We all depend on our eyes so much every day. It’s easy to ignore symptoms when they are mild or don’t happen frequently enough to be concerning. But small inefficiencies can add up to bigger problems down the road, and many of these can be avoided with a trip to your eye doctor to update your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription.

Blurry Vision

Obviously, blurry vision is a key indicator that you may need new glasses. When the road signs become tougher to see, especially in dim lighting or poor weather, or when you keep having to enlarge the font on your phone to read text messages, a prescription update may be in your future. Your MVO eye doctor will be able to determine if your blurry vision may be caused by something else, such as dry eye or a health condition like diabetes, cataracts, or macular degeneration for example.

Tired Eyes

The increased effort your eyes must put forward from reading or using a computer may result in eye fatigue. Generally, this tends to worsen over the course of the day. Some of it may be due to the sheer volume of work you have to do, but if tweaking your eyewear prescription is in order, you’ll see an immediate benefit. Other factors leading to eye fatigue include allergies, dry eyes, or an eye-muscle imbalance.

Headaches

While there are a multitude of factors that cause us to experience headaches, it may be as simple as a glasses prescription adjustment. The muscles within and around your eyes work hard, especially during prolonged near activities such as computer use. New lens technology such as anti-fatigue lenses, “blue-blocking” light protection, office lenses and digital lens enhancements are being used with greater frequency for our patients of all ages. They can make a world of difference for those suffering from vision-induced headaches.

Light Sensitivity

One of the adverse effects of an overly stressed vision system is a higher level of light sensitivity. While eye health problems like cataracts and dry eyes can also result in more glare intolerance, the lens prescription is an important factor to consider.

Squinting

Squinting the eyes is a subconscious reflex done to temporarily relieve blurry vision. It results in a “pinhole effect” which does help negate the effect of an inaccurate lens prescription. However, it’s hardly a viable solution to blurred vision as it dramatically cuts down on the amount of light entering your eye, ultimately causing eye strain, as well as increasing muscle tension within your eyelids. If you find yourself squinting more, it’s time to visit your MVO eye doctor.

Don’t neglect one of your most important senses, take the time to get your eyes checked annually. An inaccuracy in your eyewear prescription may be all that’s required to get you seeing as well as possible. Remember it’s not uncommon to find that a prescription is too strong, which can also cause all the above symptoms. Of course, getting screened for eye disease is equally as important! Book your appointment today.

Source: Signs It’s Time To Change Your Eyeglass Prescription (improveherhealth.com)