What to Expect When Wearing Your First Pair of Glasses

The very first pair of glasses were said to have been created during the 13th century, and while they have evolved since then, glasses remain the eyewear of choice for the vast majority of people who need to use prescription lenses to be able to see clearly. According to research conducted by the Vision Impact Institute, 3 out of 4 people in the U.S. wear vision correction, and of those, 71% wear glasses.

Also known as spectacles, glasses consist of a frame that holds two prescription lenses. There are many different types of glasses to choose from, which means that you will have quite a few decisions to make, including:

What type of material you would like your glasses to be made from? Options may include metal/wire, plastic/acetate, wood, and recyclable materials.
What shape frames do you want to wear? These should suit your face shape and complement it, which will give you greater confidence in your appearance. For example, round frames tend to offer depth to slim faces, while rectangular frames can add angles to round faces.
What color frames do you like? Again, different shades suit different skin tones, hair colors, and personalities.
How durable your frames are? The more durable they are, the longer they are likely to last if they are well taken care of.
How much do you want to spend? The cost of glasses frames and lenses ranges from budget-friendly to thousands of dollars for designer styles.
What lenses do you need? There is a huge range of lenses to choose from, and your eye doctor will be able to advise you on which style, and which coatings, may be best for you based on your individual needs.

Once you’ve got your first pair of glasses, here’s what you need to know about wearing them.

The initial adjustment to wearing glasses

If you aren’t used to wearing glasses, it’s going to take some getting used to. This adjustment period may last several weeks depending on how consistently you wear your new glasses.

Initially, you may experience symptoms like headaches, sore eyes and tired eyes, and even dizziness. The reason for this is that the muscles around the eyes will need to get used to being relaxed, rather than working overtime to make sense of what you can see.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel like your vision is perfect the very first time you put on your lenses. You need to allow time for your eyes to adjust. You probably have been subconsciously squinting or moving closer to or further away from objects to see clearly, and it will take time for you to stop automatically doing this again. However, you should start to experience the benefits of your prescription lenses in around a week. If this isn’t the case, you should contact your eye care provider with your concerns.

Taking care of your glasses

Regardless of which type of glasses you wear; you’ll need to remember to take good care of them if they are to last. Here are our top tips for taking care of your new glasses:

Take them off using both hands. This is because frequently using just one hand can cause them to become looser and even to sit crooked on your face. Removing them with both hands prevents the frames from being pulled to the side and stretched.
Always keep them in their case. This will prevent the lenses from being scratched, and means if the case gets knocked, it’s the case that will get damaged, not your glasses.
Don’t wear your glasses on top of your head. They WILL fall off and can get damaged. Doing this will also stretch the arms and make your glasses looser.
Clean them using the cloth provided – not tissue, not your sweater. These can cause micro-scratches that damage the quality of your lenses.

For more tips on what to expect when wearing your first pair of glasses, please contact our experienced eye care specialists today at Drs. Dobbins & Letourneau Eye Care in Lawrence, Kansas. You can call us at (785) 843-5665 today.