Eye issues / Vision problems

Hey everyone, quick question... can anyone tell me if I’m supposed to be straining my eyes during an eye exam to get the best results, or should I just totally relax and let things happen naturally? So, a few days ago I went in for a checkup and I decided to just go limp and relax my eyes, and they ended up giving me a prescription for +2.5. Now, ever since I started wearing these glasses, I've been dealing with constant headaches. They work okay for reading stuff up close, I guess, but that's about it. Without them, I can see pretty much everything clearly, but I can't do it for very long before my eyes start feeling super strained... and then if I try to relax my vision, everything just goes blurry. I'm not even sure how to put this properly, but if anyone else has dealt with something similar, I’d really appreciate some advice... Sorry if there are any typos here, I'm actually typing this while wearing these new glasses. THANKS!

The exam itself ought to be fairly relaxed. If these are your very first pair of glasses—especially if you're dealing with a significant prescription for the first time—it’s going to take a little while to adjust to them. Some optometrists actually prefer to start with a slightly lower prescription, then gradually increase it over time until they reach full correction. It's a common approach. Otherwise, your description seems to align perfectly with the classic definition of farsightedness; you can see things in the distance, but your eyes tire out quickly because they’re constantly straining to bring everything into focus.
I hope that offers at least a bit of clarity.

I’d strongly suggest heading back to the ophthalmologist and being very explicit about these issues you're experiencing. If they haven't actually checked your intraocular pressure yet, please, just insist that they do it. Headaches and blurred vision can often be traced back to that specific metric. Have you ever noticed any rainbow-colored halos shimmering around light sources, like a desk lamp or a bulb? If you have, don't wait—get to an eye doctor immediately and make sure they know exactly what you saw. I truly hope you aren't dealing with that, but it's better to be certain. Checking eye pressure should really be a standard part of a routine exam, so don't let them brush you off; be persistent with your requests for testing. I'm only saying this because I learned the hard way when some doctors missed something critical during my own checkups, and now I’m left dealing with significant vision loss in one eye.

wanderingranger63 said:Can anyone tell me if I should be straining my eyes during an eye exam to get the best vision possible, or just relax and let things happen naturally? A few days ago at my appointment, I relaxed my eyes and ended up with a +2.5 prescription—now, whenever I wear these glasses, I just get terrible headaches. They work fine for close-up stuff, like reading, but that's it. Without them, I can see everything clearly, but not for very long because my eyes get so tired from the effort. Once I stop straining, everything goes blurry. I’m not sure how else to explain it, but if anyone has dealt with something similar, please help! Sorry if there are typos—I'm typing this while wearing these new glasses. THANKS

Those headaches could definitely be caused by an incorrect prescription. I'm not sure if they tested you using the standard eye chart or a refractometer, or if they used any dilating drops? Since the glasses work well for near vision (where you probably aren't getting those headaches), it sounds like the prescription might be too strong for distance. A thorough exam really ought to include both a refractometer test with cycloplegia—that's when they use drops to relax your eye's focusing muscles and dilate your pupils—and a standard chart test. Unfortunately, a lot of private clinics in the US don't always perform such a comprehensive exam, which leads to mistakes like this. I've actually been through this exact same thing myself.
As for whether you should strain or relax your eyes, I don't think it matters much if they use those dilating drops (cycloplegia), because those drops basically prevent you from straining anyway, which provides much more reliable results.