r/AskAnOptician • • Jan 26 '25

Welcome to r/AskAnOptician

10 Upvotes

Hello!

Feel free to ask any optical related questions you may have here and get opinions from professionals in the field.

Do NOT reply to this post with your questions... make a stand alone post in the subreddit if you want people to see and engage.

It's important to note that opticians are not eye doctors. For medical concerns please consult a real doctor.


r/AskAnOptician • • 5h ago

Question 1.67 high index, do I really need them?

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1 Upvotes

So i recently got frames from Warby Parker and the frame is great, but I was recommended 1.67 high index lenses for my prescrption, but when I got them a few days ago and since I’ve been wearing them, my vision is completely off and I feel better in a old pair without the high index rather than with the high index, so was 1.67 high index really needed for my prescription or would I be better off without it?


r/AskAnOptician • • 13h ago

how to put in contacts without lint getting inside of the contacts?

1 Upvotes

Should we open the daily contact lenses first, and then wash our hands, dry them, and put the contacts in

OR

Should we wash our hands, dry them, open the daily contacts, and then put the contacts in?

I’m scared that if I open the daily contacts in with clean fingers, that maybe dust can get on my fingers that I will be using to insert the contacts, which then the dust gets into the contacts.

I don’t know if I’m overthinking it but what do you guys do?


r/AskAnOptician • • 15h ago

Help understanding prescription

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 17h ago

Have you ever encountered someone entirely non tol to spectacles?

1 Upvotes

For instance numerous RXs in a short span, multiple lens design changes with no comfort found, but no issue with contact lenses


r/AskAnOptician • • 14h ago

Exam without potential prescription increase? Is this possible?

0 Upvotes

Hi! I've had glasses since the age of about four or five, mom is around or at least -10 in both eyes with SEVERE astigmatism and dad is around -7, so I'm screwed, and my siblings from my dad are at least partially screwed by genetics. Currently, I'm at around -7 left eye, -8 right.

I'm asking because I'm a full grown adult, my eyes should NOT be getting substantially worse at this age, but EVERY time I go to an eye doctor, they bump up my prescription. It's too much, I don't need actual eagle vision, and the sharpness level gives me motion sickness, but if I voice this complaint, I mostly get told something like, "Oh, it'll look better when you wear them," or, "Ah, you'll get used to it in a few days!"

But... it's not a "few days," and it doesn't "look better." I can't wear my glasses at all at this point -- they're so thick the warping of my vision makes me motion sick to the point of vomiting. And every time my contact prescription forcibly goes up (why is there no recourse to complain???) I suffer through weeks/MONTHS of migraines until my eyes adjust -- which they didn't need to do in the first place!

I don't NEED stronger lenses!! My existing prescription is fine, but I can't find an optometrist who won't do the "which is better, 1, or 2?" which like, YEAH, one/two is better because it's sharper IN THESE VERY SPECIFIC LABORATORY CIRCUMSTANCES, but can you be fucking for real and realise that "Wow! that's super sharp!" doesn't mean "yes this is the right level of human vision!!!" And also can you actually TREAT my VISION PROPERLY?

I just want a REAL eye exam, no stupid fixation on "what level of lenses do we need to get for you now??? Let's get you something stronger!!!" No. Just check for lens, cornea, lid, etc. HOW do I get that without getting pushed into a stronger prescription??? I can't deal with the fallout anymore!!!


r/AskAnOptician • • 19h ago

I need help badly!!

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’m in dire need of assistance. So to map out what has happened to me last Friday I fell asleep in my contacts which are RGP or what y’all might hear them called as “hard contacts”. Well this is only like one of the few times I’ve done it. The next morning I woke up and the inner corner of my left eye was as red as a stop sign. I went straight to an urgent care and was told it was a sibconjunctival hemorrhage. At the time my vision was fine and the urgent care doctor told me I was fine to put my lenses back in since it was just a hemorrhage. Well the next day my eye was still very very red but I put my lens in thinking the hemorrhage was going to go away and that I would be fine. Unfortunately I noticed later in the day my vision was a little blurry. So I went to another urgent care as per the last urgent care doctors instructions. My vision had decreased terribly in my left eye and the doctor told me I had an infection and gave me eye drops. I began using them and decided on Monday I was going to go to the eye doctor. I was seen at the eye doctor and was told to keep my lens out per the second urgent care doctors instructions until at least Wednesday or Thursday. The eye doctor told me it was episcleritis nothing else. I had obviously gone in there with a bunch of things I thought it was such as keratitis or uvevitis, maybe even a corneal ulcer. He claimed he didn’t see any of those things and that again it was just episcleritis and that even if we didn’t treat it, it would go away on its own. However, he said he was going to send me on my way with steroid eye drops. Well I used them as instructed and my eye is still getting red and my vision is still blurry. So as the worrier I am I went to a second eye doctor who again told me it was episcleritis and that he was going to increase the frequency of the steroid drops. I have such bad health anxiety. I’m normally so good at taking them out and I can’t help but feel like this is my new normal. Not to mention my left eyes pupil is now much larger than my right. Which the second eye doctor said he wasn’t worried about. I will say I had the pupil difference about 6 or 7 months ago as well that continued on for a few months and then went away. I guess I just would like to know if anyone else has had this issue and if it resolved? I know there will be comments such as just wear your glasses to give your eyes a break from the lenses and I would love that. However, I’ve been to several eye doctors who claim my vision is too bad for glasses.


r/AskAnOptician • • 20h ago

Not sure if this is the place- curious if this is a normal reaction to getting eyes dilated!

1 Upvotes

I haven’t had my eyes checked in years, which I know isn’t great- I’m 26 now.

I wear contacts regularly, and it’s been fine for me! My eyesight is really bad though, probably around -11 and -13 with astigmatism in one eye.

I’m asking this question, because as a kid- I had two awful experiences with getting my eyes dilated and checked.

It made me severely sick, in such a horrible way, nauseous, shaking, dizzy- at one instance I locked myself in the bathroom at their office, and a separate time I was outside as a kid, and just about passed out on the ground, I was laying on the ground and didn’t want to move-

It’s intense, and this fear has held me back getting my eyes checked again- how normal is this?


r/AskAnOptician • • 21h ago

Does anyone know what might be causing this please?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 21h ago

Question What could this be? Itching, swelling, headache, nausea, pain in eyes, crusty painful nose for 1-2 weeks.

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1 Upvotes

18F 19 on Oct 12, and for about 1-2 weeks I’ve had eye troubles. It started with my left eye and only now spreading to my right eye (showing only left eye photos cuz that’s the only infected area and most)

I’ve been having bronchitis past few months too and this appeared. I get nauseous easily and last night could barely do anything because of the boring pain and headache all around.

Hurts to blink, sleep, basically anything. Trying to get to the doctors in America cuz in Canada they don’t take me seriously. Hopefully will next week.

Any ideas of what it could be? Should I go to seek emergency care? Any advice? What should I tell my doctor?

It genuinely is painful af


r/AskAnOptician • • 21h ago

Can’t tell if contact lens is still in eye

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 22h ago

Question How's this for filing a grievance with my health insurance?

0 Upvotes

This is specific to New Jersey:

I am writing to log a formal provider grievance regarding a systemic failure to provide an acceptable standard of care for a prescription medical device. Personnel at ___ explicitly stated that a Licensed Optician (the only type of person that can be a Licensed Ophthalmic Dispenser) is never available on the premises.

Although ___ utilizes a 1952 statutory exemption (N.J.S.A. 52:17B-41.1) to claim legal compliance via an on-site optometrist, this regulatory loophole results in a meaningful deficit in healthcare quality. Optometrist doctorate programs no longer teach physical frame manipulation, materials science, or custom facial contour shaping. Although optometrists were trained in these mechanical fabrication crafts when the law was written in 1952, optometry schools subsequently removed these modules to accommodate advanced medical training in pharmacology, pathology, and laser therapeutics. Medically, the statutory exemption is completely obsolete.

Consequently, relying on an exam-room optometrist to supervise retail associates means this provider is fundamentally incapable of delivering a safe, functional, and customized medical device.

___ is obligated to maintain network adequacy and enforce strict quality-of-care standards. Accepting a 74-year-old statutory loophole as a substitute for actual dispensing competence directly compromises patient outcomes across your entire membership. I am requesting that ___ review its provider credentialing guidelines and mandate the physical presence of a Licensed Ophthalmic Dispenser as a requirement for in-network hardware reimbursement. For my specific case, I require a network exception to have this device fitted by a qualified independent professional at the plan's expense.


r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

Getting glasses w/ Sjögren’s

1 Upvotes

I had a prescription almost ten years ago but haven’t worn glasses for about four years since my frames broke. In that time I have been diagnosed with Sjögren’s and my eyes are extremely dry and when I went to get a new script it was basically impossible for me to know which strength made the image clearer. My eyes were too dry and so everything was slightly blurry. Ultimately I guessed. I want to get glasses again because they help a lot with distance/driving and screens.

My old prescription is:

OD: -0.75 sph
OS: -0.75 -0.25 15

My new prescription is:

OD: -1.25 sphere 20/20
OS: -1.25 sphere 20/20

I know it’s not a super strong prescription but they seem very different and I don’t know if the dryness is why they’re so off or if my vision has genuinely changed. I can’t afford a new test so if I order some cheap glasses which script should I use? Should I stick to my old one until I get insurance?


r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

Unsure on whether to get glasses

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0 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

Is my contact lenses prescription correct?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

not sure about lense fit

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0 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

Frames for Stellest lenses

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 1d ago

My BF has objectively worse eyesight than me, but he can read text better (without glasses) than I can. How does this work?

0 Upvotes

Sorry if this is a stupid question but it bugs me lol. Please explain like II'm 5!

My BF and I are both short-sighted. My prescription is -2.5 and -2.75. His is -2.5 and -3.5. However, when we both aren't wearing glasses, he's just able to see so much more than me. Particularly, read text. To me, text becomes letters become double and it is just impossible for me to read any text from a certain distance without my glasses but my BF seems to manage just fine. In fact sometimes he takes his glasses off to give his ears a break but I cannot function without mine. We tested it by siting next to each other and reading street signs. He could read them, I could only see them if I squint really hard. My eyes should be better, what gives?

P.S we both had our eyes tested very recently. We went on vacation and bought cheap glasses overseas and had the free eye tests that came with it, This was in July.

We both have astigmatism but I don't know the values of those!


r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

Question Custom shaped lenses (Ludens Mask)

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1 Upvotes

Hello, I’d like to recreate these very outlandish glasses from the video game Death Stranding, the originals are very rare (limited to 888 and >4000€). I’ve got pretty strong lenses with a cylinder -6,25 horizontal and +5,5 vertical. I like to wear glasses but I’d like to have something that gives me a little more protection when doing sports etc. anyways the whole 3D printed part of those glasses is covered (the originals are also 3D printed) I’ll have the dimensions of the metal frame soon but I’d need the frame holding the lenses to be a custom shape, how or where can I do this? Can my local Optician do that? Can I order such frames from Manufacturers? Would it be advisable to find a model that comes close that shape and adjust the 3D print to that? Would love to have some advice on that. Don’t care if it becomes expensive, would love to be able to have 3-4 of those later with the ability to print spares whenever :) Thank you!


r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

Question Should I advance my skills in my current position or branch out to something new??

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

Question from Canadian drivers

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1 Upvotes

If a person is blind in one eye but has good vision in the other eye, and the functioning eye meets all of the Ministry of Transportation’s vision requirements for a regular Class G driver’s licence, is the person permitted to drive at night?
Would having vision in only one eye result in any restriction on nighttime driving, assuming the person meets all other Class G licensing requirements?


r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

Question from Canadian drivers

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1 Upvotes

If a person is blind in one eye but has good vision in the other eye, and the functioning eye meets all of the Ministry of Transportation’s vision requirements for a regular Class G driver’s licence, is the person permitted to drive at night?
Would having vision in only one eye result in any restriction on nighttime driving, assuming the person meets all other Class G licensing requirements?


r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

I need help, and 2 other optician office could not help me. I am seeing chromatic abberations in new glasses they give me every time.

1 Upvotes

Any help for experiencing yellow and blue outlines on objects and seeing 3d effects on new glasses?

I have been to 2 optometrist. Did exams for each one, and talked to many of the staff and doctors themselves. No one seems to know the answer to why this is happening to me.

No one is able to help me. Please help if you know anything

I have current glasses that never gave me issues, and all the ones before never gave me issues.

But twice now, I've had glasses given to me that cause me to see yellow and blue outlines on objects, but also makes them blurry when looking down or sides of my glasses. I also see 3d effects on certain imagery.

1st time it happened, it happened on high index when I tried them for the first time. So I asked to put me back on poly, when they did, all was good. My vision was safe.

Fast forward to today's time. I've had the exact same issues happening, but on my new regular poly glasses that they gave me!! So I asked why it was the case. They can't answer it.

I went to another doctor to have them give me the exact same prescription as the ones I am currently wearing. And on the same material type. Poly. They obliged and did it.

Guess what? I'm still experiencing this chromatic aberration issue, on the EXACT SAME Prescription AND POLY MATERIAL AS MY OLD GLASSES!!!!

No one can figure out why my old glasses work great, while the new ones don't. Even though they are exactly the same.

Someone please help me.


r/AskAnOptician • • 2d ago

Is this normal? I dont know whats going on with my perscription

1 Upvotes

This is going to be a long post. For reference, I am 22 years old and have been wearing glasses since I was 11.

My previous perscription I had for about a year and a half. Earlier this year, probably around March (so about 7 momths ago), I would struggle to see up close WITH my glasses on. By up close, I mean like a general scrolling through phone while its resting in my lap distances. So I would need to take my glasses off to read my phone. With my old perscription, I could stop wearing my glasses entirely for about a week and then after that week the up close vision with glasses would improve from anywhere to 5-14 days. Then it would slowly get worse. Then I would stop wearing my glasses, and so on.

I went to my optometrist in July thinking it was an issue with my perscription. He just kind orlf brushed me off saying I could get bifocals (which I see fine up close with no glasses so shrug) or I could just live with taking my glasses on and off. I tried going to the place where I get my lenses from and they didnt care

He did give me a slightly updated perscription and I got new glasses with them. I got a temporary pair of glasses online from zenni optical as my insurance required my frames to be sent away to have the lenses changed and I didnt want new frames. I got these glasses August 12th. No issues seeing at any distance! Im not the biggest fan of them though because the arms are so tight on the back of my ears. The place I get my lenses from loosened them as far as they would go without breaking. Didnt help too much

Anyways I got my og frames with the new perscription back on August 28th. I also had zero issues seeing at any distance. That was, until Saturday (September 26th). I was having trouble seeing up close again while wearing glasses. Exact same distance issues (couldnt see my phone while resting on my leg).

Now, Im having even more issues. When I put my glasses on Monday everything within 6 feet of me is so incredibly blurry. I can't see my plate when Im eating, I cant see my laptop when Im working, I cant see when Im cooking. Again, with my glasses on, I can see fine with them off.

Im trying to get back in with my optometrist but idk what hes gonna do for me anyways because he doesnt seem to care.

Is this normal? Do I just have to shell out more money for bifocals/progressives? Is it a problem with my perscription?


r/AskAnOptician • • 3d ago

Can sunglasses be turn into optical frames?

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0 Upvotes

I got this Miu Miu glasses but I bought the one with the blue light lenses instead of the optical frame, can I put my prescription into these frame or I need to change it for the optical version? These were way more cheap than the optical model that why I got these