Whether your prescription has changed or you just bought a new pair, adjusting to new glasses often takes time. Many people feel dizzy from new glasses and find it challenging to adapt to a new lens or frame shape. If your new glasses make you dizzy or you feel other discomforts, you might be wondering how long does it take to get used to new glasses. Unless the prescription is wrong, your body, and especially your eyes, will need a certain adjustment period. It’s a normal process that sometimes lasts for a week or even longer, as long as your doctor gave you the right prescription.
In this article, we will explain the reasons behind the discomfort and how to get used to new glasses.
How long does it take to adjust to a new prescription?
Until your eyes adjust to them, it may feel as if your new eyeglasses aren’t correcting your vision as well as your old glasses did. It can be very discouraging to keep noticing things that don’t seem right. However, it’s important to understand that this is usually normal. Many people have vision issues when they buy new prescription glasses.
So, how long does it take to adjust to new glasses? It’s often individual, and it depends on several factors. Astigmatism and age can also cause additional difficulties. In most cases, the issues pass within the first week, while in some, it may take a little longer. It’s natural for the brain and eyes to take time to adjust to the new images they are processing. Your brain needs a couple of days to accept that the new sharp image is a correct one.
Common issues with new glasses
While it’s important to know that it’s common for people to have issues while adjusting to new glasses, it’s also imperative to learn what issues you can expect. You may experience various types of discomfort, sometimes sporadically, sometimes all at once.
The most common issues you may experience when you get new glasses include:
- Eye strain: Especially for the first several days, you may experience eye strain.
- Fishbowling: The image you see through your new glasses may seem bent at the edges.
- Distortion and depth perception: Different parts of the image may change mildly or slightly as you move.
- Dizziness: You may feel dizzy from new glasses, and this is the most common issue people have. Feeling dizzy is even more common when it comes to multifocal lens correction and astigmatism.
- Headaches: Headaches are the most concerning issue you may have from wearing new glasses.
How to solve problems with new glasses
Giving your body time to adjust is the most important thing you can do if glasses make you dizzy or uncomfortable. However, there are some other steps you can pay attention to if you want the process to be more comfortable:
Don’t get discouraged
Maintaining a positive mental attitude is crucial. Understand that it’s normal to feel uncomfortable for several days and give your body time to adjust.
Stay safe
If you’re experiencing discomfort, make sure to wear your new glasses only when you’re in a safe place. Don’t wear them and go out all by yourself until the issues disappear.
Resist the urge to wear your old glasses
If you keep wearing your old glasses occasionally, you won’t provide your brain with the time and space it needs to adapt to the new pair.
If your prescription is the same, but the glasses feel wrong
Sometimes, new glasses with the same prescription feel weird. Many factors can cause discomfort, even when the prescription hasn’t changed. Many factors affect the way a person sees through new glasses, even new sunglasses. Your eyes and brain may need time to adapt to the new frame shape and size. The way the frame sits on a person’s face is also very important, and so is the material and weight of the frame.
The lens type can make a huge difference in the way you see through new glasses. Not all lenses are created from the same material, and not all lenses have the same design. Some lenses are aspheric, while others are spherical. Lens processing can also differ between various manufacturers. There is always a possibility that your eyes will need time to adjust to new glasses even with an unchanged prescription.
When to see your optometrist
The most concerning symptom of discomfort when wearing new glasses is headaches. With new glasses, blurry vision and dizziness may be common, but you shouldn’t ignore a headache that won’t go away. In case your new glasses cause headaches and they don’t improve within a day or two, you should consult your optometrist.
Your eyes and brain will need several days to adapt to the new vision you’re presenting to them. All the enhanced clarity is overwhelming, especially after being used to constantly compensating for poor vision.
Some frames differ in the ways they enter your vision field, and you need to adjust them to fit correctly. If you’ve already adjusted the frame to sit perfectly, the lens type hasn’t changed from your last glasses, and you still feel discomfort even after a few days, you should see a doctor.
Felix Gray
If you’re still experiencing symptoms like blurred vision with your glasses (new or old), you may be having issues due to blue light. At Felix Gray, we offer high-quality Blue Light blocking glasses, computer glasses, and sleep glasses so you can treat your eyes right. With these advanced eyeglasses and the correct prescription, your eyes will feel like new. Shop now for your next pair!