009, 09:59

Hey there

It is interesting to see so many perspectives on astigmatism. My Rx is Left eye: +0.75 -0.5 x 70, right eye +1.0 -0.5 x 130. I'm 25 and do a lot of reading and computer work for my job and when i'm not doing that i've driving.

My first prescription a few years ago was +0.50 in both eyes with same cyl as now. My eye doctor was reluctant to give me glasses even though the reason i'd gone was increased headaches and general eye discomfort for most activities. She said it would make little difference to what I could see, but I suggested that seeing was not the issue but the strain my eyes were under to see was. Alas I came away with no glasses but after a few more weeks of discomfort and went back and insisted that since she'd given me a real, albeit, 'low' Rx that if she didn't make up glasses for me, someone would.

I do genuinely think that 0.5D cyl is noticeable and having persevered and got glasses in the end and it made a real difference to my comfort. However I was advised to only wear the glasses when absolutely necessary - whatever one might interpret that as being!

Anyway, I am glad that many of you share the feeling that 0.5D cyl can really have an effect and that there is no reason to discourage correction for this. But the point still remains, should those with only mild hyperopia/myopia like myself but with 0.5 cyl be tempted to wear their specs full time? I am constantly umming and arring over this and I end up going several days wearing my glasses all day long, then some days I don't. I admit that I feel a bit of a fraud wearing them all day when others around me who have more significant plus or minus prescriptions don't. Instead they take them on and off. I think it comes back to the noticeable blur/distortion at all distances from the astigmatism. I'd like it if my astigmatism increased to at least 0.75 then i'd feel a really good reason to become and full time wearer. What do others think?

On days when I've not been wearing my specs, more than one friend/colleague with little knowledge of vision asked me why some days I wore the glasses and others I didn't. To prevent getting into a long discussion I just said that sometimes I wore contacts (though I know that with 0.5 cyl contacts do not exist, and even when I asked an eye doctor about the possibility of contacts he shunned the idea. But it is interesting to read here that it is not impossible to do with either aspheric lenses or adding 0.25 of a dioptre).

Cactus Jack 23 Aug 2009, 07:46

bel,

Possibly, the test would be how well you see distant signs in low light conditions. If you find that you see better under those conditions, I suggest wearing them.

At 21, you should still have plenty of accommodation so a reading add would be optional. If you do a lot of reading, (for example studying) and seem to be having some discomfort, you might consider a +1.00 add or just some reading glasses from an on line retailer. Either are inexpensive and easy to order.

bel 22 Aug 2009, 19:05

Thanks C, I am 21. I checked the new Rx again and there wasn't an add in there. Also, should I use these glasses for driving? My optician told me to use them whenever I feel the need to.

Cactus Jack 22 Aug 2009, 17:39

bel,

Yes, your eyes and brain are not having to work as hard to focus clearly. It is amazing how little astigmatism it takes to make reading uncomfortable, and computers involve a lot of reading. You didn't mention any add in your new Rx. I suspect you should have an add for reading.

May I ask your age?

bel 22 Aug 2009, 16:43

Thanks C. I switched opticians recently and got a new Rx as follows:

L & R: +0.50 -0.25 X 180

My previous Rx:

L: +0.50 -- -- add +0.50

R: -- -- -- add +0.50

I find that the older Rx is better for reading whereas I get headaches if I use them on the computer. The one with the astigmatism component is a lot more comfortable on the computer compared to the older pair. Is there a reason for this?

Cactus Jack 22 Aug 2009, 13:37

bel,

It would make fine text a bit harder to read comfortably, small distant objects hard to see clearly, and distant signs a little blurry. If the hyperopia is uncorrected it would make reading more uncomfortable because it is impossible to focus an image accurately on the retina without external correction resulting in constant effort to focus.

bel 22 Aug 2009, 08:57

I'm curious to know what the impact of -0.25 of astigmatism combined with very mild hyperopia is on vision?

Cactus Jack 21 Aug 2009, 04:14

NickC,

With that much astigmatism, she really needs to wear them full time. There is no possible way she can accommodate and see clearly at any distance without external correction. I think she will be surprised at how much easier it will be to read and see small objects with them.

NickC 21 Aug 2009, 03:50

My gf just got glasses for astigmatism, her prescreption is

+/-0.00 -1.75 160

+/-0.00 -1.25 20

Should she be wearing them all the time? Or just when she needs them?

thanks

Cactus Jack 17 Mar 2009, 20:45

What have they done . .

Based on your most recent post, it appears that I was mistaken and you would like to learn a bit about what has happened.

Lets talk about Vision first. Vision actually occurs in the brain and the eyes are merely biological cameras. The brain has a very sophisticated image processing system. Image processing begins in the retina located at the back of the eyeball. In many ways it is similar to the image sensor in a digital camera. The retina has two types of light sensitive cells. They are called Rods and Cones. There are about 120 million Rods and about 6 to 7 million Cones. The Rods are very sensitive to light, but they are not sensitive to color. The Cones are sensitive to color, but not nearly as sensitive to light as the Rods which is why you don't see color in very dim light.

The Retina actually preprocess the image and sends it to the brain via the Optic Nerve. The Optic Nerve has only about 1 million nerve fibers so the retina has to do considerable processing to squeeze the signals from the nearly 130 million individual Rods and Cones onto the Optic Nerve which caries the signal to the Visual Cortex in the brain. Where vision actually occurs.

The brain has an extremely sophisticated image storage an processing system which is capable of creating images with no input from the eyes. Dreams and hallucinations are an example. In addition, it can create a reasonably clear image from a blurry image if it knows or thinks it knows what something is supposed to look like, but it takes a lot of energy, effort, and processing power to do it.

You are a bit young to remember the first pictures returned from space by the Hubble Space Telescope. They were very fuzzy and almost useless. It initially was believed that the HST was a billion dollar disaster. Then it was discovered that by applying a huge amount of computer power, it was possible to improve the images enough to make them useful. Further investigation revealed that the mirror had been incorrectly ground and the error had not been detected prior to launch. The fix turned out to be rather simple. Fit the HST with a corrective lens -glasses! The fix was simple, but the installation was a bear involving astronauts, the space shuttle, and lots of money. The end result are the incredible pictures of the depths of the universe with minimal extra processing.

Essentially, that is what your glasses do, is relieve your brain of the task of turning poor images into usable ones almost instantly.

Why did you adapt so quickly? Your glasses relieved your brain of a lot of work. If you had a job of drilling holes using a hand drill and someone gave you an electric drill. How long would it take you to decide that it was easier to make holes with the electric drill and how excited would you be about going back to a hand drill?

Now your eyes. They are simply biological cameras and in your case, you have two problems. The primary problem is that you are near or short sighted as indicated by the sphere correction of -0.75. What that means is that your eyeballs are a tiny bit (not quite 1mm) too long for the optical power of your eyes optical system. The optical system consists of the Cornea which is at the front of your eye and the Crystaline Lens which is the autofocus lens of your biological camera. -0.75 means that you should be able to see things closer than 1.3 meters or 52 inches pretty clearly, but everything beyond that distance gets increasingly blurry.

The complicating factor is your astigmatism as indicated by the -0.75 of cylinder. Astigmatism is usually caused by the Cornea not having a smooth curve. Ideally, the cornea should have a smooth curve like a section of a ball that has been sliced off. With astigmatism the curve is not smooth but in one direction (the axis) it has a cylindrical shape like a section sliced off the side of a can. In your case, it isn't very much, but it can cause lots of problems. In the direction of the axis, things are blurry beyond 66 cm or 26 inches and at 90 degrees to the axis only the sphere is working against you. The result can be something like the horizontal lines on an "E" might be in focus and the vertical line might be blurry.

You glasses should fix both problems and you should see clearly at all distances.

That was pretty long winded, but I hope it helps you understand what has happened. You can force your brain to go back to doing unnecessary work or you can let it relax and spend its time doing other, more useful things.

Will your prescription change? Probably. at your age, you may get a little more nearsighted, bt I suspect you astigmatism will be pretty stable.

matthewson 17 Mar 2009, 15:21

in the end of the day, fetish or not: it's just glass, get over it, get LASIK or deal with it. Nothing harmful to look through glasses and see well, if you hate it there are other options. Having glasses is no stigma or whatever, most people find it either sexy or at least they do not care so whatever. Don't worry, at least you can see.

Puffin 17 Mar 2009, 14:47

I would point out at this point there are many human conditions & problems that are not so easily solved as putting on glasses. Some can't be solved at all. So, perhaps "what have they done to me" should be grateful something can be done.

Cactus Jack 17 Mar 2009, 14:25

What have they done to me?!

I guess mutual apologies are in order. I try not to be an arsehole, as you say, but unfortunately, I got the impression I was dealing with a closed mind and thought I might have to "kick open the door to knowledge". The opening line (the name you chose to use) of your post gave me the impression that you felt you had been in some way severely harmed and were deeply upset and offended by having to wear glasses and wanted your pre-glasses vision back.

Astigmatism and vision are complex subjects to explain and I don't mind doing it, but again I got the impression that you were not asking questions.

I regret that I am a bit rushed for time right now, but I will try to give you a more detailed explanation of what happened and why, a little later.

It would be helpful to know your occupation and educational background. I think we would like to welcome you to the discussion under a different name, if you so choose.

eyespy 17 Mar 2009, 13:49

What have they done to me?!

Having recognised that these glasses are beneficial, how much are you wearing them? The fact is that your eyesight is now much improved and it's hard to go back to where you were. You just didn't know there was an improvement to be had. I think that people are different in terms of how readily they accept perfect vision. Some people can get by for a long time but others, like you I guess, immediately notice the difference and for those people it becomes harder to go without the necessary correction. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get used to, and even enjoy, good vision.

What have they done to me?! 17 Mar 2009, 10:21

I thought it would be a waste of effort to try to explain astigmatism and its effects in words of one syllable or less.

---------------

Either you've misinterpreted my post, or you're just an arsehole. I'll offer the benefit of the doubt though, since I'd like to think I'm not one to judge someone based on a short forum post!

I don't have an issue with my glasses, nor the recommendation to use them - I was however shocked at just how quickly I adapted to them and how quickly my sight without them seemed to deteriorate. I certainly feel I've been missing out for the past few years and just wanted a little advice on my prescription and what it actually means to me. I appear to have offended you however, for that I apologise.

benn 17 Mar 2009, 05:09

I am not sure about angle, I was told I have two types of astigmatism, one on the outside of the lens and one in the back of the eye. CL's are not as good as glasses.

guest 17 Mar 2009, 04:36

I've also heard that the 'angle' of the astigmatism makes a difference too.

I have -0.50 and it's oblique. I do get eyestrain in that eye if I'm not wearing my specs so I assume it is the astimatism. Is that a fair assumption?

Can anyone explain why the angle makes a difference?

benn 16 Mar 2009, 19:39

Agreed, I just wanted to "lean" on the age thing a little.

I am -2.50 cylinder each eye. I get a headache within minutes without correction.

Cactus Jack 16 Mar 2009, 16:51

benn,

My comments were meant pretty specifically for " What have they done to me?!". Based on the post, he said he was 22 and only had the exam and got the glasses because of a free voucher from his employer. I have the impression that whatever his lifestyle and occupation, vision and reading are not very important to him now and were not important in school.

I suspect that if he stops wearing his glasses immediately. he can revert back to seeing poorly and not noticing it with his HD TV at 5 feet. I wonder at the screen size. The more he gets used to seeing well, the harder it will be to go back to his former glasses free existence.

I thought it would be a waste of effort to try to explain astigmatism and its effects in words of one syllable or less.

Holden 16 Mar 2009, 10:29

My wife will be 40 this summer. She is also on the precipice of needing bifocals - her last exam showed she's at +.75 for the 'add' but the doctor did not include it in her Rx.

I am not sure why it wasn't included, but it is doubtful she'll be able to put that off much longer.

benn 16 Mar 2009, 10:13

The older you are and as you age astigmatism becomes a tough job to overcome without correction.

Catus Jack says a couple weeks your brain will go back and your headaches go away, but with age, I don't think it will.

Holden 16 Mar 2009, 09:33

Val,

My wife has astigmatism and a very smiliar Rx to yours:

R: -.75 -1.00 x120

L: -.50 -1.00 x82

When she first got them in late 2006, she was steadfast in only wearing them for driving at night. Then she started wearing them for the blackboard at school, for the computer, for the movies, for reading, etc.

She is now close to full-time wear - pretty much everything except for first thing in the morning and when she is at the gym. Everything else is Rx sunglasses and glasses.

She has multiple pairs now that look great and she is much more at ease with wearing glasses. Fundamentally, she now appreciates being able to see her best at all times. Before she made comments like, 'I can see good enough.'

I don't hear that amymore. Good luck!

Cactus Jack 16 Mar 2009, 05:06

What have they done to me?!

Answer: Corrected your vision.

Vision occurs in the brain, your eyes are merely biological cameras. Up to now, your eyes have been providing images that are out-of-focus and distorted because of your astigmatism. Your brain has learned to do an acceptable (to you) job of processing these images to allow you to function at a level you apparently like.

When you got your glasses, your brain quickly got used to the fact that it didn't have to work very hard to process the images and could do other things with the resources. However, all is not lost.

All you have to do is do what you did several years ago. Quit wearing your glasses. In a few days or a week or two, your brain will recover its skill at processing poor images and you will soon forget what it was like to have good, effortless vision. However, be prepared for some discomfort and perhaps headaches as you force your brain to go back to wasting its energy on helping you see. In a few days that will go away.

Val 15 Mar 2009, 23:32

Eddie, 0.5D of cylinder is capable of getting you some headaches. But, if you are confortable with the OTC readers, you may wear them, at least until your next change in prescription.

What have they done to me?! 15 Mar 2009, 16:00

Hey guys/gals,

I had some glasses for school when I was about 13-14, but they just got neglected and forgotten - I've not really been wearing since.

I'm now 22 and got some vouchers from work for a free test and cheap specs - so I went with it and got the following prescription:

SPH L: -0.75

SPH R: -0.75

CYL L: -0.75

CYL R: -0.75

AXIS L: 82

AXIS R: 80

The optician explained that I had a bit of astigmatism and really shouldn't have been driving for the past 5 years, and was surprised I'd not opted for an eye exam sooner.

I've got my specs now, and have been wearing for a couple of days. I don't know much about eye prescriptions and what they mean - but I was well under the impression this was an extremely mild prescription.

After just two days though, I can't see a bloody thing without them! I can't watch TV (even in HD :P) and read any text on the screen from my couch which is only 5 feet away or so, can barely see font any smaller than 12pt on my PC, can't make out numbers on my clock or the titles on my DVD rack without getting up close - I'm sure I wasn't this bad a couple of days ago!

What's the deal with Astigmatism, and is this normal to grow quite a dependency to an almost non existent prescription in just a couple of days?

Cheers :)

Eddie 23 Feb 2009, 11:05

I posted this on another topic board and then found this thread:

I got a Blackberry and started having trouble reading the keyboard so I bought some +1.50 readers that are great. Now that I have become more dependent on them I decided to bite the bullet and get my first eye exam. Distance vision is off a bit, he says -.50, and he says the readers at +1.50 are good for me but says I have stigmatism at -.50 right and +.25 left. He says I don't really need the distance correction at this time, but told me I should get proper reading glasses made up ($90) to account for the stigmatism. Over the counters are $10 or so. Am I being hustled for an expensive pair of readers or can I buy the cheap ones?

(Now I realize I should have tried readers with and without the cyl correction to see the difference.)

Guest 05 Feb 2009, 05:36

Interesting discussion about astigmatism. I have -0.50 in one eye and a mild Rx for myopia. When I explained to my eye dr that I get headaches when I don't wear glasses, but only in one eye (the one with astigmatism) he only told me that myopes don't tend to get headaches.

Now I'm thinking that maybe it isn't the myopia but the astigmatism that causes the headaches. I don't get it when I'm wearing glasses, duh! My Rx is -1.50 both eyes, plus astigmatism in one eye. Worth trying fulltime wear for comfort do you think?

Aubrac 05 Feb 2009, 03:26

eyespy

Would agree with the prious posters. My wife has +1.50R/+1.75L with cylinder correction of -0.50 40R and -0.75 120L.

While her plus may cause similar lack of distance vision as your friend it is the astigmatism that makes reading difficult and reading any signs, notices, etc, at distance.

Astigmatism makes it difficult to differentiate between for example, upright strokes of an 'n' and a 'w', and can lead to mispelling of words.

There are many full time wearers who without any plus/minus correction wear a low cylinder correction.

Puffin 05 Feb 2009, 03:12

I suppose there is some truth to that. I imagine a large RX would encourage you to accept you have poor vision and it's not worth squinting and struggling (hence glasses) whereas a small RX it would be worth saying to yourself "oh its not too bad" and hence no glasses.

eyespy 05 Feb 2009, 01:35

Julian

Last post was from me! Too quick ...!

05 Feb 2009, 01:35

Julian

That sounds like an interesting volume. I've never had astigmatism (maybe I'm unusual) just myopia. I think girls are more sensitive about wearing glasses for smaller Rxs and if they're not told they should they just put up with it. Just what I've observed anyway. Guys seems to be far less prepared to suffer.

Julian 05 Feb 2009, 01:27

Somewhere, probably in some box that hasn't been unpacked since I moved across country, I have an ancient copy of Duke-Elder's 'The Practice of Refraction', and he says that slight refractive errors cause more eyestrain than severe ones, because if you have a small amount of myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism you can force yourself to see by squinting or whatever, whereas with really bad vision no amount of straining gives you good vision, so your eyes don't try and you don't suffer. My guess is that is even truer of astigmatism than of the other errors.

eyespy 05 Feb 2009, 00:45

Like Lenses

I'll pass on your recommendation, thanks! She wouldn't listen to me :-0

Like Lenses 05 Feb 2009, 00:26

eyespy

By all means the astigmatism is causing her headaches.

She should wear the glasses full time for about two weeks, as astigmatism glasses are harder to get used to. She may find them to be distorting at first, but that it why she needs to wear them full time to get used to it.

Sometime judging distances is odd until you get used to them. With my first pair, I would reach for a door knob, and it would hit my hand before I expected it to. Also had trouble with stepping up, or down a curb at first. But she will enjoy the incredible sharp vision.

I was amazed at how clear peoples faces were across a street.

eyespy 05 Feb 2009, 00:08

LikeLenses

Would you agree then that the astigmatism might be what's giving her the headaches? I suggested she wears her glasses to see if that alleviates it. Her rx is only quite low, she thinks about -1.25.

Like Lenses 04 Feb 2009, 23:28

eyespy

Astigmatism at .50 is very noticeable to most people. Books on optometry suggest full time wear at .75, and at 1.00 or more most people don't see well at all without correction.

Very different than nearsightedness, or farsightedness, in that all distances are blurred.

My RX is -1.50 with -1.50 cyl for each eye, and my uncorrected vision is a bit worse than 20/300, in good light, and 20/400 in poor light.With properly prescribed glasses,I have a little less than 20/20.

eyespy 04 Feb 2009, 19:58

Does anyone know what level of cyl starts to cause discomfort? I mean is it as low as 0.50 or would it be more? I guess for someone with low myopia it might be more noticeable since they might not always be wearing correction. A friend of mine has some astigmatism and wonders if that rather than the myopia is the cause of eyestrain when she doesn't wear her glasses. Any thoughts?

Holden 04 Jan 2009, 04:32

Clare,

I forgot to answer your earlier question. I don't know whether her astigmatism is irregular or more difficult to correct.

This is her astigmatism portion of her Rx:

R - 1.00 x 82

L - 1.00 x 120

Holden 04 Jan 2009, 04:23

Clare et al,

The 'feel like I'm drunk' sentiments wore off quickly after wearing her glasses for a few hours. Hey eyes have quickly accepted her new Rx.

What's interesting is that she has taken to close to full-time wear with this new Rx. She was wearing them all day, including at home, but she started to complain about the marks left on bridge of her nose. She does wear them all the time when she is out of the house though, and seems to have settled in nicely.

Based on your own experiences, what is the likelihood that she will change course and start wearing them less? Is it one of those things where, 'once you start you don't stop?'

Galileo 01 Jan 2009, 13:41

Yes, corrected astigmatism does make the wearer feel sea-sick. One of the reasons I only wear my glasses for driving is that I feel like I'm going to fall over when I wear them to walk around. My brain has adapted to the astigmatism (about -0.75) so when I put my glasses on circles look like ovals!

Clare 22 Dec 2008, 09:48

Holdne - it's sad but true, I did some research on astigmatism when mine doubled - albeit just from -0.25 to -0.50.

Apparently the angle counts too. Irregular/regular/whatever ... I have oblique which is apparently more difficult to correct, although I doubt it for such a small amount as mine.

Do you know what your wife's is? that may make some sort of difference.

Andrew 09 Dec 2008, 11:04

Changes in strength and axis of astigmatism correction can both have the effect of making the wearer feel a little seasick at first, but the effect soon wears off. The changes do not have to be enormous to be appreciated by the wearer, even if they are not obvious to others.

Holden 07 Dec 2008, 14:32

She got the first of her pairs of glasses returned from the lab yesterday with her new Rx. Her first reaction was interesting: "Whoa. I feel like a drunk. Boy, I can tell these are stronger."

Like Lenses 03 Dec 2008, 21:41

Holden

Well the one was -.50, and it is now -1.00 cyl. so that one has doubled, and as I said that most doctors suggest full time wear when the better eye is -.75 or more cyl.I found that in a book on optometry.

Even small ammount of astigmatism cause quite a bit of blur, at all distances.

Holden 03 Dec 2008, 20:00

Like Lenses,

May I ask how you arrived at your statement of a -1.00 astigmatism Rx warranting full-time wear? I am just curious as is it that much big a difference from what she had before?

She has been wearing her glasses about 80% of the time. Her new glasses will be ready next week.

Like Lenses 03 Dec 2008, 19:54

Holden

She will most likely wear these a lot as the -1.00 astigmatism in each eye would be rather blurred for both near and far,and the -.75 eye would be worse.

Most doctors suggest full time wear when the astigmatism in the better eye is -.75 or greater.

If she plays any sport in the gym, she could get some Rec Specs.

Holden 03 Dec 2008, 18:15

My wife had her exam today, and here are the results and comparison to 2007:

December 2008

-.75 - 1.00 x 82

-.50 - 1.00 x 120

November 2007

-.50 - .75 x 87

-.50 - .50 x 125

Yvonne 03 Dec 2008, 09:15

Cactus Jack,

I have read most of the posts but had no need to contribute until now. I visited my Optholmogist a day ago and was told that I am both myopic and hyperopic, I have astigmatism as well. How could a person be myopic and hyperopic at the same time? Please explain this RX: L -3.00/- Add +1.50

R -1.50/-0.75 Axis 83

Add +1.50

From my basic knowledge,the powers of the shpere and cylinder will be added with a result of:R -2.25 what happens to +1.50 and the axis of 85? I was prescribed RX for myopia only prior to this with an RX: -4.00 -3.00 respectively, why the change? What could cause this? Concerned.

Holden 02 Dec 2008, 12:10

My wife has her appointment tomorrow. I'll let folks know how it turns out.

Holden 13 Nov 2008, 09:35

My apologies....I see that Like Lenses gave several answers to my questions earlier in October.

Holden 13 Nov 2008, 09:31

Hello folks,

At the end of October in this thread, I was discussing my wife's situation with her slight myopic and astigmatic condition, and how she is gradually using them more and more for a broader range of activities than originally determined.

Her exam is in a few weeks. She recently got a Blackberry, and complained when the text was 'tiny' and so she enlarged the font size. Is this an indicator of presbyopia? She doesn't appear to hold it at a distance or anything - just says the print is small or tiny.

But since she wears her glasses to read all the time and these recent comments, I am curious if that is what is going on.

At her last exam (October 2007), she had a +.50 for the close up part of the test, but they did not include that in the Rx, because I don't think the doctor figured she would be wearing them for reading. So the -.50 she has for myopia would cancel out the +.50 for the add.

My question is, because she does wear them all the time for reading and close up work, how would a doctor remediate this with an Rx? Would she have bifocals with an add, bifocals with only the astigmatism correction on the bottom half of the lens with no add, or just be advised by the doctor to not wear them for reading?

I'll find out in 3 weeks, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.

Cactus Jack 03 Nov 2008, 13:21

The problem with prescribing correction for astigmatism is that it generally requires participation from the patient to identify relative degrees of blurriness when trying to bracket the angle. The examiner has no way to tell what I am seeing, only what I describe. It is particularly difficult to get the angle (axis) just right when the cylinder value is low.

During the part of the exam to determine cylinder and axis, I try to concentrate on an "O" if possible because the straight lines (strokes) of letters like K, E, etc. will will usually alternately appear clear and blurry as the examiner tries to bracket the angle. I usually ask if I can "fine tune" the angle at the end of that portion of the exam. At that point, I turn the knob for the sharpest overall image.

JP 03 Nov 2008, 12:26

I always wondered if astigmatism is so difficult because perhaps it changes in amount and axis over time. Perhaps even throughout the day.

Certainly my Rx shows low correlation between tests.

Dieter 01 Nov 2008, 08:57

Not only am I having trouble with my astigmatism this morning, but I am having even greater difficulty with typing on my new laptop keyboard. Sorry fur all tha misspelt wurds.

Dieter 01 Nov 2008, 08:52

Clare,

Cactus Jack has mentioned in the past that it is dificult for doctors to get the astimatism correction exactly correct. He stated that he has asked the doctor to allow him to put his hand on the dial and fine tune it.

glassesforeveryone 01 Nov 2008, 04:11

Hi Clare, I think it's like someone has already mentioned, a 'black art' to prescribe it. I do have some astigmatism -0.5. My prescription is milder than yours though, so maybe I notice the astigmatism more as a result?

I notice that if I wear contacts and work on the computer I notice I get some eye strain, as compared to wearing my glasses when I don't.

JR 31 Oct 2008, 16:55

Clare

I do GOC and one set I have is +6 toric and I can do better with them than I do Bare eyed. I am -2.50 astigmatism.

Clare 31 Oct 2008, 12:22

glassesforeveryone - no not at all. At least I don't think so which must mean any difference is very marginal. All I notice is the difference when uncorrected when the one with astigmatism seems alot worse. Have you got astigmatism too? I think I'd rather have more minus than more astigmatism.

diva 31 Oct 2008, 05:05

Art or indiv. optom preference?

I actually have no idea.

Last one showed me with and without toric lenses and toric was def clearer (with less minus but had some more astig).

I think.

But then for us it's a bit subjective as well? I was quite nervous as I get with any doctor over anything, so I am not sure if it's my distortion too.

However my differences appear to be minor. Not sure what to go with.

The Oaysis toric lenses seem pretty comfy though.

Phil 31 Oct 2008, 05:00

I'm -3.75 and over the years I've sometimes had a liitle astigmatism diagnosed and sometimes not. Usually it's just been -.25, sometimes in one eye, sometimes both, but once it was .5 in one. Is diagnosing low levels of astigmatism more of an art than a science?

diva 31 Oct 2008, 04:50

I have had diff optoms (not in US or UK) who have had different views on corrections.

One had me corrected with no astigmatism to -3 and -3.5 ...

The other had me with -2.5 and -.25 astig and -2.75 and -.5 astig ...

Another with -3 in each eye with -.25 astig and pretty much none in the other.

I'm really not that sure what to believe - I've changed optoms as I have changed cities and locations within those cities (3x within 12 years - i am 31 now).

So I am not particularly sure what is best / right - I do know that my eyes haven't really changed, but the interpretations of what is most appropriate change with the individual optometrist at times.

Interested to hear others' opinions.

(I'm referring from age 18/19 onwards - after most stages of changes).

glassesforeveryone 31 Oct 2008, 01:43

Hi Clare,

You wear contact lenses which I assume are not torics so don't correct for astigmatism (albeit they do a little due to the fact that they represent a more uniform curve than your eyeball). So, do you notice a degradation in your sight when you switch to contacts from your glasses? You'd have to assume this would be the effect of the astigmatism.

Dieter 30 Oct 2008, 14:58

Clare,

I switched doctors last year which changed my script from the - to +. Without considering the difference, it makes it appear that your myopia increases when really there may be no change at all.

Clare 30 Oct 2008, 13:33

Dieter - thanks. I just wondered how much difference a -0.50 makes. The -3 with the astigmatism seems alot worse than the straight -2.75 and I wondered if that was usual.

Dieter 30 Oct 2008, 08:22

Clare,

The + or - cyl for an astigmatism prescription is the thing that Cactus Jack explained to me last year. I don't know how it works in England (or elsewhere) but here in the US optometrists write scripts in - while ophthalmologists write +. When written as +, the axis is rotated 180 degrees (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) and the cylinder is added to the sphere. So a script of -3.00 -.25 becomes -3.25 +.25.

Clare 28 Oct 2008, 12:35

I don't know much about astigmatism but have had it prescribed on and off for a good few years, and always the lowest amount (-0.25). Now I've got -0.50, which I know is still small but I wondered how much even this contributes to diminished visual acuity and at what rx it becomes a problem. (I also have -3 in that eye).

Also - does it always increase as we get older? And what is the difference between a +cyl and a -cyl in vision terms?

Holden 28 Oct 2008, 07:27

She wearing them about 50% of the time. While she was originally disappointed that her astigmatism returned, she really didn't complain about it beyond a day or two.

She accepted it as part of her genes (both parents have substantial myopia and astigmatism). Then we invested money in 4 or 5 pairs of stylish plastic frames. She got a lot of compliments from friends, and doesn't put up a fuss at all about wearing them.

What she WILL put up a fuss about is being required to wear glasses full-time. She doesn't want to wear them at the gym, or basically be dependent on them for everything.

Thinker 27 Oct 2008, 23:23

Given that she had a previous stronger Rx she was used to having 100% vision which would explain, probably, why she has taken to fulltime wear with such a low prescription. It must be very disappointing for her. Does she ever say she is disappointed that the lasik has regressed?

Holden 27 Oct 2008, 20:05

She did not wear glasses at all because she had LASIK performed in late 1999.

Like Lenses 27 Oct 2008, 19:48

Did she wear glasses at all from 2000 untill 2006, and if not why ?

Holden 27 Oct 2008, 19:35

Like Lenses,

It is her second Rx. The progression is as follows:

She wore glasses full time until 2000 with an Rx of:

-3.75 - 1.50 (forget the angle)

-3.50 - 1.75 (forget the angle)

She then got glasses in October 2006 with an Rx of:

-.25 -.75 x87

-.25 -.50 x120

She was expected to wear these to drive at night and the PC.

Her visit to the doctor in October 2007 yielded the Rx as shown earlier in the string.

The doctor told her to not wear her new Rx when reading because 'it would make her dependent on them.' Well, she wore and wears only her glasses with the current Rx, regardless of the activity.

Like lenses 27 Oct 2008, 19:22

Holden,

Forgot to answer your questions.

With the amount and angle of her astigmatism, she certainly needs them for reading, and even more if the prescription goes up.

And yes they could, and probably will give her bifocals. She could get regular bifocals, or progressives.

Like Lenses 27 Oct 2008, 19:14

Holden,

At 39 and if this is a first prescription, there is a good chance that her prescription will get stronger for the myopia, and perhaps the astigmatism also. You had stated that it appears that she does not see as well even with the glasses, and that she tends to wear them more often.

If she gets stronger glasses, print will be even smaller, but sometimes so much sharper that no bifocal is needed. However she should tell the doctor that she is having trouble with the print, and he will most likely consider bifocals for her.

Most likely when she gets used to her new prescription, she will be wearing them full time, as vision without will be very blurred wheather they are bifocal or not.

Holden 27 Oct 2008, 18:16

Like Lenses,

This is interesting. At her last appointment, the doctor had a +.50 on her patient chart, but did not appear in her Rx. When I asked about it, the optician said that because she has a -.50 for myopia that they canceled out so there was no need to have progressives. It would seem though, that the doctor assumed that my wife did not wear her glasses for reading or other up close activities.

So they can make progressive glasses with the +.50 on the bottom and still include the astigmatism? Would most doctors go this route or would they simply tell the patient to not wear her glasses for close up work?

She has had this Rx for one year. She is 39.

Like Lenses 27 Oct 2008, 16:55

Holden,

Although her lenses are not that strong, because of the astigmatism things at any distance are not clear without the glasses.

Most doctors recommend wearing astigmatism glasses full time if the correction for it is -.75 or more in the better eye. Since her better eye is -.50 she could get by not wearing full time. However astigmatism glasses are harder to get used to than just plain myopic glasses, and after getting used to, vision is so much better, that many with prescriptions less than -.75 become very dependent on them, and vision without them is very blurred.

She may benefit from bifocals if reading print seems too small.If she is under 45 the doctor may prescribe a +.50 bifocal, which in reality would be giving her only the astigmatism correction for near, by cancelling out the -.50. She would still have the same prescription in the upper part of the lenses for distance.

How long has she had this prescription, and is it her first?

Jeremy 27 Oct 2008, 16:04

I have a new prescription for glasses for reading, +1.25's. For the left eye it shows astigmatism of -.75 186, no astig on the left. Can I get by with over the counter glasses or will I need to order from an optometrist. The Dr. wasn't very patient with me and I forgot to ask her.

Holden 26 Oct 2008, 19:39

Thanks folks.

Recently, she has also been complaining (slightly) about eyestrain when she reads for a long time. I was curious if that was because of reading with the myopia correction she has in her glasses. As I understand it, it is the astigmatism that prompts the need.

I'm seeing signs of needing progressive lenses. She complains about text being 'too small' when reading the menus at the restaurant (when she does not have her glasses on). Is that something that plus lenses would address - make the text larger for her?

DWV 26 Oct 2008, 19:25

I was ready for progressive lenses when I was 39; I'd been having some difficulty with near vision for a year or two before that.

She might notice an improvement in reading comfort, or close work, if she tried wearing a pair of drugstore reading glasses over her own pair (+1 to +1.50 power).

Cactus Jack 26 Oct 2008, 18:53

Holden,

She might develop a little pseudomyopia. It sometimes goes along with developing presbyopia because the stiffening crystaline lenses are slow to relax for distance vision and tend to retain a little plus from reading a lot. The excess plus has the same effect as being a little more myopic. Ultimately, bifocals or progressives will solve the problem after vanity gets out of the way.

Holden 26 Oct 2008, 18:06

I apologize as well for the reference to hair on my face in the last post.

Holden 26 Oct 2008, 17:58

My wife is scheduled for an eye appointment in January (about 15 months since her last appointment). I am wondering about some of the recent developments of our her glasses wearing pattern.

She has an Rx of:

-.50 -.75 x87

-.50 -.50 x120

She wears her glasses for all the time for the following activities - driving, reading, computer work, movies, watching TV, walking around at night, and grading kids papers at school.

She will also tend to wear her glasses when doing some close up tasks - removing in-grown hairs on my face, for instance, and last night, putting her glasses back on to read the menu.

In fact, last night she wore her glasses as usual for driving to the restaurant. Then, she took them off when she got out of the car, only to have to put them back on when she wasn't sure which block the restaurant was on. Then she took them off again, only to put them on two minutes later when it came time to read the menu. She did keep them on at that point for the rest of the night.

This behavior was somewhat unusual, and I think it has something to do with the fact that we were in a trendy place and she must have felt this was one time when she would wear them on an as-needed basis. Normally when we go out, her glasses stay on for the duration, with none of this on and off business.

In any case, I was fascinated with her continual trying to keep them off only to put them on twice before finally relenting to wear them for the evening.

Finally, she appears to be slightly more myopic than her current Rx - she cannot see some things I can from a distance - like some text when sitting in the back of a classroom.

She is 39.

My questions:

(1) Is it likely to develop further myopia when you are wearing glasses like she has for reading (she does a LOT of reading)?

(2) Understanding that everyone eventually develops presbyopia, is she at the onset of this condition?

(3) Should I expect her to need progressive lenses soon?

(4) Is this level of usage in line with her current Rx?

Thank you in advance for your help, and my apologies for the lengthy post.

Holden

Smudgeur 10 Sep 2008, 14:22

How bizarre to get 4 coca-cola league 1 fans on an international message board for the optically obsessed!

Good luck to the Franchise FC and Carlisle fans too (except when you play the mighty shrimpers of course!)

eyescene 10 Sep 2008, 14:21

How bizarre to get 4 coca-cola league 1 fans on an international message board for the optically obsessed!

Good luck to the Franchise FC and Carlisle fans too (except when you play the mighty shrimpers of course!)

nickweymouth 10 Sep 2008, 10:04

best of luck for the season to hanseland smudger

after all the MK Dons are going to need it if we keep playing like we did against swindon LOL

Like Lenses 09 Sep 2008, 20:20

Clare

Since you are OO, and a closet wearer, you should order a pair of glasses with CR 39 lens material. If you go with a larger lens size frame, the lenses will definately be chunky. Could be kind of fun to wear in the privacy of your home.

Hansel 08 Sep 2008, 23:19

Indeed, Smudgeur.

A true (CUFC) Blue.

Good luck for the season.

Hansel

nickweymouth 08 Sep 2008, 13:34

you wnat refs with bad eyesight look in hte cocacola div 1 was at mk dons v swindon lkast week least said the better

Smudgeur 08 Sep 2008, 13:28

Were you there Hansel?

Hansel 07 Sep 2008, 14:48

...although you were playing in red!

Horrible conditions, tight game, draw probably a fairer reflection.

So as not to get too far away from this site's purpose, very poor ref, for both sides, and clearly needed a trip to the optician as can be heard regularly at many a ground!

Best wishes

Hansel

Andrew 07 Sep 2008, 12:35

Many years ago, Smudgeur and I discovered we supported the same football team - the only one in the country that can boast a better record against Sir Alex Ferguson's crowd than he can against them - yes, the mighty Southend United FC. However, in spite of being in the same football ground at the same time, we have never met (yet). Maybe one day. However, for the moment...

Come on you Blues!

Hansel 06 Sep 2008, 13:26

A bit slow there...I assume therefore, Andrew, that you are from beyond London.

Hansel 06 Sep 2008, 11:34

But Carlisle won 2-1 today!

???

Andrew 06 Sep 2008, 09:54

I'd find it hard to drive past the Lake District - and the 2-1 defeat is probably about as good as it gets for us at Carlisle!

Clare 06 Sep 2008, 06:34

Like Lenses - just re-read your post - I prefer the vision with contacts. I read somewhere that it's common to reduce the prescription by -0.25 with aspheric contacts like mine, but my optician hasn't done that so maybe I'm a little over-prescribed.

Clare 06 Sep 2008, 06:31

Like Lenses - I wouldn't say my lenses are chunky yet as they're the thinner type. Surprised though at the comments about -0.50 cyl being strongish although that eye is definately bad, the other seems less so.

Smudgeur 06 Sep 2008, 03:46

Hi Andrew

Your wife's glasses sound really interesting - would love to see a picture.

Smudgeur

PS I presume you're not off to Carlisle today?

Andrew 05 Sep 2008, 09:58

Yes, it is. My wife is a case in point as she is +1.50 -4.50 in one eye, and slightly better in the other. Because of the axis of the cyl (about 180), the lenses look like typical plus lenses from head-on, although you can see power rings at the top and bottom of the lenses. She is able to function around the house without them, but cannot read anything except the largest print without them. Needless to say, I cannot see clearly through them at any distance.

Highmyope 04 Sep 2008, 20:20

--I guess she had astigmatism with a net plus in one axis and minus in the other one, something like, say +2.00 -4.00 x XXX°, is it possible?

Yep. Although the difference between cyl and sphere is usually not so extreme as this (cyl above -3 is pretty uncommon).

Tom 04 Sep 2008, 01:09

Interesting sighing few days ago, related (I think) to astigmatism. I was riding on my scooter when I stopped at a light at the side of a car driven by a young GWG. Her glasses gave a sort of combination of plus and minus effect. I mean, at first they looked as minus with the usual circles, but getting closer they gave the image through them a sort of distortion and the defocus effect usually given by plus lenses. Its not the first time I spot glasses like this, although not so common. I guess she had astigmatism with a net plus in one axis and minus in the other one, something like, say +2.00 -4.00 x XXX°, is it possible? Although I was not able to guess the strength of such a prescription they looked quite heavy. Is there anyone here around with a prescription like this? How is his/her uncorrected vision?

Finally, most strange thing is that before leaving she lift her glasses over her hair and went on driving bareeyed for about half a km, then I lost her because she took a different direction than me. Had she really a good enough uncorrected far vision to drive safely without glasses?

Billy E 01 Sep 2008, 13:20

The sentence should read:

The tester pair had the cyl correction but NO sphere

Puffin 01 Sep 2008, 07:45

I suppose it's a toss up whether being out of focus is worse or better than being distorted and a little less out of focus. I think the -4/-2 option would bring things into focus somewhat further away, but to an extent that would be counteracted by being distorted (and still a bit blurred on one axis) complicated isn't it?

Julian 01 Sep 2008, 02:03

Billy E: I'm interested that you reckon your astigmatism is more debilitating than your myopia, and I agree with you. I've had arguments about this from time to time, when someone with an Rx like -4-2 claims that that is not as strong as, say, -5-1...I reckon they're equal (though different). But 4D of astigmatism! No wonder you need correction at all distances.

Billy E 31 Aug 2008, 22:22

I've got astigmatism of about -4 (also -4 myopia). I am unable to function at any distance without glasses, really. Anyway, a couple of years ago, the optician decided to try some different toric lenses. (I was fed up with the amount I was paying considering how little I wear them). The tester pair had the cyl correction but sphere. After I'd put the lenses in I was sent to walk around for an hour to see how the sat. Although they were a bit unstable, I could (just about) cope. I went to Starbucks for a coffee and read the newspaper. Reading is absolutely impossible without correction for me. So, I would say that the astigmatism, rather than the myopia, is the more dibilitating part of my rx.

Like Lenses 31 Aug 2008, 15:52

OPPS, Sorry I meant Holden, AND I am even wearing my astigmatism glasses.

Like Lenses 31 Aug 2008, 15:50

Harold, .75 astigmatism is blurred at all distances, so if combined with other errors, or by itself it is enough to require full time wear. Also depending on the axis people often get headaches from uncorrected astigmatism.

Astigmatism is quite different than myopia, or hyperopia, in that 1.50 or above is considered quite a bit.

What I meant by chunky lenses, is that with Clares regular minus , combined with her cyl.they could be a bit thick depending on what lens material , and size of the lens.If they are CR 39 material they would be thicker. .

Holden 31 Aug 2008, 13:29

I also meant to ask, why would the astigmatism at -.50 make lenses look chunky?

Holden 31 Aug 2008, 13:28

Like Lenses,

Does the idea that a person with a -.75 astigmatism correction should have full time wear apply to a specific amount of myopia? Or does it simply mean that even without any myopia or hyperopia, astigmatism at that level would prompt full-time wear?

Like Lenses 30 Aug 2008, 22:59

Hi Clare,

Thanks for the reply.

.50 Cyl. is actually a fair ammount. Most books on optometry advise optometrists to have the patient wear full time if the better eye is .75Cyl. or more.

.50 would be about two,or three lines on the snellen chart.

My question regarding your vision was, is it better with glasses or contacts.

The lenses in your glasses should be a bit chunky now.I bet you look great in them.

Clare 26 Aug 2008, 11:19

Like lenses - yes my glasses have the cyl in them. I've had -0.25 of it for a few years now, and on and off since my first prescription, but now I have -0.50 which isn't a huge amount of course.

Did you mean how much better is my vision with glasses than without glasses, or glasses v contacts? The aspheric contacts that I wear are, coincidentally, good I hear for small amounts of astigmatism. Otherwise I understand that it's common to add another -0.25 of sphere to compensate.

Wendy 26 Aug 2008, 09:15

I never realised i was having much trouble with my eyesight but these glasses have proved i was. I can see fine without them but I can feel my eyes really working to stay focussed, especially if I'm concentrating on a single object (near or far) such as text in a book or the tv screen. I tried going without glasses on Saturday and I was alright for 2 or 3 hours but then I started getting a headache which went away soon after i put my glasses on. So it seems I am dependant on them already! One friend commented that my glasses didn't look very strong but when she tried them on she had to sit down as they made her feel dizzy!

Tom 26 Aug 2008, 05:52

Wendy: how's going after a few weeks since you got your new glasses? Are you still able to see without them? I can hardly imagine what is your eyesight with the prescription you have, but it seems your major issue is your eyes being tired at the evening more than not being able to see properly at any distance. Could you please explain better which symptoms you had and how is going now with/without glasses?

Bye.

Like lenses 26 Aug 2008, 00:00

Clare

I have been lurking for some time, and have noted your slight increases. And now astigmatism has set in. Do you have glasses with the cyl. in them ? If so how much better is your vision with glasses?

BillyE 25 Aug 2008, 06:22

Toric lenses don't really work for me. I've had several different brands, but none of them will sit correctly, as I've got a lot of astigmatism that's a real problem. I've got a pair that I wear if I'm doing sport, but I take them out straight afterwards. I can't read with them in and wouldn't dream of driving wearing them instead of glasses.

Cactus Jack 20 Aug 2008, 13:08

Andd64,

You will have to ask your ECP how much they would charge for a pair of RGPs with exam and fitting. A SWAG would be US$150 to 200.

Cactus Jack 20 Aug 2008, 13:05

Clare,

Some people would notice 0.25 D of astigmatism, particularly if they read fine print a lot. Others would barely notice 0.75 D. It depends to some extent on the how critical you are and how good your vision is from the other eye. Remember, vision occurs in the brain, and what you "see" is a construct in the visual cortex from images in both eyes. The brain will combine the images using the best image as the primary and fill in information from the other image where appropriate.

Andd64,

RGP stands for Rigid Gas Permeable. They are hard lenses and NOT inexpensive compared to soft contacts. They are also not as comfortable when you first get them and take some getting used to. However, They can reshape the cornea to eliminate the astigmatism. Because they reshape the cornea, then you take them out, it takes a while for the cornea to go back to its natural state (with astigmatism) and you get what is called "spectacle blur" when you put on glasses with cylinder until it does.

andd64 20 Aug 2008, 10:27

Well the ECP said to go back this friday if it still wasn't good, so maybe I'll try out the torics.

What are RGP contacts? Just how "inexpensive" are they? I'm willing to try them out if they will make my vision clear using contacts.

Jennifer 20 Aug 2008, 09:00

Yes, getting contact lenses when you have astigmatism is tricky. For years, the doctors did the trick CJ mentioned, but I never got good vision out of my left eye. Doctors told me that it wouldn't matter because my right eye is dominant. I still noticed it and complained every year about the lack of sharpness in my vision. Finally, I saw a doctor who had me try on a toric lens for my left eye. My cyl was at -.75 in that eye. The vision was great, but I have to say the actual toric lens was like having a piece of paper in my eye. In a few years the toric lenses have gotten so comfortable and they're very easy to wear. My first pair of toric lenses moved in my eye. Then it's blurry vision until I adjusted it. My current lenses are much much better. They stay in place the majority of the time and they don't seem as thick as the first ones I had. Techonology is definately getting much better!

Clare 19 Aug 2008, 23:59

Cactus - how much astigmatism does someone need to have to notice it? Torics I know start at 0.75 so is it pretty much negligble up to that point?

Cactus Jack 19 Aug 2008, 09:22

andd64,

The technique of using 1/2 the cylinder in the sphere of sphere only contacts is, of course, a compromise. The ideal situation is that your cylinder error (astigmatism) is exactly neutralized by the correct power and that the cylinder axis be exactly aligned with your cylinder error axis. It is easy with glasses because the axis is fixed. Torics can work for some people if the contacts will stay in the proper orientation, but that doesn't work for everyone, particularly people with low cylinder powers. I can't remember where I read it, but one reference stated that 1 diopter of cylinder was caused by a 0.4 mm increase in the radius of curvature along one axis of the corneal surface.

If your heart is set on contacts, RGP contacts will easily correct small amounts of astigmatism, but they are not inexpensive and take some getting used to.

andd64 19 Aug 2008, 06:25

Hey C

So I got a -2.00 for my left and left the -1.50 on my right. There was a bit of a difference on my left but its still not as clear as my glasses. I asked the lady if I could try -2.25 on my left but she said I'd need to go back to my optician to get a prescription for that.

She said to give it a week with -2.00 and -1.50 and if I still don't like it she'll try to give me torics.

I'm thinking right now contacts just aren't working for me!! =(... oh well c'est la vie.

Cactus Jack 18 Aug 2008, 15:52

May,

There is no known way to affect astigmatism. However, until the astigmatism gets up to about 0.75, it is generally corrected by adding 1/2 of the cylinder to the sphere and wearing sphere contact lenses. Above that, there is the possibility of toric lenses, if you can wear them.

May 18 Aug 2008, 12:08

I am farsighted and the last time I went for a test the optician said I have a small bit of astigmatism. If the astigmatism worsens will I not be able to wear soft contact lenses anymore? How can you stop it from worsening?

Tod 15 Aug 2008, 16:47

Strike that. 360˚ and 180˚ is vertical and 90˚ and 270˚ is horizontal.

Tod 15 Aug 2008, 16:37

But because its a full radius across the lens, the minimum is 0˚or˚180 and maxium 90˚ or 360˚.

Cactus Jack 15 Aug 2008, 15:55

larry,

It is the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cylinder as it rotates about the optical center of the spherical component of the lens. By convention, the horizontal axis is Zero. Facing the patient, the numbers increase counter clockwise to 179 degrees. 90 degrees is vertical.

larry 15 Aug 2008, 15:23

Hi everyone,

Is the axis on an astigmatism correction an inner or outer angle? thanks

dave 14 Aug 2008, 14:26

You're right about that. I didn't realize he was doing it without an ECP.

Fitting is tough for sure. A set of lenses will sits properly on one of my eyes and rotates on the other. Uuuugh! I hate torics.

Cactus Jack 13 Aug 2008, 15:22

Dave,

Torics can be very hard to fit even for experienced professionals because there are many factors that affect their ability to remain properly oriented on the cornea including eyelid tension. My suggestions were purposely limited to possible sphere solutions.

If andd64 has his heart set on contacts with cylinder correction, he needs to work with his ECP to find a workable solution such as torics or RGPs.

dave 13 Aug 2008, 12:50

Cactus

What about Torics for the left?

-1.75 -0.75 X 175 (overcorrect one axis by -0.25) or

-1.50 -0.75 X 175 (undercorrect the other axis by 0.25)

andd64 13 Aug 2008, 07:51

Thanks C. I'll try doing that and let you know the results.

Much Appreciated

Cactus Jack 13 Aug 2008, 07:26

add64,

Typically, for low cylinder where torics are not appropriate, the sphere is increased by one-half the cylinder. With your Rx, the left eye would be -2.00 instead of -1.75. You might ask your ECP for a trial -2.00 or -2.25 to see if you like it better or just order some on-line and see if that helps. You have the Base Curve and Diameter. You also might try the -1.75 on the right eye to see how you like that, even though you only have -0.25 cylinder in that eye.

andd64 13 Aug 2008, 05:58

Also I'm 22.

andd64 13 Aug 2008, 05:57

Sorry not 8.16, i meant 8.6.

andd64 13 Aug 2008, 05:57

Hey Cactus Jack,

Sorry for the delay, but I checked up on the Rx: they're both spherical, 8.16, and 14.2. My right is -1.50, and my left -1.75.

Again my actual prescription is -1.50, -0.25x175, and -1.75, -0.50x175, for my right and left eyes respectively.

Anything I can do? I can't use these contacts, especially with my left contact.

Wendy 09 Aug 2008, 08:53

It's been a week since I got glasses and I'm definately getting more used to them (if that makes sense!) It still feels a bit odd wearing them all the time. See myself in the mirror wearing glasses is also still a bit odd. My eyes really do feel much better and I don't feel so tireed in the evenings. Also I'm still trying to get into the habit of putting my glasses on when I get up - a couple of times this week I've got as far as half way out of the front door before remembering to find my glasses and put them on. After a few more weeks it should become sort of automatic I presume and I'll put them on without even thinking about it.

So far I have worn my glasses all day every day without fail and I will continue to do so for a couple more weeks so I am totally used to them. Then I might try going without glasses for a day just to reassure myself that I really do need them all day.

andd64 08 Aug 2008, 05:51

Oh okay, well I'm at work now, I'll check as soon as I get home (as I don't have the contacts on me).

Thanks

Cactus Jack 07 Aug 2008, 15:07

andd64,

You said that you couldn't see very well with your left eye using your contacts, I'm trying to figure out why. I would like to have the information off the contact lens box and the contact lens prescription if you have it.

Contact lenses with low cylinder correction (torics) for astigmatism are not made because it is very hard to keep the lenses in the correct angular alignment on the eye. Typically, at your Rx, there is no difference between the sphere for your glasses and for the contacts because of vertex distance, but generally, one half of the cylinder is added to the sphere correction.

May I also ask your age?

andd64 07 Aug 2008, 12:30

My Rx?? Do you mean my prescription? Or the current contacts I'm using now?

Cactus Jack 07 Aug 2008, 10:35

andd64,

What is your contact lens Rx?

andd64 07 Aug 2008, 10:30

Hello, my prescription is -1.75, -0.50x175 for my left eye, and -1.50, -0.25x175 for my right eye. I got contacts but they said that no contacts exists for my astigmatism so they round up (or down im not sure). Anyways, my right eye is ok, but I can't see clearly at all with my left. I really like contacts, and the ones I researched goes to a minimum of -0.75 for the cylinder. (So I care more about finding a contact for my left eye).

Any suggestions? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance =)

Phil 06 Aug 2008, 05:15

Hi Wendy. How are you getting on? Do you enjoy wearing your specs? Have you had a positive reaction from friends and family? Don't forget to let us see the frames you chose.

Aubrac 06 Aug 2008, 00:45

Wendy

My wife has a little less astigmatic cylinder correction, and a little more plus correction than you.

I think she wears glasses for distance more for the astigmatism correction as you do.

Objects are clearer but especially signs letters etc. Astigmatism does tend to confuse letters like v and w, and capital O, P and B.

Let us know how you are getting on after a few weeks.

Wendy 05 Aug 2008, 09:58

I got my first glasses on Saturday. I thought I needed reading glasses as my eyes get tired in the evening and when I'm reading. The optician said I am slightly long sighted and have some astigmatism in both eyes. What surpised me was that he recommended that I wore them all the time. If he was just correcting my longsightedness he said he would recommend wearing them for reading and any other times I felt I needed to wear glasses. As he was correcting astigmatism too he felt I would benefit from fulltime correction as it was affecting my vision at all distances. I can't find the copy of my prescription at the moment but I think it was something like : Left +1.00, -1.25 and Right +1.25, -1.50. It took a few hours to get used to the glasses but now it's fine and very clear! I didn't really think I had any problems with my distance sight but these glasses really do make a difference. It still feels a bit odd suddenly going from not wearing glasses at all to being told I should wear them all the time! I'll try to find a picture of my glasses later.

I'm 22 by the way - someone always seems to ask new posters their age, so I've saved them the trouble.

eyespy 29 Jul 2008, 14:18

Holden

The optometrist likely didn't prescribe bifocals because she can compensate with her myopia. That presumes that the astigmatism doesn't complicate things - if she appears to notice the astigmatism, even though it's not huge, then it's possible that even without glasses she would sense some distortion.

I have -.75 in one eye and can tell the difference between that and the one with none even though the spherical is similar.

If the astigmatism is bothering your wife I think that even warning her of the consequences, ie bifocals, might not change anything if the glasses make it more comfortable for her.

Holden 29 Jul 2008, 13:54

I should also add that she says it is the astigmatism that is prompting her need to wear the glasses for the close up work like reading.

Is this going to accelerate her need for bifocals? I am sure she wouldn't want to do that, but I would like to prepare her in case this continued pattern is going to prompt that.

I noticed on the last eye exam the optometrist showed +.50 on the reading section of the exam (the one where you have to read the tiny lines right in front of your face). Yet she wasn't perscribed bifocals. The office said that she wouldn't need them because she has the -.50 myopia correction in both eyes which offsets it.

At what point would she need to get before the doctor would tell her she needs plus lenses as well?

Thanks!

Holden 29 Jul 2008, 13:50

What do you folks make of this development?

My 39YO wife who has an Rx as follows:

R -.50 -.75 x125

L -.50 -.50 x87

has been wearing her glasses religiously for reading, computer work, movies, driving, doing puzzles, and things like that.

Though her optometrist cautioned her against wearing her glasses for reading (said she would become dependent on them), she still does because it is easier for her to read.

Recently I have noticed that she is squinting more for items like reading the clock on the micorwave oven or on the cable box, that she didn't have issues with before. She will have the habit of squinting to see the clock, then slip her glasses on to get the accurate time. I think that she is having more difficulty seeing in the distance than at least last trip to the doctor in October 2007.

My question is, even though she is 39, can she be developing additional myopia based on what I am witnessing? Does this have something to do with wearing her glasses when reading?

Tod 14 Jul 2008, 09:13

improved contact lenses for astigmatism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoYmHhN0WLY&NR;=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyXnVwclaw&feature;=related

Cactus Jack 29 Jun 2008, 21:32

MP,

At that low level of cylinder, it won't do any harm and since they are comfortable, wear them. Low levels of astigmatism are very hard to refract accurately and the examiner could easily have made a 0.25 error.

MP 29 Jun 2008, 16:45

I ordered glasses online awhile back and made a slight astigmatism notation error. I didn't realize this until now--a month after getting them--only after looking over/throwing out old receipts/papers.

My Rx:

R: +1.25 -0.25 150

L: +1.50 -1.25 020

However for the R eye I entered -0.50 rather than -0.25 for the astigmatism. Yet, I have adjusted to them quite well. I don't notice anything odd about my vision. I see very well and my eyes feel great. Is it safe to keep these, or should I bother to get them remade, or get a new pair? Does it make much difference either way?

high astigmatism 21 Jun 2008, 14:58

My astigmatism is -4.50 in one eye and -1.75 in the other, so things are noticably blurry at all distances. I used to be able to rely on the better eye and squint a lot to see things, but no longer. No doctor ever told me to wear my glasses full time so I only wore them when I felt I really needed them, like to drive or to see the board at school. I always had a mild prescription for reading glasses, but could do without unless doing a lot or reading or close up work. But presbyopia was come on with a force so I am trying to get used to wearing my glasses all the time, but I am having a time with it. Too old to be shy about it, but I am for some odd reason. Plus it feels funny to be in glasses all the time, though every day it becomes more difficult to do most things. Woe is me. Not really, but you know what I mean.

ROD 21 Jun 2008, 14:51

I had started wearing glasses when I was 4, so I don't know which my first prescription was but it was very high since then.

My glasses are quite odd and makes my eyes appear bigger, the lenses in this pair, aren't extremely thick because are done in a lenticular form, otrherwise my glasses would be extremely thick and my eyes would appear a lot more distorted.

Mark 21 Jun 2008, 09:11

I have worn glasses and or contacts for 30 years. I started off -1.00 left and -2.00 right. After several atttempts to get my right eye working well with soft torics I was diagnosed with KC. My problem now is while wearing rgp lenses after I remove them my right eye is useless with glasses until the next morning. If I wear glasses only I start out good in the morning but my vision degrades over the day. With contacts it is somewhat stable.

Guest 21 Jun 2008, 07:06

Thats a strong old prescription. Do your lenses look like regular plus or does the cyl make for a lot of distortion?

How long have you worn glasses and what was the strength of your first?

ROD 20 Jun 2008, 21:41

I'm a 29 years old guy with high hyperopia with astigmatism.

My cureent prescription is:

OD +8.50: -5.75 x 175° add +2.00

OS +9.25: -4.50 x 0° add +2.00

I wear my glasses most of the time but I also have RGP contact lenses for doing outdoor activities.

Mark 20 Jun 2008, 14:48

Right -2.00 +4.25 X 178

Left -1.25 +2.50 X 30

I must use Komfort Cone rgp contacts due to Keraticonus.

Aubrac 20 Jun 2008, 05:12

My wife has a mild plus prescrption with R -0.50 40, L -0.75 130 astigmatism correction.

One very bright sunny day, I went out wearing her prescription sunglasses. After a short while I had this strange sensation that my knees were bending, and I was was getting closer to the ground, much like the sinking into the pavement feeling.

Anyonr any idea what causes this?

Tod 19 Jun 2008, 21:19

astig. = -1.00 x 110

Guest 19 Jun 2008, 13:50

Ya, that's alot Stingray

Stingray 19 Jun 2008, 11:54

-1.75 cylinder in each eye

Guest 18 Jun 2008, 13:54

Todd

How strong is your astigmatism

Stingray 18 Jun 2008, 08:10

Tod: Yes, I had this the very first glasses I got to correct astigmatism. I felt like a dwarf sinking into the pavement. I also felt like I was tilted to the side. Very weird experience. I also had difficulty decending stairs as well. It all goes away eventually as your brain adjusts to the changes.

Tod 17 Jun 2008, 18:12

I have astigmatism only in one eye. I had worn glasses for several years before my optom decided to correct me for it. I never knew I even had astigmatism befroe this. The optom told me to wear the glasses constantly until I adapted to them which would take two weeks. He also said to be careful walking down stairs and stepping off curbs. It was a really weird experience getting use to the correction. It was like looking through someone else's glasses for days. I did step off the curb and it seemed I was stepping off a steep clift. I was even afraid to drive home wearing the new Rx. Anyone else have this experience?

periwinkle 17 Jun 2008, 15:43

Having long been a lurker at ES it's really nice to see a board for Astigmatism. Thank you!

My prescription currently is:

OD -.25 cyl -2.25 axis 038, OS -.50 cyl -.25 axis 040

This is my first prescription to stick out past my frames; very exciting!

...though I've noticed that things are still smeared-looking if I close my "good" left eye and only look through my right.

I'm 26 and just saw the optometrist in February. Is it that my eyes have changed already or was I maybe not given my full prescription? If it's the latter, can I ask for the full?

Also, is this considered "strong" astigmatism by you experts out there? Thanks!

OttO 08 Jun 2008, 19:26

Much of my life I've alternated between an Rx for a bit of astigmatism (.25 D) and no Rx for astigmatism. I never noticed a difference. My last Rx, however, I now have R 1.00 D and L .75 D for astigmatism, and it is very noticeable to me. For the first time I find it is uncomfortable to read without glasses. (Myopia was never a problem for reading.) My eyes hurt and so I just wear my glasses - trifocals - for reading.

dan 07 Jun 2008, 20:05

puffin,

my prescription is the following

OD -0.50

OS -0.50 +0.50 x180

As you can see, I have no astigmatism in my right eye a mild amount in my left. I wear my glasses only occasionally...i do need to make an appointment soon however. I definitely wear them to see the board in class (I'm a college student) and sometimes the TV at home and to drive. Overall, my vision is good, but I notice that my eyes hurt when they get tired and I'm not wearing my glasses. So, the blur is not a problem except for long distance...it's more the tired eyes that give me trouble late at night (like now haha).

Puffin 07 Jun 2008, 18:25

If you have myopia and some astigmatism, how much astigmatism is needed before it becomes a noticable problem. Or is it all just adding to the blur?

Galileo 03 Jun 2008, 08:46

Holden - no she has less myopia than me (I'm -0.5)

Holden 03 Jun 2008, 06:40

Galileo,

Does your sister have any myopia to go along with the astigmatism? I guess people have a wide range of tolerance levels when it comes to dealing with the eyestrain.

Holden 03 Jun 2008, 06:38

Dan,

It was apparent she needed glasses primarily with her night time driving habits. She was squinting and struggling to see basic road signs.

I should also mention that she had LASIK done in late 1999, which corrected a fair amount of both myopia and astigmatism. Over the years, apparently the shape of her eye has changed to the point where she needs the correction she needs today.

Brian-16 03 Jun 2008, 04:45

Dan- I have a lot of astigmatism and very nearsighted and have prism correction as my eyes turn in (tunnel vision).I do not have 20/20 as my doctor explained my eyes did not fully develop when I was very young.

I am 21 and in college

Galileo 03 Jun 2008, 03:25

Hi Holden I have a similar Rx to your wife and I rarely wear my glasses, usually at the cinema. I'm 54 now and I do notice my eyes getting tired at the end of a long day (I don't use readers either). My younger sister (46) has a similar level of astigmatism and says she can't see without her glasses and is a full time wearer. I only notice the astigmatism at night when I get halos around street lights etc

ES-Visitor 03 Jun 2008, 01:25

Holden, my wife has the same prescription but in + not -, but she simply never wears her glasses. I can see she experiences eye strain mainly on the computer and sometimes in lighting conditions like in malls with bright neon lights.

dan 02 Jun 2008, 19:25

holden,

i have a similar prescription with myopia and astigmatism in the left eye and just myopia in the right eye...i don't wear them as much as your wife (i probably should) but know what you mean about keeping them on...usually if i put them on, they'll stay on for a while but i do go through the times of whipping them on and off too. guess it just depends on my mood...how did she realize needed glasses? 39 seems rather late for myopia.

I'm 19 and in college by the way

Holden 02 Jun 2008, 16:25

My wife, 39, started wearing glasses again about 2 years ago. She has some astigmatism and nearsightedness, with an Rx of:

R -.50 -.75 x 120

L -.50 -.50 x 87

She wears her glasses for all computer work, reading, driving, classroom board work, doing closeup work like puzzles, and going to the movies. A wide variety of tasks.

She doesn't wear them FT, but does make a habit of once she has them on she has a tendency to keep them on for extended periods, like walking around the house.

I have also noticed though that she has phases where she'll whip 'em on and off constantly throughout the day.

Has anyone here experienced the feeling that wearing glasses with a light astigmatism Rx for awhile can prompt you to leave them on for an extended period? Kind of like, once they're on, they're on?

Does not wearing them in the evening after having worn them throughout the day prompt people to tire quicker at night when doing routine tasks (the idea would be that the eyes are working harder).

benn 02 Jun 2008, 09:39

While we are asking questions...I have been told that I have two types oh astigmatism, residual and surface. Ever heard of them?

I am -2.50 each eye.

R Ed 01 Jun 2008, 11:41

What cylinder (astigmatism)Rx numbers are considered low, moderate and high?

Trent 01 Jun 2008, 09:13

My astigmatism has gone as high as -3.00 diopters. This made contact lenses very expensive to purchase and extremely difficult to fit. I could not wear the real soft lenses so lens comfort was sacrificed. Often the lenses would rotate creating blurry vision. I sometime tried 5 pairs of lenses before I found a pair that would work.

With glasses, astigmatism correction contributes to lens distortion and addition lens cost. If the frames are not adjusted perfectly two images may occur resulting in painful headaches. Astigmatism correction in lenses adds power and thickness to the lens in that axis.

Guesty 01 Jun 2008, 09:06

Hi all, I can post at last (had problems before). How irritating would a -0.50 x 140 be for someone with a -2.50 prescription. Does it make much difference or is it insignificant compared with the -2.50? Thanks

Melyssa 01 Jun 2008, 07:33

This subject has caused me enough trouble for four and a half decades, at a current level of +3.00, to go with my -9.00 prescription. I was told by two different ophthalmologists that I couldn't wear contact lenses because my astigmatism was so much.

Puffin 01 Jun 2008, 06:42

what would people's opinion be if I asked whether astigmatism caused more problems for a myope or hyperope?

31 May 2008, 22:14

Madison Avenue's approach to the subject:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g7W-DTGPx0w&feature;=related

Tod 31 May 2008, 22:13

And thank you Wurm for creating this thread and site.

I hope everyone will contribute some really good posts here.

Tod 31 May 2008, 22:10

Madisom Avenue's approach to astigmatism:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g7W-DTGPx0w&feature;=related

Tod 31 May 2008, 22:07

This girl frets over which correction for her eye condition called astigmatism.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KpibZnKkNak&feature;=related

Wurm 31 May 2008, 21:08

A new thread, for the topic of Astigmatism. Thanks to Tod for the suggestion.