Just because you’ve had your eyeglasses for years doesn’t mean they’re the best fit for you. Our eyes learn to adjust over time. Just because we think we see things clearly now doesn’t mean we don’t hurt our eyes or contribute to further their condition.
The best thing about modern technology is that it makes everything fast and convenient. You can now get onsite prescription eyewear with a snap of your fingers. Okay, not literally, but you can get your new eyeglasses in 30 minutes or even less. That’s largely thanks to the tough competition in the market that eyewear companies have made it a point to offer quick solutions to your eyewear problems.
But how do you know it’s time to get new prescription eyewear? If you can still see clearly with the glasses you have on, why would you go to an ophthalmologist or optometrist to have your eyes checked? Here are some tell-tale signs:
You Are Getting Headaches All the Time
While headaches may be caused by a variety of reasons—stress, temperature, fatigue, pre-menstrual syndrome, etc.—eye problems are one of the top causes of common headaches. If there’s an uptick recently in the instances that you get a headache, you may want to get your eyes checked. Eye strain can cause headaches, and you get eye strain from outdated glasses.
Your Eyes Are Aching
Your eyes are like computers. They process the objects before you in lightning speed and adjust the lenses of the eyes so that you can see the subjects clearly. However, when you are using the wrong prescriptive glasses, the eye muscles will have to work doubly hard. This strains the eyes, and it becomes physically painful for you to focus your eyes on the objects.
You Are Squinting
Squinting is the most natural way for you to refocus your eyes so that you can see the objects clearly. However, as with many things you do with your eyes, this stresses the muscles and eventually, you’ll find yourself suffering from a headache. If you notice that you’re squinting when looking at the computer screen or TV screen or when you’re reading a book, it means that your eyeglasses no longer have the right grade for your vision problems.
You Are Having Blurry Vision
Have you experienced your vision getting blurred? And no, it’s not because you were crying or something was in your eyes. This mostly happens when you have been reading or have been in front of the computer screen for a long time. You might even feel your eyes start to water. The occasional blur of vision causes your eyes to lose its focus.
You’ve Had Your Eyeglasses for Years
If you’ve had the same eyeglasses for a year now, it’s time to have your eyes checked. Normally, it is recommended that you go to the doctor every six months to see if your glasses still fit your eyes. This will prevent other eye problems from developing such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Other signs that might mean you need new prescription glasses are difficulty seeing at night, difficulty when driving, eye fatigue, adjusting your computer screen’s brightness setting to low because it hurts your eyes, and scratched glasses. Any of these reasons are good enough for you to go to the doctor, have your eyes checked, and get fitted for new glasses. Preventive measures must be taken always to ensure your eyesight’s health even as you grow old.
