UKC

I have just got some glasses for driving, that are only a really small prescription to correct a slight stigmatism and to help with distance. Strictly speaking I dont *need* them, but given that I do miles and miles driving for work Im hoping they will lessen how tired I get.

Anyway, they most definitely make things clearer, but my distance perception is all screwy! Its also like they slow my eyes down when changing from close up to distance (rear view mirror, back to road in front for example). Whilst this is quite cinematic, its also strange and I dont like it. Is this normal/will it stop? I only need to wear the specs for driving, so my concern is that Ill never get accustomed to them. Or else I will get accustomed to them, and then not wearing them will seem weird.
Hoping I havent just wasted £80 on the things....

In reply to goosebump: The condition is 'astigmatism', by the way.

You don't mention your age, which is a factor, because everyone progressively loses the ability to switch focus from distance to near as they reach their mid 40s. It may be that you've been tolerating quite poor vision for a while and now that's corrected the downside is that your are noticing the difference between 'clear' distant vision and 'clear' near vision.

Anyway if you got your specs from an optician go and chat to them about it, you might as well make sure that a) the glasses were correctly made up and b) your prescription was correct in the first place.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:
hahahaha theres a good typo! Still mid thirties and Im sure my eyes are pretty good, the glasses were a choice not a requirement. Yep Ill ask the optician, but I fairly certain the specs are correct, since I can read ridiculously distant stuff (as well as close up stuff). But I feel a bit woozy walking in them, and parking or driving at close quarters on the roads round here is tricky!

In reply to goosebump:

I'm in the same boat in that I only wear my glasses for driving and don't strictly need them.

I didn't notice the effect you described, but it did take me a while to get used to them. I do get significantly less tired driving now than I used to and I feel quite vulnerable driving without them.

If the problem persists I would go back and talk to your optician again.

In reply to goosebump:

Yes, you need to get used to wearing glasses. Your brain does a lot of processing of the visual information from the eyes, and if this is "distorted" from what it is used to then it'll take a bit of time to get used to it. If you wore them all the time this would take a few days, if you wear them less it will take longer.

In reply to goosebump: i only use mine for looking at things

In reply to goosebump: Can't speak for wearing glasses for the first time, but when I get new lenses in my specs after a change in my prescription my distance perception seems off for a few days. I'm pretty sure Coel is right that it just takes the brain a little while to adjust its processing for an altered input.

In reply to goosebump:

This is pretty spooky - I got new glasses on Saturday, and could have just written your OP. I don't NEED them, I'm comfortably better than the driving sight test, I've got a slight astigmatism, and they're my first glasses. Add to that, I only have really any correction on the right eye, and I find things are slightly sharper now (and markedly improved when I close my left eye), but WOW are things looking weird! It's ike walking round with in some kind of overdone 3D movie! Added to that, things with the right eye have a slight barrell distortion now, which means things look shart, but tilted about 20 degrees! On saturday I was watching crystal clear water running uphill. It has made walking pretty interesting, and one leg appeared to be but things seem to be evening themselves out a bit. I've also found computer screens to be smaller on the right side, and bigger on the left, but sharp throughout. It does seem to be getting better though, and I've certainly noticed my eyes changing (ironically, my vision seems to be marginally worse now without than it was last week, though it sorts itself out within a couple of minutes of no glasses), so hopefully the weird drunken feeling will come to an end soon - it's been a bit like waking with a fisheye lens over one eye! I'm going to stick at it with a couple of weeks and see if I get on with them, otherwise, I might start investigating things like contacts.

Tim

In reply to goosebump: I have glasses that I only use for driving (poor distance vision although its not bad they do improve my vision) and yes it took me a while to get used to wearing them and the changes for my vision. I cant use them at all for walking around in, its too weird and I start to feel a bit sick and dizzy so literally only use them when i'm driving. I feel very odd when i'm driving and Ive forgotten to put them on or when one lens pops out and I dont realise.

In reply to RockAngel:

I've got a high minus prescription with pretty big astigmatism, and I happily swap between contacts (which optically is like having no prescription) and specs all the time. Nothing ever looks weird. The only times things have ever looked weird is with a new prescription when there's been a big change - and then only for a day or so.

A low prescription shouldn't take much time to get used to, if you want the sharp vision for driving, it shouldn't be much of a drawback at all.

In reply to RockAngel:

You shouldn't feel sick or dizzy wearing your glasses except maybe for the first few days or so. If you do, go back to your optician, they aren't right for you.

One thing which is a possibility is having a bit of a lazy eye. I find this is rarely a problem without glasses, but with it mucks up my 3D vision, so I had prisms put in and that solved it (As well as reducing eye strain when on the computer).

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams: theyre fine for the driving and distance vision but if I forget to take them off and try and read something in the supermarket, ingredients or something on packaging I really have to wave my arm around to get the right distance to do so. I literally only wear them for driving.

In reply to everyone:

Thanks all for the replies and reassurance! I shall persevere and hope my brain-eye connections adapt