I don't usually abuse this newsgroup by going so far off-topic but (a) there's a lot of very knowledgeable people here and (b) I can't find any group that seems to be the right one, so apologies for my transgression.
I had my eyes tested yesterday and stupidly forgot to take either my previous prescription or my specs with me, so the optician (whilst saying that there was nothing wrong or out of the ordinary) couldn't compare if, or how, my eyes have changed in the last two years (went to a different place so nothing on record either).
I've scanned my previous prescription and also the one I got yesterday, so if anyone can offer an explanation of them, here they are:
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I have to wear glasses for driving (distance) and reading, and the latest script is the bottom one. Have my eyes deteriorated enough that I need new lenses?
It'll be at least a week before I can get back to the optician's so I just thought I'd ask here in the meantime.
SPH indicates the strength of the lense needed. + for long sightedness, - for short sightedness. Your eyes have got quite a lot worse, especially the right one.
CYL is the astigmatism correction and AXIS is the angle at which your eyes distort what they see. Not so important and very dependent on what you tell the optician looks sharpest while he tests you.
Instead of paying the optician a fortune go direct to a lense manufacturer who makes the lenses for the opticians. All the opticians do is buy the lenses from them and add a huge markup. I use Fairplay Optical in Watford who will make and fit new lenses for 15 quid or so. Just post your specs to them if they are to far away to visit. They can also do any frame repairs you need like new nose or ear plastic bits or mend broken "fishing line" in semi frames. They even have their own range of cheap frames now so you can get a spare pair while you're at it.
Tel 01923-777618
If you can visit you can watch the CNC lense grinders working. They take a standard blank of the correct SPH and CYL rating which comes as a round plastic lense about 3 inches in diameter, scan the frame and then grind the blank down to the correct shape. When I first knew them 20 years ago they had one grinder and a couple of employees. Now they have five grinders working full time and several blokes running it all. You'll be in and out in
15 minutes with everything fixed if you pop in.
Tell them Dave from Puma Race Engines sent you. Helps me get my next set FOC.
In future just go to the cheapest place for an eye test, Tesco have in-store opticians who do it for a tenner or less, and then send your specs to Fairplay.
When I have seen my prescriptions, the difference between one and the next has always been minimal (e.g. 1.25 to 1.5) - but I have felt uncomfortable both with my eyes and with driving. Indeed, it is usually vision and eye comfort issues that have prompted me to go for a test in the first place.
You have a change from +0.25 to +1.75 on your right eye (spherical correction). To me that would be intolerable! You *also* have changes to the cylindrical correction required - both amount and axis for both eyes.
I strongly suspect that you should get new lenses both for your personal comfort/vision and very likely in order to drive legally. However, I do know that the legal requirements are not exactly tight and it is possible that you can read the number plate at the required distance. Easy enough to check that - find a 20.5 m piece of string and a vehicle with a legal UK number plate on it :-). (I know Polish and outline/italic/small type ones are much easier to find.)
Our opticians (4 Sight) has a machine which can 'read' old lenses to see what the prescription was so that it can be compared with the test results. I alwys assumed it was a standard item.
We've never needed to have it used but have seen it in use.
The comparison is not quite that simple, because the first prescription is written in +cyl form, and the second in -cyl form. The biggest change is actually in the sphere power in the left eye, not the right.
Assuming I've got my arithmetic correct, the first prescription (in -cyl form) is:
R +1.75 -1.50 x 10 L +2.50 -1.25 x 167
and the second is:
R +1.75 -1.00 x 5 L +1.75 -1.00 x 160
I don't feel qualified to comment on whether that counts as a 'significant' change!
Thanks for that. Having a prescription that is at the "here's your new dog" end of the scale and having just forked out £280 for a new pair of lenses - they need changing every 10 months or so - I'll definitely give them a call next time. The last-but-one blanks had to come from Japan but I'm out of spec for them now, the latest ones had to be specially ordered from Germany.
That's brilliant Dave, thanks. I'm about 240 miles north of Watford so can't call in but I'll definitely include your name in the postal contact I have with them.
Oh poo - my right eye is the good one! :o(
My left eye was diagnosed as being "lazy" when I was a kid, about 45 years ago. Apparently it works, but after about 10 seconds thinks to itself, "I'm bored now. I want to do something else".
Seems that it's been like that too long and they reckon there's no point in trying to do anything with it now as it would just cause more problems. Ah well, such is life I suppose.
I spotted that as well. My optician explained it to me when I queried my various prescriptions over the years. Damn'd if I can remember the conversion but it's very simple. The 'net will cough it up for sure, here we are:
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Assuming I've got my arithmetic correct, the first prescription (in -cyl > form) is: >
Works with the URL given above...
0.75 diopter for the worse in the left eye. Looking at how mine have changed over the years that is outside the range that would trigger new lenses for me.
I usually ask my opticians for one pair in plastic and one glass and they usually get quite cross. Apart from the difference in weight, does anyone have opinions as to which are better?
I only wear glasses for reading or close work so weight is not really an issue. Of greater concern is abrasion when sunlight from the wrong angle makes vision difficult and angle grinder sward sticks like ......t.
Your prescriptions look a lot different but the CYL part can be written as + or - so if you 'transpose' them to the same format the differences are as follows...
Old
+0.25 / +1.50 / 100
+1.25 / +1.25 / 77
New
+0.75 / +1.00 / 95
+0.75 / +1.00 / 70
Your correction for long sightedness has increased in the R and decreased in the L with the correction for astigmatism decreasing in both. From an overall strength point of view the R has barely changed and there is a slight reduction in the L. Are you noticing slightly blurred vision (with the specs on) in the L eye far into the distance (this would be the symptom of overcorrection for long sightedness?
As for cheap specs, are you based in Preston? If so we manufacture in Darwen and could save you a few £££, drop me an email for more info if interested.
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