Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
Hi. I'm hoping someone can tell me if it's normal for eye prescriptions to vary so much. I have to admit I know very little, but am wondering how a prescription can have number values listed under the cyl and axis for the left eye on one prescription, and then two years later, have no number values for cyl and axis for the left eye, but have the numbers listed for the right eye instead. Does that make sense? (I will be seeing an optometrist next month, but in the meantime, am trying to make some sense of this myself.)
Three eye exams in the last 9 years.
In 1998:
OD Sphere -100, Cyl -025, Axis 155
OS Sphere -075
Other: CR39, SR2
In 2002:
OD Sphere -100
OS Sphere -075, Cyl -025, Axis 175
In 2009:
OD Sphere -100, Cyl -025, Axis 055
OS Sphere -125, Cyl -025, Axis 155
I'm really confused by how different each of these are. I got glasses made using my most recent prescription, and I'm finding them very difficult to even wear. The left eye feels like the prescription is too strong. Yuck. Not a nice feeling.
Anyhow, I have an appointment to go back and have the prescription changed, but until then, am wondering how the prescriptions can flip-flop like that, meaning, for example, how the numbers for my right eye can go from having number values go from -100/-025/155 to only -100 and then to -100/-025/055.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
I'm not the person to make sense of your prescriptions...but I can tell you why I couldn't see well out of glasses even though the prescriptions were recent/changed. My medication for blood pressure was changing my vision...I believe other medications can cause blurry vision also as I'm hearing it more and more listed as a side effect.
Bethsheba
PS My ophthamologist, optometrist, and my doctor said it "wasn't the med"...but I stopped taking the mediction and am now wearing glasses that are 5 years old....had to toss the 3 "new" prescriptons.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
Sphere measures far or near-sightedness. A negative number is myopia (nearsightedness). Your left eye has gone from -.75 to -1.25. That's a noticeable change, but it's been over a period of 7 years, so not unusual.
Cylinder measures astigmatism. That's an uneven curve of the cornea. Very common. Axis is only the location of the astigmatism on the circle of your eyeball. Its a number of degrees (out of a circle), so does not indicate any kind of severity. An astigmatism of .25 is the smallest that can be measured, so that probably explains why it came and went. The axis can change too.
By all means make sure your prescription is correct next time, but the change in your left eye might explain why the lens seems too strong. You're not used to it; however, mistakes are sometimes made.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
The .25 diopter of astigmatism in your right eye is very minor. There appears to have been little change in your right eye over the past 11 years. The spherical power in your left eye increased by .50 diopter in your last script. This is not a big change, but if you can't see well there could be an error.
It's been my experience that some eye care providers are better than others when it comes to getting the script right. I've had the best luck with optometrists who have been practicing for awhile.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
There's a big change in the astigmatism measurements. They've gone from a plus to a minus and the axis, or location, has shifted. You'd have to talk about the difference in prescriptions with your optometrist or eye doc.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
Quote:
Originally Posted by larrymoencurly
Why do these prescriptions, made 3 weeks apart by different doctors, vary so much?
doctor #1: +2.75 +1.75 165 +1.75 +1.75 6
doctor #2: +2.00 -1.00 75 +2.00 -1.00 106
I'm assuming #1 are the 2 persciptions for the right eye which is showing a 1 diopter difference over 3 weeks. and no change with the left eye Factors can change but I feel the most important cause can be how long the contact lens has been out. If a pressure was done on the eye just prior to the refraction of if the eye was rubbed can all change it a little.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
Quote:
Originally Posted by studynut
I'm assuming #1 are the 2 persciptions for the right eye
It doesn't appear so. #1 is the first doctor's script for both eyes.
You make a good point about contact lenses, but the poster never said he wore contacts.
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different?
Quote:
Originally Posted by studynut
I'm assuming #1 are the 2 persciptions for the right eye which is showing a 1 diopter difference over 3 weeks. and no change with the left eye Factors can change but I feel the most important cause can be how long the contact lens has been out. If a pressure was done on the eye just prior to the refraction of if the eye was rubbed can all change it a little.
I'm sorry for printing the numbers in an unclear format and not indicating that the prescriptions were for glasses, not contacts. This is close to the format on the prescription forms:
Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different? 
Re: Eye exam prescriptions - How can they be so different? 
