Question:
I recently switched to a new optometrist and obtained a prescription
for new glasses. According to the optometrist, the new prescription
is only slightly different from my old one. With the new
prescription in hand, I drove over to the local Pearl and picked out
two pairs of rather expensive frames and lenses (regular and
sunglasses).
After I began wearing my new glasses, I started getting rather severe
headaches towards the end of the day, every day. Three days of this
convinced my that something must be wrong with the glasses. My
optometrist double checked my prescription (by reexamining me, that
is), then checked the glasses. He found me that although the lenses
matched the prescription, the "optical center" of the lenses were 5mm
too low (for my eyes). He stated that this can cause enough
distortion to cause fatigue headaches of the type I was experiencing.
Both my old and new glasses have the thinner "high-index" lenses. My
optometrist noted that improperly centered lenses can be more of a
problem with this type of lens. I've forgotten a lot of the details,
but his argument was convincing to me. He gave me a note to take
back to Pearl requesting that they provide lenses "decentered 5mm
up".
That evening I returned to Pearl and spoke with the owner of the
franchise. He didn't seem to know what my optometrist was talking
about. In fact, he hinted that this is something an optometrist
would say if he couldn't think of anything else that could be wrong
with the prescription. At Pearl, I was told the optical center of
the lens is placed in the geometric center of the lens, period.
Pearl said they'd have to phone my optometrist about this. In the
meantime I'm back to my old glasses and am free of headaches or eye
fatigue. I've waited a day and haven't heard from them yet.
I have to major questions:
1) Who is correct about the optical center of the lens, my
optometrist or Pearl? (I suspect that Pearl is in error.)
2) I paid this ~$600 bill with AMEX. If Pearl is indeed giving me
the runaround and refuses to correct the situation, can I simply
dispute the charge with American Express? Both pairs of glasses
are useless to me in their current condition.
Answer:
I have had a similar problem with eyewear. The optometrist (and any good
quality eyewear dealer) has a device that measures the center of the
lenses relative to each other. This corresponds to your interpupillary
spacing. If the lenses are not centered properly, you will have additional
prism in your eyeglasses. This is what the optometrists refer to as "base
in" or "base out". It can cause eye strain especially if it requires your
eyes to turn outward to converge on an object. My eyeglasses were off by 6
mm. I only found out when I had them replaced several years later. My new
optometrist explained the problem to me and showed me how he measures the
distance. Have Pearle vision do the same.
Also, there is another potential problem that is not always obvious. When
you have glasses replaced, have your optometrist specify the "base curve"
of your old lenses on your prescription. He explained that this will
reduce the distortion that you often feel when switching to new
prescription.
Stand up for good quality stuff. They're your eyes!!
