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Five Signs It’s Time to Update Your Eye Prescription
How long have you had your glasses? One year? Two years? It may seem like your glasses are still working perfectly to correct your vision, but they probably aren’t. As we age, our eyes continue to change. Prescriptions that are over a year old have a chance of not matching the changes our eyes have gone through over the past 12 months. If your glasses are over a year old, it’s likely that your eyes no longer match your prescription.
How do you know when to get new glasses? Here are five signs it’s time to update your eye prescription.
1. Headaches
Headaches are one of the earliest (and easiest to spot) warning signs it’s time to update your eye prescription. Your brain recognizes very early that your eyes are changing and tries to compensate for the change in your vision. Your brain begins to work in overdrive, causing strain and often pain.
Eventually, after a prolonged effort to help your eyes, your brain will get worn out. Headaches will become a frequent reminder that your prescription isn’t compensating properly for your vision. Resting your eyes or taking a pain reliever can give your eyes and head some much-needed relief, but the pain and fatigue will likely return if your prescription isn’t updated. If you’re experiencing headaches more frequently, that could mean it’s time to update your eye prescription.
2. Squinting
Squinting is a natural way to improve clarity and focus blurry objects. While squinting your eyes seems like an easy solution to blurry vision, prolonged squinting can cause strain and discomfort to your eyes, making the problem far worse.
Many patients don’t even realize they‘ve been squinting until a headache or eye fatigue sets in. Headaches and eye fatigue are often attributed to other factors first—like dehydration, lack of sleep, or hunger—before patients realize that their headache and eye fatigue are actually due to an outdated prescription. If you’re squinting to see, it’s time to update your eye prescription.
3. Eye Fatigue
Eye fatigue occurs when your eyes strain to see objects in front of you more clearly. Like your brain, your eyes begin to work too hard and become fatigued. Eye fatigue can be a symptom of lack of sleep, illness (like the flu or cold), or allergies. For the majority of us, however, the most common cause of eye fatigue is technology.
We spend hours of our time glued to our phones and computer screens. Continued use over a period of hours strains our eyes, causing eye fatigue and digital eye strain. Taking a break from staring at a screen is the best and easiest way to relieve your eyes from fatigue. However, if your eye fatigue doesn’t wear off in a few days, it can be a sign of poor or changing vision. If you’re experiencing eye fatigue, you may need to update your eye prescription.
4. Blurry Vision
Blurry vision is the easiest way to notice that your vision is beginning to change. Changes in your vision aren’t always consistent, so it’s easy to not notice them at first. It’s common for your eyes to have different prescriptions as well! Your right eye may have a consistent prescription over the years, but your left eye may have changed. This change can be subtle and easy to miss, or severe and disorientating.
At your yearly eye exam, your eye doctor
will run tests
to ensure your prescription matches the changes your eyes have gone through since your last visit. Blurriness can also be a sign of other medical conditions, such as cataracts, that can require further treatment. If you have blurry vision, it’s time to update your eye prescription.
5. Year-Old Glasses
Your glasses shouldn’t reach their second birthday. Like every other product, your prescription has an expiration date. Just like the rest of our bodies, our eyes age! It’s important to have a yearly eye exam, not only to check the health of your eyes, but also to make sure your eye prescription is up to date.
Our eyes are constantly adjusting and changing, so it’s unlikely that your vision has stayed consistent for more than 2 years. If your glasses are more than a year old, you may need to update your eye prescription.
Your eye prescription changes. Outdated prescriptions put more strain on your eyes, causing unnecessary pain and damage. But, making sure to get your prescription checked and updated every year will help you maintain your good eye health. If you’ve experienced any of these five signs, it’s time to update your eye prescription!
Dr. Steven C. Mather 1401 Union Street Lafayette, Indiana 47904 765.742.1955 Dear Esteemed Patients, After 43 years of dedicated service, it is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement from my medical practice as of March 9th. It has been an incredible journey, one that I have cherished every moment of, and I am looking forward to spending more time on my new title of Grandpa. Our practice has rich history that dates back to 1946 with Dr. Peterson and in 1959 my uncle, Dr. Robert Mather, succeeded him. I was overjoyed to continue his legacy when I took over the practice in 1989. Over the years, we have built strong relations with our patients, and for that, we are profoundly grateful. Your loyalty and trust have been the driving force behind our success, and we cannot thank you enough for allowing us to be part of your lives for the past 78 years. I am thrilled to inform you that I have chosen to entrust the future of our practice to our friends at Norman and Miller Eyecare. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge, skill, and compassion, ensuring that you will continue to receive the highest quality of care. As I embark on this new chapter of my life, I do so with deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for each and every one of you. While I will miss seeing your familiar faces in the office, I am confident that you will be in excellent hands with Norman and Miller Eyecare. Please join me in welcoming them to our practice and continuing to entrust them with your healthcare needs. They share our commitment to providing personalized, compassionate care, and I am confident that they will uphold the legacy that we have worked so hard to build. They will continue to serve you at our 1401 Union Street location, however, if there is a location more convenient to you, your records will be available at all Norman and Miller Eyecare locations. Thank you once again for your trust and support over the years. It has been an honor and privilege to serve you, and I look forward to watching our practice flourish under the new leadership. With Warm Regards,
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