If you have ever tried on your new prescription glasses, then you already know the age-old dilemma that glasses wearers have been struggling with since the inception of eyeglasses: the adjustment period. Your eyes are not used to your new glasses right away and it will take some time for them to become adjusted; in the meantime, however, your vision can feel a bit strange and you may even feel dizzy and a bit disoriented.
If you want to know more about how long it takes for your eyes to adjust to new glasses, read on.
Why Your Eyes Need to Adjust to New Glasses
Your eyes need to adjust to new glasses in order to get used to your new prescription. It is entirely natural for your eyes to take some time to adjust to your new glasses, especially if you have not received a new prescription in years and the new prescription is vastly different from your old one.
Common symptoms that occur when adjusting to your new glasses include:
- Eye strain
- Distortion, including changes in your vision especially if you are moving
- Fishbowl effect, which causes your vision to appear bent around the edges of your glasses
- Depth perception problems, which can make it hard to determine how close or far away objects are
- Headaches
These symptoms will be particularly noticeable when your new glasses have a significantly different prescription.
How Long Will It Take Your Eyes to Adjust to New Glasses?
The amount of time it takes for your eyes to adjust to new glasses will vary from person to person, and from prescription to prescription. The more significantly different the new prescription is from your old prescription, then the longer it will take for your eyes to become adjusted.
However, most people find that their eyes become completely adjusted within 3 to 5 days. Some people find that their eyes adjust in as little as 1 day; in more severe cases, particularly with new prescriptions after several years of vision deterioration, it may take closer to 7 days and sometimes up to 2 weeks.
It is important to keep in touch with your eye doctor during the adjustment period, especially if it seems that your eyes aren’t adjusting to your new prescription in a reasonable amount of time. Your eye doctor will be able to answer questions you have and check that the problem with your eyes adjusting isn’t related to an error with the lens or due to the fit of the glasses.
If you have significantly changed your prescription and your eyes are not adjusted by 2 weeks, contact your eye doctor so that they can check up on the situation. It’s important to see an eye doctor when your eyes don’t adjust to your new prescription, so that you can get the situation corrected as soon as possible.
Remember: it is normal for your eyes to adjust after a prescription, but keep tabs on the situation so that you can contact your eye doctor if necessary.