How Long Does It Take for Your Eyes to Adjust to a New Prescription?

Sometimes it feels like you need a new prescription every time you visit the eye doctor. This can be a pain because it can feel like the new glasses don’t correct your vision as well as the old ones. It can also take some time to adjust to them.

How Long Is the Adjustment Period for a New Prescription?

When you get a new prescription, it takes most people between one to two days to start adjusting. It can take up to two weeks for the adjustment process to be complete in some rarer cases, however. If your new prescription is very different from your old one, or if you have progressive lenses or bifocals, then it might take a bit longer to adjust to the new glasses.

What Problems Can Arise With New Glasses?

While you’re still adjusting to your new glasses, you may experience some of the following:

• Eye strain
• Vision distortion
• Headaches
• Depth perception issues
• Fishbowl effect

When you’re adjusting to new glasses, or if this is the first time you’ve ever had glasses, your brain isn’t used to seeing through lenses of that particular prescription. It requires some time to adjust. This is because your brain has become accustomed to compensating for insufficient vision correction. It may actually feel like your new glasses don’t correct your vision as well or are making your vision worse, but this is only because of the adjustment period. Once your brain has adjusted, the new glasses will work better than the old ones.

What Precautions Should You Take While Adjusting to New Glasses?

Because your vision may be affected while your brain adjusts, it’s important to be careful. You may not be able to see as well for a day or so, so you should be careful, particularly when going up and down stairs or when walking on otherwise uneven ground. You should also avoid tasks that require a lot of concentration and focus or anything involving dangerous machinery until you have adjusted to the new glasses.

What Should You Do If Your Eyes Don’t Adjust?

If your eyes haven’t adjusted to the new prescription after a few days, contact your eye doctor. They may want to double-check your prescription and test your eyes again. It’s possible that a mistake was made with your prescription, although that is hopefully unlikely. It’s also possible for the adjustment period to take longer if your prescription is very different from your previous one or if you have bifocals or professive lenses.

How Can You Help Your Eyes Adjust?

The best way to help your eyes adjust to the new glasses is to wear them. If they’re giving you headaches or eye strain, it can be very tempting to either not wear them or to wear the old glasses. However, if you’re not wearing the new glasses, your brain won’t be able to adjust to them. Even if it’s uncomfortable, the more you wear them, the faster you’ll adjust to the new prescription.