Why you should Always Adapt to your New Eyeglasses

Did you know? Vision may take time to fully accept.

When picking out eyeglasses and being recommend the best lenses for your prescription, we look for comfort, style and fashion to suit our personality and appearance. The goal for eyeglasses is to be able to wear them comfortably every day while being able to see the best. Any change in our lives can sometimes be difficult and a change in prescription eyeglasses can be a challenge. At Kodak Lens Vision Centres, our experienced team, Opticians and Optometrists would like to help confidently guide you through the process of any changes in your visual prescription. Vision is a complex system in our body and if you ever feel strange or can not see well with your new eyeglasses, don’t worry, it’s normal and we would always like to address your concerns.

First Time Wearers

Your visual prescription is customized specifically for you based on your feedback given during your eye health exam with the Optometrist. When first trying on the newly made eyeglasses with your prescription, you may experience sharp vision. Eyes are very unique and for most people, new changes in vision can be easily adapted to. However, your brain and some eyeglass factors determine if you will see comfortably. If you experience any subtle dizziness, eye strain or a bit of discomfort, please don’t worry as these feelings can be experienced by people wearing their first pair of prescription eyeglasses.

Vision is directly linked to the brain, which can be impacted by new visual conditions and factors such as eyewear shape, weight, measurements, astigmatism and progressive prescriptions. Wearing new eyeglasses is like new shoes and it is always recommended to break in your shoes so they can take the shape of your feet. The more you wear your shoes and eyeglasses, your brain and eyes will gradually adapt with this newly experienced vision. The adaption period can last from two to fifteen days, depending on each individual person. We highly recommend trying the new eyeglasses for at least 2 weeks and address any concerns to us after experiencing the new eyeglasses.

To reduce any worries, we offer a 3 month (90 days) guarantee for your prescription from our Optometrist, a 30 day satisfaction guarantee, and a 31 days to 1 year warranty for any eyeglass concerns. We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you have the best experience with your new eyeglasses and make it right. Click here to learn more.

Visual Conditions and eyewear factors:

1. Lighting: When trying on your new eyeglasses during pick up, make sure there is ample lighting to test your vision and see your surroundings
2. Be Awake: Try to be awake when trying your new eyeglasses during pick up as any tiredness or fatigue can affect your vision
3. Eyewear Shape and Weight: When you first select eyewear, you’re trying them on without any custom prescription lenses. After the prescription lenses are made into the eyewear frame you choose, it can be a slight difference to your vision and overall aesthetic look. Fully be aware of the frame you choose to ensure you like the look, the eyewear shape for the lenses, and how comfortable it sits on your face. The added weight of the prescription lenses can affect your experience as well as your awareness of the frame front and temples when looking all around. Overall, our team will try their best to ensure you select the right frame and lens recommendations for your exact prescription and style.
4. Eyewear Measurements: Custom eyewear is our expertise and our team makes eyeglasses to be as accurate as possible. Our team takes pupillary distance (PD) and optical center (OC) height measurements so that your new eyeglasses are exactly aligned with your eyes. These important optical measurements will ensure you see accurately and comfortably. If we notice anything that looks off, we will perform adjustments to improve the comfort and how you like to wear your eyeglasses (i.e. tightly fitted, higher or lower, a bit loose etc.). If you have any concerns with your new eyeglasses, please let us know so we can do a complete troubleshooting to address and resolve your feedback.
5.  Astigmatism: With some visual prescriptions, your Optometrist may prescribe astigmatism also known as cylinder that is written on your prescription. Correcting astigmatism for your vision greatly helps with how detailed and sharp you see. If you’re new to wearing eyeglasses and being prescribed cylinder correction then it will take some time to get used to. You may experience slight dizziness or nausea and we highly recommend to wear the eyeglasses for a full two weeks as much as you can to adapt to this new prescription. Depending on the amount of cylinder correction prescribed will determine your overall experience. Most people can adapt, but sometimes it may feel intolerable to wear the eyeglasses and then we will recommend a prescription re-check with the Optometrist to resolve any concerns.
6. Progressives: As you may know, progressive lenses offer vision for distance, intermediate and near. Wearing progressives for the first time requires some learning and adaption to the lenses. We recommend to try and learn how to use progressive eyeglasses for full two weeks to adapt to the new prescription. Here are some tips for progressive lens wearers:
   1. Turn your head in the direction you want to look
   2. Move eyes up and down to see distance and near
   3. Use distance area when walking down stairs
   4. Use intermediate area when using the computer
   5. Requires a 2 week adaption period for new prescription and wearers
   6. Ask or visit us for any questions you have

Here are some steps to take to help with new prescription and eyeglasses adaption:

1. Clean eyeglasses regularly. An obvious habit, but when we are not used to wearing eyeglasses, the slightest smudge or dirt can cause a visual distraction and increase the feeling of discomfort.
2. Wear your eyeglasses as often as possible. Remember not to push yourself and overdo it because ongoing strain can definitely increase the chances of headaches. Always give yourself a break from your glasses if you feel anything off. Especially when we are glued to digital devices that increases eye strain, use the 20/20 rule and always take a break for 20 seconds every 20 minutes when staring at a screen, reading, working etc. By wearing them every day, you will get used to them and your brain will accept the new prescription change.
3. Visit us for frame adjustments. Shoes can get bent out of shape through normal wear and tear. As we put on and take off our eyeglasses often, sometimes we require frame adjustments to make sure our new eyeglasses are comfortably fitted. If you feel uncomfortable pressure on your eyeglass temples or nose bridge, visit us or your Optical or Optometrist to relieve the pressure. Your glasses may be too tight and an adjustment will help improve your wearing experience. Our skilled professional team can do many adjustments such as ensuring the eyeglasses do not easily slide down over your nose, hold well behind your ears, are straight on your face, are custom aligned for assymetrical faces, are well maintained (i.e. screws, nose pads etc.), and much more. We recommend to please visit us every 3 or 6 months for eyewear frame adjustments and maintenance.

Don’t hesitate to visit a Kodak Lens Vision Centre where our eye care professionals and team can adjust the eyewear frame according to your preferred comfort and look. We strive to offer a personable approach and customer satisfaction to ensure you love your new prescription eyeglasses.

At Kodak Lens Vision Centres, remember you can benefit from our satisfaction guarantee and eyewear services. We offer Unlimited Free Cleanings and Frame Adjustments for eyeglasses purchased from us. We will keep your prescription eyeglasses and/or sunglasses you purchased from us clean and fitted properly at no charge for as long as you own them.

Although our technicians are careful and highly skilled, if a frame is discontinued, more than a year old, or was not purchased from our store, cleanings and adjustments are at the patient’s own risk. Our clinics are not responsible for any accidental damage or breakage that may occur in these conditions. Click here for more details about our optical services.