With the convenience and affordability of purchasing glasses online, there’s no reason to procrastinate when it comes to updating your lenses. Here are four signs it might be time to trade in your old glasses for a new pair.
-
Frequent Headaches
When you can’t see well because of farsightedness or astigmatism, your eyes strain to compensate for the poor vision; this can lead to headaches. You might also experience soreness or tiredness in the eyes because the eye muscles work harder to help you see clearly. If you frequently need to rub your eyes, that’s a sign of exhaustion that could be caused by strain. Poor vision can also amplify the sun’s effects on the eyes, so you might notice that you need to rely on sunglasses more than usual.
-
Squinting
Another way your body compensates for poor vision is by squinting. This lets less light into the eye and sharpens the image you’re seeing. You might find yourself squinting frequently to see what’s around you, or maybe you sit a little closer to the television or hold your smartphone closer to your face while texting. If you’re doing any of these, it’s probably time to update your prescription.
-
Halos or Blurred Vision
If your vision is blurry, especially when driving, reading, or using the computer, you probably need new lenses. You might notice halos around lights. This occurs when your vision is poor and your eyes can’t focus light correctly. You should always see your eye doctor right away if you experience halos, as they can be a symptomatic of cataracts. Difficulty seeing at night is commonly mentioned as a symptom of aging, but it can often be corrected with new glasses.
-
Nausea
In some cases, problems seeing can cause you to feel ill. This typically happens when one eye has worse vision than the other. Since the brain pieces together the image from each eye to make a full picture, nausea can result when one of those two images is blurry and the other is clear. Vertigo, dizziness, and double vision are related symptoms.
Even without these symptoms, most optometrists recommend eye exams every two years and annually after the age of 60. Regardless of when your last exam was, if you notice any of the above indicators that your corrective lenses need to be upgraded, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.