Trouble with New Glasses

[Mycon]

At the end of November I popped into my local Eyemasters to get a new pair of lenses. I wanted something that would last a long time (since I hate getting new glasses) so I dropped a large chunk of cash on a stylish frame and super-fancy lens material with ultra coatings. The problem is, I can't wear them...

I have had them remade 3 times now. The first time, the left lens was wrong and they re-assessed the prescription. The second time the image was still too distorted, so I had to go back to polycarbonate lenses like my old ones. I just yesterday discovered that the 3rd pair has the wrong prescription in the right lens. On top of all of this, all pairs have hurt my eyes to wear. The image is warped, and everything looks farther away than it should be. Fluorescent light somehow makes them not work (which is all my workplace has) and they give me debilitating headaches.

They keep telling me that I just have to get used to them and my astigmatism changed, but I highly doubt that getting used to a pair of glasses should be THIS painful. Wearing them to work is nothing short of excruciating. I most certainly did NOT have these issues with my old pair. I think I had a mild headache for a few hours after getting those, and they never showed a distorted image.

To Eyemasters credit, they have offered to remake them as many times as I request, but at this point I wonder if they even can make them properly or if they can properly eval my prescription. So this begs the question:
Should I have them remake the glasses once again, this time trying a smaller frame that is closer to the old ones? or Should I get my money back, and return to the place where I got the old pair. The problem with the second option, is that the old place is an actual doctor of Optometry and I no longer have vision insurance.

 

[Dennis]

Wow. I would go to doctor of optometry - either your old one or a different one. If you have medical insurance, the OD may be able to put the exam on that which would lesson your direct cost. It just sounds like the place you are going to doesn't know what they are doing, and the wrong prescription for your eyes is a bad idea.

 

[TnutsShave]

Wow. I would go to doctor of optometry - either your old one or a different one. If you have medical insurance, the OD may be able to put the exam on that which would lesson your direct cost. It just sounds like the place you are going to doesn't know what they are doing, and the wrong prescription for your eyes is a bad idea.

^^^^^^This.

The only time I don't wear glasses is when I'm asleep I've always been leary of the LensCrafters/Eyemasters and their ilk. Eyeglasses are one of those things I don't have a problem dropping the extra coin (on top of insurance money) if necessary as they are so critical to have them done RIGHT. I'm wearing the gosh darn things all day, they have to be comfortable and functional.

I have never had to "get used to" glasses. I have two very different prescriptions in both eyes (near sighted here with astigmatism in my right eye, which has changed over time).

Stick with the poly and if you can afford it, spring for the anti-glare coating. It's one of those things you don't notice unless you don't have it.

Don't take any guff from those swine...

 

[heyoka]

In a best case scenario, you only have two good eyes. Vision is one of the those things we take for granted until there's a problem.

Do you have a 30 day guarantee? I would deal with getting my money back first. You've been patient about getting this resolved and now they're giving you excuses. If they hassle you, then escalate to the corporate Customer Service Department.

Then I'd go back to the previous eye doctor. Cut the budget elsewhere. After you figure out what you can afford to pay, explain your situation to your doctor. See if he'll take a down payment and monthly installments. You won't know for sure if you don't ask.

 

[Blue_2]

Talk to your Optometrist. You can sometimes get other coverage through your auto or medical insurance.

I'll never go back to Lenscrafters, my Optometrist rants about them regularly. They're just cheap knockoffs, when did people think start thinking they're good glasses.

 

[_JP_]

I agree with getting the prescription rechecked. The labs are very good at following prescriptions, so I doubt that the real trouble is with them.

 

[Groat]

Several months ago, I was perusing a Consumer Reports magazine and was surprised to see that Costco was directly beneath your local optometrist shop in customer satisfaction. I needed a new pair of glasses, so I decided to try them out. My prescription hasn't changed in years, so I felt safe using the Costco optometrist. That was $45 or so. I picked out frames that I liked and got the best lenses Costco sold for under $150. They were ready for pickup less than 3 days later. Thus far, I haven't had a single problem with them.

 

[heyoka]

One time my eye doctor made "Tsk...tsk" noises during the whole examination, and went into detail about an eye disease that can destroy your vision if you don't take good care of your contacts. I was scared to death. He finished by saying, "Luckily, you don't have that." Point taken.

Another time he explained that theoretically, it was impossible for me to see using the contacts he had prescribed. He followed that with "Now read the line at the bottom for me."

When he retired and sold his practice, he went to work at the Vision Center at Wal-mart. I followed him. I think your glasses are never going to be better than the person doing the exam.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Eyeglasses and frames are one of those industries where the markups on products are way beyond outrageous. Going to a discount place like Costco is good sense. Of course optometrists hate them because they are cutting into their business. If you are having problems take your business elsewhere and confirm your prescription. Lighting should have nothing to do with getting used to glasses and even a new prescription should only take a day or two to settle in to.

 

[dpm802]

Are these Varilux lenses? I had a pair about 10 years ago and didn't like them at all ... my complaints to the shop that made them went unanswered, they would just say "Its normal. You'll get used to them."

Well, I never did, even though I wore them for the next six years. Things were blurry, distorted and out of focus. I had to tilt my head back at odd angles to see clearly, and even then, it wasn't that clear.

My last two pair have been standard bi-focals, with the line in the lenses. They work much better. My next pair, I may spring for tri-focals, so I can bring the computer screen into sharp focus, too.

 

[Duke of the Deck]

I had the same problem with progressive bi-focals on two separate occassions. The problem was that the glasses were made incorrectly. The starting point for the reading part of the glasses was positioned too high and I had to tilt my head to see clearly while driving. Re-measurement and re-making the lenses eliminated the problem.

 

[hifigeezer]

Sounds to me like the prescription is wrong. If you go to an eye doctor (MD) for an examination your health insurance may cover that and they will give you a prescription you can use anywhere. They can also compare your EyeMasters prescription and glasses to what they prescribe. I had glasses once from Sears that focused but gave me headaches; my doctor's office measured them and found that the axis was rotated 90 degrees from the prescription.

 

[bogey97]

I've had this problem before.. and it's because of the astigmatism. In order to correct astigmatism, the focal point of the lens needs to be lined up correctly. I've had several problems with glasses where they measured the focal point incorrectly and I could not use them. Also, if the frame is flimsy (remember the "frameless" frames of the early 90s?), the focal point can shift and drive you nuts.

If they have a money-back guarantee, I would take them up on it and go to someone who knows how to fit glasses for astigmatism correctly.

 

[stobes21]

I'd also bet that the issue is with your prescription rather than the glasses themselves. Any good optometrist/ophthalmologist will do the exam and write out your prescription for you to take somewhere else to have the glasses made. If you think there is a problem with the glasses you could even take them back to the same doctor and have them measured.

There are a number of online retailers that will make glasses on par or better quality than what you can get from the doctor for a fraction of the price. My current pair is a rimless and hingeless memory titanium frame with low index poly lenses and all the coatings. The whole thing cost about $60. A similar pair from Pearl Vision (a lenscrafters brand) was $250 for the frame, plus $100+ for the lenses. My aunt, who works for an optometrist, said that they would have been even more than that from her office. After a year they're still in great shape and I am very pleased with them. I got them here (no affiliation). A quick google search turns up a number of online retailers, all much, much cheaper than the doctor or the "discount" chains.

 

[Stevestan]

Something is not right--either the Rx is off, they were not made ANSI standards or the change in Rx was too much for you to get used to. I'm very careful when I make changes to my patient's Rx to try to make it easy for them to adapt. I still get an occasional patient back where I will need to issue a "Doctor's Change Rx." It should not "hurt" to wear the new pair. It may take a little "adaptation" to get used to, but that should be over in a few days of wear and the vision should be decent. Polycarbonate lenses in high powers (over 4.00 dioptors) can cause chromatic aberration in some sensitive patients. That would be evidenced by seeing a rainbow effect on letters. High index plastic is a better choice in that situation. The usual procedure is to return to whoever gave you the prescription. A reputable place is going to work with you until you are satisfied.

 

[Bobtrumpet]

A problem I had with glasses, and a new maker, several years ago, was that while the prescription was right, they were ground on a different base curve. The very center was correct, but anything off center was distorted. I went back to my ophthalmologist and he hit the problem in about 5 seconds. I had the shop regrind new lenses with the old base curve and all was well. You might have them compare the base curve of the old lenses to the new ones.

I have made sure that my ophthalmologist puts this on every new prescription and I haven't had a problem since. I don't' know if that's the problem with your new lenses or not, but it's a pretty quick check.

 

[mikey]

My advice would be to find a good optometrist.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mycon]

Are these Varilux lenses? I had a pair about 10 years ago and didn't like them at all ... my complaints to the shop that made them went unanswered, they would just say "Its normal. You'll get used to them."

Well, I never did, even though I wore them for the next six years. Things were blurry, distorted and out of focus. I had to tilt my head back at odd angles to see clearly, and even then, it wasn't that clear.

.

The first 2 pairs were Eagle Vision 4.0 which is fancy talk for Trivex. With this last pair, I had them switch back to Polycarbonate but it only fixed the issue to a point. The part I bolded is EXACTLY what I have been going through. In order to minimize the distortion, I had to either crane my neck back or wear the glasses with the arms on the outside of my ears. Even with those measures, I noticed that a sign across the hall from my office was blurry.

Something is not right--either the Rx is off, they were not made ANSI standards or the change in Rx was too much for you to get used to. I'm very careful when I make changes to my patient's Rx to try to make it easy for them to adapt. I still get an occasional patient back where I will need to issue a "Doctor's Change Rx." It should not "hurt" to wear the new pair. It may take a little "adaptation" to get used to, but that should be over in a few days of wear and the vision should be decent. Polycarbonate lenses in high powers (over 4.00 dioptors) can cause chromatic aberration in some sensitive patients. That would be evidenced by seeing a rainbow effect on letters. High index plastic is a better choice in that situation. The usual procedure is to return to whoever gave you the prescription. A reputable place is going to work with you until you are satisfied.

What would cause objects that are close to appear almost unnaturally sharp, as well as smaller? And believe me, "hurt" is an understatement. I can only wear them for about 4 days before they become unbearable. I went back to the old pair more than 24 hours ago, and I still have a headache. When I first switched, it felt like I had needles in my pupils...

 

[Stevestan]

It's impossible to be sure without examining you, but objects would be clear and minimized when a patient was "overcorrected". If you are nearsighted and the glasses are too strong it would force you to "over accommodate" (have to use your near focusing ability to see clearly). This typically causes a headache in the forehead region and the patient can't read for long. On some patients it is difficult to determine their prescription because they accommodate due to stress or whatever. In a case like that a good optometrist or ophthalmologist will use drops to temporarily put the focusing muscles at rest so as to not issue an Rx that is too strong. A lot of commercial practices won't bother with that-- they just want to get the patients in and out quickly so they can sell a lot of glasses. The markup on glasses is totally obscene. Some of the frames from Asia can be $3.00 wholesale and sold for $80 or more to the patient. Add the lenses and it gets expensive. My entire career has been working for the military, so I have not been involved with that. But my optometry school classmates who have optical shops in their practices get most of their income from selling product as opposed to their exam fees.

 

[Confilo]

^^^^^^This.

The only time I don't wear glasses is when I'm asleep I've always been leary of the LensCrafters/Eyemasters and their ilk. Eyeglasses are one of those things I don't have a problem dropping the extra coin (on top of insurance money) if necessary as they are so critical to have them done RIGHT. I'm wearing the gosh darn things all day, they have to be comfortable and functional.

I have never had to "get used to" glasses. I have two very different prescriptions in both eyes (near sighted here with astigmatism in my right eye, which has changed over time).

Stick with the poly and if you can afford it, spring for the anti-glare coating. It's one of those things you don't notice unless you don't have it.

Don't take any guff from those swine...

I agree, plus I only change my prescriptions when I know I need a new one.