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Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

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121–130 of 334 posts

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#121
post #92

I'm not sure I'm entirely on board with the idea that we've got optometry down to the point where anyone can claim to have arrived at the correct prescription without the wearer having tried a bunch and finding what works in reality. Having worn glasses for over 75% of my 40-ish year life, I've come to the conclusion that optometry is as much art as it is science. I think every time I've gone to a new optometrist, I'…

I recently made an optometrist appointment, and was surprised to discover that I could do virtual appointments. And they were a lot easier to get. I'm skeptical that that can work. I suppose you can administer a basic eye test and get a close-enough prescription, but this is really important and I want to get it exactly right. I kinda wish I could give it a try, just to see what they can manage to do without all of t…

Getting your correct prescription is easy. They have had machines that do that for 30 years. The optometrist might tweak that a little, but the machine is good enough.

What you also need though is someone to look into your eye and machines still don't do everything an optometrist does there. (though there are other machines that do things your optometrist cannot)

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#124
I am having so many issues with my vision. I don't have a very high prescription(+1.5 on left and +1.25 on my right) but I consulted 3 eye doctors and optometrists last year. I still don't think my prescription is correct as I get headaches and my eyes get tired after few hours. I don't know if there is any better solution around.

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#125

I am having so many issues with my vision. I don't have a very high prescription(+1.5 on left and +1.25 on my right) but I consulted 3 eye doctors and optometrists last year. I still don't think my prescription is correct as I get headaches and my eyes get tired after few hours. I don't know if there is any better solution around.

Have you adjusted the lighting around your monitor/office? This seems to have a big impact on my eye strain.

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#126
post #68

I'm in my 50s and about 3 diopters farsighted. I had trouble getting a good prescription for screen glasses. My optometrist insisted that +1.25 was the right correction for desktop screens, but it gave me eye strain. I like my screen a little closer, or else my corneas are extra-stiff. Anyway, I tried a few versions and found that +1.75 was better for my desk setup. Tip: Zenni.com lets you order pairs with custom cor…

You can also just get an optical trial lens set like they have at the optometrists for less than 200$.

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#128
post #92

I'm not sure I'm entirely on board with the idea that we've got optometry down to the point where anyone can claim to have arrived at the correct prescription without the wearer having tried a bunch and finding what works in reality. Having worn glasses for over 75% of my 40-ish year life, I've come to the conclusion that optometry is as much art as it is science. I think every time I've gone to a new optometrist, I'…

I recently made an optometrist appointment, and was surprised to discover that I could do virtual appointments. And they were a lot easier to get. I'm skeptical that that can work. I suppose you can administer a basic eye test and get a close-enough prescription, but this is really important and I want to get it exactly right. I kinda wish I could give it a try, just to see what they can manage to do without all of t…

There is no way that some computer or smartphone app can replace optometrist equipment. I have different prescriptions for reading glasses and occupational glasses, the distance difference is about 20" and it does call for different lens.

Furthermore an assessment by an optometrist should also check for glaucoma and macular issues.

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#129

I am having so many issues with my vision. I don't have a very high prescription(+1.5 on left and +1.25 on my right) but I consulted 3 eye doctors and optometrists last year. I still don't think my prescription is correct as I get headaches and my eyes get tired after few hours. I don't know if there is any better solution around.

You need to specify your working distance. I use reading glasses with my laptop and occupational glasses with desktop LCDs. If I accidentally pick up the wrong glasses I notice the less-clear vision.

High display brightness tends to hurt more with glasses than without.

Re: Ask HN: Do your eyes bug you even though your prescription is "correct"?

#130
One solution I haven't seen mentioned is trifocals. Progressive lenses used to be sold against bifocals and trifocals by saying "no lines" but there are some advantages to the old school designs. In particular, progressive designs tend to end up with an hourglass-shaped field of view[^1] in which the horizontal field of view at mid-distance can be so narrow you can't see your whole monitor screen without pivoting your head. The mid-view area on trifocals is significantly wider than on progressives and I found it much more useful for medium distance work of computer monitor or car instrument panel. In addition, the area of distance vision is much wider on the traditional trifocal, which means you don't have to move your head as much or not at all to see out car side mirrors.

[1] It's been maybe a decade since I researched this - at the time I concluded that the hourglass FOV shape was a result of progressive lens designers not having enough surfaces to play with and was unavoidable if they wanted decent near and far areas, which tends to work well when your presbyopia isn't too bad yet. Maybe since then someone has introduced a different compromise in that space (maybe narrower close window trading for wider middle distance region?) but I'm not aware of it.

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