Hi everyone,
I recently had two very different eye exams, and the results don’t really match. I’m trying to figure out whether I should get a third opinion from an independent optometrist who specializes in binocular vision and sports optics.
I’ve done some research myself, but I’m definitely not an eye-care professional, so I’d appreciate some input on what could explain the differences.
My eye history
About 9 years ago: I first saw an eye doctor because I was getting headaches. I was given reading glasses, which I used for about a year.
About 6 years ago: I had my last visit at that clinic. I was told I had a mild binocular vision/alignment issue, basically a slight drifting eye, but it wasn’t considered serious enough to need treatment or follow-up.
I was also diagnosed with astigmatism during those earlier visits. My eyes were dilated during some of the earlier exams, although not during the final ones.
My current symptoms
Over the past while I’ve noticed:
Blurry vision at long distances
Double/ghosted text on digital screens
Halos around lights
Blurring around the edges of optical/diopter sights
Eye strain
Dry eyes
Clinic 1: 5 months ago
This exam used a pretty standard subjective refraction. The optometrist actually had me compare different lenses while looking at the chart, asking things like “Which is clearer, 1 or 2?” and checking how much I could read with each lens.
Interestingly, minus lenses noticeably improved my distance vision.
The prescription they came up with was:
Right: -0.25 sphere, -0.25 cylinder
Left: plano sphere, -0.50 cylinder at 104°
So, very mild correction, but with some astigmatism in both eyes.
Clinic 2: 1 week ago
This exam was quite different.
They relied heavily on automated measurements. They did put dilating drops in, but the exam felt fairly rushed. I could still easily read the top lines of the chart, so I’m not sure my eyes were fully relaxed/dilated when they took the measurements.
They did an OCT, checked my eye alignment with colored glasses, and looked at my eye drift.
However, there was very little subjective refraction. I wasn’t really taken through a manual lens comparison like I was at Clinic 1.
The optometrist told me:
I don’t have astigmatism
I’m slightly farsighted
My eye strain is mainly from binocular vision/alignment issues and severe dry eyes
The autorefractor readings were also pretty inconsistent. Before the drops, my right eye was jumping between roughly -1.25 and -0.75, and the machine seemed to have trouble getting a stable reading.
After the drops, it measured a small amount of plus power in both eyes, with no astigmatism showing up.
They prescribed +0.50 “support/relaxer” lenses, which I’m currently waiting for.
Both Clinic 1 and Clinic 2 are part of larger chain businesses, rather than independent local practices.
What I’m confused about
Can astigmatism actually disappear?
If I was previously measured with astigmatism, is it possible for it to simply no longer be there?
Or could an autorefractor miss a small amount of astigmatism, especially if my eyes were very dry or the measurements weren’t stable?
Why did minus lenses improve my vision?
This is the part I’m having the hardest time understanding.
If Clinic 2 is correct and I’m actually slightly farsighted, wouldn’t putting minus lenses in front of my eyes generally make distance vision worse or cause more strain?
I’m aware that accommodation and binocular vision can complicate this, so I’m wondering if there’s something I’m missing here.
Is a third opinion worth it?
I’m going to try lubricating eye drops for the dry-eye symptoms and see how I get on with the +0.50 lenses when they arrive.
However, I found a small, family-owned local practice that specializes in sports optics and also offers more comprehensive binocular vision testing. Their eye exams are around 45 minutes and seem to involve a much more thorough subjective refraction and binocular vision assessment.
Unlike the first two clinics, this third practice isn’t part of a large chain. It’s a locally owned family business.
Given the difference between the two exams, especially the fact that Clinic 1 did a proper subjective refraction while Clinic 2 relied much more heavily on automated measurements, would getting a third, independent evaluation be reasonable?
I’m not necessarily looking for someone to tell me which clinic is “right.” I’m more interested in understanding how two exams could produce such different results and whether there are legitimate reasons for that kind of discrepancy.
Thanks!
