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How Often Does Your Prescription Change With Glasses And Contacts?

August 12, 2016

It’s a pretty normal scenario for people with glasses or contacts—going to the eye doctor for a regular checkup and finding out that they need another change in prescription. It can be time consuming and expensive to keep changing your prescription, but why does that happen? And how often does it usually occur?

As they get older, many people keep using the same glasses because it’s easier than going to the eye doctor and learning they need a new prescription. They can probably still see pretty well, and if the change happens gradually, it’s hard to know that it’s happening at all. The problem is that they could be causing their eyes unnecessary strain by constantly looking through an outdated prescription. Some of the signs that a person needs a new prescription include blurriness of vision, double vision, squinting, headaches, and eye strain.

That’s why it’s recommended that adults visit the eye doctor at least once every two years for a vision check—and that’s for people without eye problems.

Someone with existing issues might need to go to the eye doctor even more frequently because their prescription could be changing. Someone with glasses or contacts might go for long periods of time without a change in their prescription, and then see it change without much warning. The 40-60 year old demographic is the most likely to see noticeable changes in their vision.

So your prescription glasses and contact lenses might change every few years. You might be thinking, “So what?” But do you realize the cost that’s associated with a new pair of glasses every few years, or buying contacts for the rest of your life? There is a better way for many people, and that’s LASIK surgery.

Compared to glasses and contacts, LASIK is extremely low-maintenance. Once they have the surgery, the vast majority of patients see permanent improvements in their vision. Most people who receive LASIK are able to stop using their glasses or contacts entirely. However, some people may still need to use reading glasses as they get older. Age-related farsightedness is part of the normal aging process, and it can occur whether you have LASIK or not.

There’s also the possibility that a LASIK patient will need a “touch up” procedure after receiving their initial LASIK treatment. Remember that choosing the best LASIK provider will lower your chances of needing additional treatment.

You may have heard stories about complications from LASIK’s early days in the ‘90s, but today’s technology means that LASIK is safer and easier to perform than ever.

So we can see that even with the possibility of an additional procedure, the odds are still high that you’ll be able to ditch your glasses altogether after getting LASIK. No more new prescriptions that only last a few years, and no more morning tussle with your contacts.

Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK, but why not see if it’s right for you? Call OCLI today to schedule a LASIK consultation.

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