#21 ·
This is a great topic because I’ve been struggling with the discrepancy between my contact lens and glasses prescriptions. I’m curious whether the prescription for glasses should typically be higher than for contacts. I called an eye clinic today, and the technician mentioned the glasses prescription should be stronger, though she sounded a little hesitant when explaining it.
Here is the situation: I’ve used a combination of contacts and glasses for years. A couple of years ago, my ophthalmologist told me my glasses prescription should actually be slightly lower than my contact lens prescription. However, I realized that my glasses prescription was significantly weaker than my contacts—I couldn't see clearly at a distance, which made driving impossible. My glasses were basically just something to wear around the house, while I relied exclusively on contacts whenever I went out.
A few days ago, I decided it was finally time to get new glasses. There is no point in wearing frames if you can't actually see through them, and since I recently dealt with a nasty case of conjunctivitis, I realized that having good glasses as a backup is essential.
My current glasses prescription is -6.25 in both eyes (including astigmatism). The confusing part is that according to my last contact lens exam, my prescription was -5.75 and -5.5. It’s all a bit muddled since I had my contacts fitted at one clinic and my glasses checked at another. With my contacts, my vision is excellent—everything is sharp even at a distance. It's clear now why my old glasses weren't working, but the numbers feel off, especially since I was previously told my glasses prescription should be lower than my contacts, yet this second opinion suggests the opposite.
Apologies for the long post. If anyone else uses a combination of contacts and glasses, could you clarify a few things? Is there a standard difference in prescription? Does astigmatism affect how much higher the glasses prescription might be compared to contacts? And in your experience, which one ends up being the stronger number?
Thanks.😬
Here is the situation: I’ve used a combination of contacts and glasses for years. A couple of years ago, my ophthalmologist told me my glasses prescription should actually be slightly lower than my contact lens prescription. However, I realized that my glasses prescription was significantly weaker than my contacts—I couldn't see clearly at a distance, which made driving impossible. My glasses were basically just something to wear around the house, while I relied exclusively on contacts whenever I went out.
A few days ago, I decided it was finally time to get new glasses. There is no point in wearing frames if you can't actually see through them, and since I recently dealt with a nasty case of conjunctivitis, I realized that having good glasses as a backup is essential.
My current glasses prescription is -6.25 in both eyes (including astigmatism). The confusing part is that according to my last contact lens exam, my prescription was -5.75 and -5.5. It’s all a bit muddled since I had my contacts fitted at one clinic and my glasses checked at another. With my contacts, my vision is excellent—everything is sharp even at a distance. It's clear now why my old glasses weren't working, but the numbers feel off, especially since I was previously told my glasses prescription should be lower than my contacts, yet this second opinion suggests the opposite.
Apologies for the long post. If anyone else uses a combination of contacts and glasses, could you clarify a few things? Is there a standard difference in prescription? Does astigmatism affect how much higher the glasses prescription might be compared to contacts? And in your experience, which one ends up being the stronger number?
Thanks.😬
