Ordering Glasses Or Contacts Online
Can I convert my glasses prescription to a contact lens prescription?
While it is possible to order lenses online, you still need a valid prescription. There are online sites that provide conversion charts to convert prescriptions. The vertex conversion charts are readily available for use, though the best people to use them are eye professionals.
A lot more goes into contact lens prescriptions than power. The calculations can help, but you should not use the information to order lenses online.
Many eye specialists agree that trying to convert prescriptions from glasses to contacts using calculations may not yield accurate results. A contact lens exam will involve tests that go beyond the lens strength. It is necessary to visit an eye specialist for complete testing. The shape and size of the contact lens will affect its function.
For more on converting a glasses prescription to a contact lens prescription, call Parkside Eye Care at 883-9987 to reach our office in Cary, North Carolina.
Prescription Eyeglasses And Contact Lens Prescriptions: Faq
Lets start with some of our most frequently asked questions about glasses and contact lens prescriptions. Follow our guide to find the answers on how to read glasses prescriptions:
The following tips will help you decipher and understand your eyewear prescriptions. If you get stuck, get in touch with our Customer Service team. Well be happy to contact your Eye Care Provider to verify your prescription for you.
New Zeiss Prescription Lenses
Here at Designer Glasses Boutique we are excited to announce that we supply Zeiss lenses, Zeiss lenses offer a clearer vision as standard. The Zeiss lenses are for those unforgettable moments and optimum vision.
Here at Designer Glasses Boutique we now offer a great choice of lens all at different price points, our branded lenses include WLC, Essilor and Zeiss.
Zeiss lenses offer full UV protection on all their lenses, including clear lenses.
Zeiss DuraVision Platinum lens coating, hardens the lens surface, making it more resistant to damage, reduces light reflections on the surfaces and makes the lens more dirt-resistant and easier to clean.
Zeiss DuraVision Platinum takes hard coating to the very next level. The lenses go through a special manufacturing process which makes the lenses more durable than ever.
The Zeiss DuraVision Blue Protect is a special lens coating that is ideal for people who spend a lot of their time indoors and are exposed to the potentially harmful blue light emitted by LEDs, television, computer screen and tablets. The Zeiss DuraVisision Blue Protect contain a special filter which ensures comfortable vison even when there is a high blue light portion.
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Other Options For Figuring Out Your Eyeglass Prescription
Just remember that you can request your prescription details from the office where you last had an eye exam. Theyre required to share a copy with you.
If youre looking for other options to find out your prescription based on existing glasses, there are other scanning apps like the one GlassesUSA offers.
- Liingo RX Reader:Liingo Eyewear also has an app that you can use to get the prescription of your current glasses by downloading the app, calibrating hardware, and scanning your lenses.
- GlassesOn app: 6over6 offers its GlassesOn app to take measurements similar to GlassesUSA Prescription Scanner to get PD and lens details.
- Lens Scanner App:SmartBuyGlasses, an eyeglass retailer, partnered with 6over6 to offer its own version of an eyeglass scanning app.
What the Prescription Scanner app isnt for
The app doesnt accommodate:
- strong or weak prescriptions
You Need An Eye Test For Each
If you wear glasses and are interested in contact lenses, or the other way around, pop into your local Leightons branch and have an in-depth chat with one of our experts. In the meantime, take a look at this article to help you choose between glasses and contacts. Let your optometrist use their expertise to guide you through the different lens options and find the right contact lens specification for you.
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How To Adjust Binoculars With Glasses
Since eyeglasses hold binoculars away from the eyes and let in peripheral light anyway, retract the eyecups if you do wear glasses. Next, set the barrels of the binoculars to match the distance between your eyes. Looking through them, adjust the barrels until you have a solid image through both eyes.
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Glasses And Contact Lenses Work In The Same Way Correcting The Path Of Light Entering Your Eyes So Surely The Prescriptions Are Interchangeable We Take A Closer Look
If youre reading this, theres a good chance youre wearing glasses or contact lenses and we hope youve already had two different check-ups, giving you a glasses prescription and a contact lens specification. But youve probably wondered if its possible to convert your contact lens specification to glasses, or the other way around.
Its certainly true that glasses and contact lenses both work on the same principle. Theyre both lenses that correct focus misalignments with your eyes by properly directing light rays onto your retina. But as lenses are a medical device, things arent quite that simple.
Heres why.
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How Can You Confirm The Results
Once youve used a vertex distance conversion chart to convert a glasses prescription to contact lenses, the following things should be done to confirm the results.
The process ends when the refraction over the contact lenses is zero for each eye.
Why Do I See Better With My Glasses Than Contacts
How to convert eye glasses prescription into contact lens prescription?
For starters, although they have the same strength and focusing power, contacts are much closer to the eye than glasses. This means they bend light in a way that more accurately meets your prescription, and so if you switch from glasses to contacts they can appear to slightly increase your visual acuity.
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What To Expect In A Contact Lens Exam
Youll require a proper fitting if youve never worn contact lenses before. A contact lens exam is similar to a standard eye exam but with some extra steps.
Your optometrist will ask you several questions about your habits and lifestyle during the exam. Your answers help them understand which type of lens will best suit your needs.
Afterwards, they will assess the curvature of your cornea and ensure your lenses fit the shape of your eyes. Your pupil size will help determine the size of your lenses.
With your optometrists help, you can enjoy clear vision with your new contact lenses. All you need to do is schedule an exam. If youre interested in contact lenses, book an appointment with your optometrist.
Add Vs Powers For Readers
Some people think the ADD number is the power needed for over-the-counter reading glasses , but it’s not the same thing.
To get the right number, you need to do a little math.
To find the right reading glasses, add the sphere number to the ADD number.
In the above example, for the right eye, this would be -2.00 and +1.75, which equals -0.25. For the left eye, add +1.00 and +1.75 to get +2.75.
Next, look at the cylinder measurement and the axis measurement.
In the example, the correct number for the right eye is -0.25 -0.50 x 180 while the correct number for the left eye is simply +2.75.
The example was chosen to show the difference between nearsighted and farsighted prescriptions. For most people, the numbers are usually similar in power for both eyes.
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How Do I Read My Contact Lens Prescription
A contact lens prescription usually includes a base curve, diameter, and power . The prescription for your left and right eye may differ and for this reason, you’ll find them written separately. If you have astigmatism, you’ll find additional figures for cylinder and axis. Those with presbyopia will also have an addition and dominant figures on their prescription.
You’ll also find the name of your contact lenses and the expiry date on your prescription.
In some instances, you’ll also find how often to replace your lenses written on your prescription for example, it may say whether they are daily, weekly, monthly etc.
If you’re choosing coloured contact lenses, you’ll also find this information written on your prescription.
Below are some examples of how your prescription may be written:
What Happens If Contacts Are Too Strong
It doesnt happen often, but if an error was made in your contact lens prescription and you are wearing lenses that are too strong, too weak or otherwise incorrect, this could cause eye strain and headaches. If this is the cause, replacing the lenses with contacts of the correct power should eliminate your headaches.
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Add The Sphere Power Line
Look at the glasses prescription that youre working with and locate the Axis number. This number represents a degree value and will be somewhere between 1 and 180. Now draw a line in the direction of the Axis .
In our example prescription, thats 45. That means that a line at 45° must be drawn on the power cross. This is the Sphere Power Line. It represents the sphere power so write it down next to that line.
Can You Buy Contact Lenses Without A Prescription
We trust you have an up-to-date prescription and have been recommended by an eye care professional the lenses that are most suitable for your eyes. You don’t need a physical prescription when purchasing contact lenses from Feel Good Contacts, you’ll need to understand your prescription so that you can purchase your lenses correctly.
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Orthokeratology Or Corneal Refractive Therapy
This treatment involves wearing a rigid contact lens overnight to help reshape the cornea. It is a temporary measure to improve vision across the following day without further help from lenses or eyeglasses. It is suitable for people with astigmatism. All benefits, however, are reversible if the user stops wearing the lenses at night.
What Does The Add Power Mean
Glasses and Contact Lens Prescription Explained | Eyes Explained
If you suffer from presbyopia and requiremultifocal contacts, your prescription may include an ADD, or additional powerto help with near vision. ADD powers range from +0.50 to +3.00. Some brands oflenses offer ADD power in low, medium or high values. D and N mayfurther indicate which eye is the dominant eye and which is non-dominant. Some manufacturers of lenses require you to properly select this as well.In case you have any doubts about this, consult us or your optician first.
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What Do Contact Lens Prescriptions Require
Eyeglasses typically sit 12 millimetres from your eyes while your contacts rest directly on them. This difference means that the power of your contact lens prescription will be less nearsighted.
Besides this difference, your contact lens prescription has other factors affecting it. These specifications include:
- Base curve : This measures the curvature of the back surface of the contact lens it helps to ensure your lens isnt too loose or tight
- Diameter : Your lens diameter relates to the specific size of lens you require it works with your base curve to determine your lenss fit
- Lens brand or material: Prescriptions require lens brand or material because each lens material has a different level of oxygen permeability
- Expiration date: Your contact lens prescription is typically valid for a year youll need a new examination to buy contacts after your prescription expires
There are many differences between glasses and contact lens prescriptions, but that shouldnt stop you from getting contact lenses. If youre interested in wearing contacts, a contact lens exam can help your optometrist determine the best lenses for your needs.
Glasses Prescriptions Vs Contact Lens Prescriptions
Glasses sit some distance from the eyes, while contacts rest on the eye, meaning the prescription will not be the same. The tests and measurements are different, so substituting one prescription for the other will not give you similar visual acuity.
The information that goes into prescriptions will include the refractive error, the lens strength, and the type of lens needed. Glass prescriptions indicate a value for cylinder and axis, which does not exist for contacts.
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Why Is My Pd Not On My Prescription
Some offices will put the PD measured by some of the instrumentation during your exam on the prescription and others will have the optician take that measurement for you. The doctor during your exam does not take your PD at anytime during your exam, as that is left to the optician who is going to make your eyewear.
Soft Lens Vs Gp Contact Lens Prescriptions
A spherical soft lens does not correct for astigmatism. For someone wearing soft lenses, a toric soft lens would be needed if there is, at minimum, 0.75D of astigmatic correction. Therefore, in our example, the right eye would require either a GP lens or a soft toric lens.
Because the spherical correction for the right eye is 4D or greater, and because toric soft lenses are typically available in 0.25 diopter increments, the contact lens prescription may be closer to -4.25 1.25 x 180. The exact prescription can be determined only with diagnostic lens fitting by an eye care professional.
For the left eye, its possible that a spherical soft lens with a correction identical to the glasses prescription will work, but again, this determination is best made after a diagnostic fitting.
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How Do I Choose Cylinder And Axis
Cylinder and axis are two measurements in toriclenses necessary to correct astigmatism. The cylinder is an extra correctionthat denotes the severity of astigmatism and has a minus value expressed inincrements of 0.25. The axis is expressed in degrees between 0° and 180°. Weadvise you to consult with your optician if you have any doubts regarding thesetwo parameters.
Why Does Distance Between Lens And Eye Matter
It matters because of this:
In a nutshell, this simple equation states that the perceived power of lenses changes as you change the distance between the lens and the eye.
The perceived power of lenses changes as you change the distance between the lens and the eye.
Now, as we know, the lenses in glasses are at a different distance from the eyes than contact lenses are. The distance between a corrective lens and they eye is called the vertex distance.
- For glasses, the vertex distance is usually somewhere between 12-15mm
- For contact lenses, the vertex distance is always zero
This equation tells us that, for example, a -6.00D lens held 13mm from the eye will not feel like a -6.00D lens if placed directly on the eye. Thats why we need this equation in order to convert a glasses prescription to contact lenses.
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Why Do Contact Lenses Require A Prescription
Contact lenses are comfortable and a great form of vision correction, but they do carry some risks if theyre not worn and cared for as directed. Contact lenses are classified as medical devices by the FDA, and should only be purchased when you have a prescription for them. Wearing contacts without a prescription, or wearing a different brand than prescribed , can seriously endanger your eye health and will not adequately correct your visiononly an optometrist or ophthalmologist can determine the type and degree of vision correction you need.
Do Eye Doctors Recommend Finding Out Your Glasses Prescription Online
Using Subjective Refraction to Calculate Glasses Prescription and Fit a Contact Lens
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, eyeglass prescription apps and home vision tests are suitable for people 18 to 39 years old with healthy eyes and a mild or moderate prescription.
But they are not advisable for people who have a strong or complicated prescription, an eye condition, or a condition that increases their risk for eye disease, including diabetes or a family history of glaucoma.
Anyone who hasnt had an eye examination for 1 to 2 years should visit an eye doctor to update their prescription.
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How To Read A Multifocal Contact Lens Prescription For Presbyopia
If you have presbyopia and are a good candidate for multifocal contact lenses, youll see one or both of the following terms on your prescription. Sometimes these are referred to as progressive contacts.
ADD: ADD stands for addition or additional magnification. It might also be listed as Add Power or Extra Strength. This is another measure of vision correction for near vision that will help with close-up tasks. It will either be a number in diopters, or be a written level: low, medium, or high.
D/N: D/N stands for dominant or nondominant eyemultifocal and bifocal contacts have different levels of vision correction for each. Your dominant eye is associated with distance vision, and your nondominant eye is associated with near vision. Only some brands of multifocal contacts use D/N, so you might not see this term on your prescription.
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Are Contacts And Glasses Prescriptions Different
The answer to this question is a definitive yes. Glasses and contact lens prescriptions are different, despite in some cases looking very similar.
Despite some online experts telling you how easy and reliable it is to do so, we can assure you it is not recommended that you convert your prescriptions yourself. The simple reason is that contact lenses and glasses lenses are inherently different glasses sit in front of your eyes, while contact lenses are in direct contact with your eyeball.
This fundamentally changes the way they refract light, and this affects their corrective power . The corrective power is only one aspect measured during your eye test we also measure and note the shape and size of your eye.
Some lenses will also have other details, a specification is not complete unless it contains the manufacturer, lens type. The three measures illustrated above and any other specific details allowing 100% accurate ordering and replication.
For contact lenses in particular, different brands use different materials, fittings and thicknesses, and these all impact the final prescription. In other words, dont guess, estimate or convert your contact lens prescription. It might be tempting, but it shouldn’t be done.
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