Shouldn't eyeglasses make each eye see equally well?

Question

I just got new reading glasses yesterday. For years my left eye has been far-sighted and my right near-sighted, although not to the extent that I need glasses all the time--just for reading. The optician also told me one of my eyes has an astigmatism, but I don't know which one.

Each time I have gotten glasses I have noticed that the left lens never, never gives me the same vision quality as the right lens. This has happened every single time I've had an exam and had to get new glasses. The right eye is GREAT and I'm amazed at how out-of-focus life really was for me. But the left eye, compared to the right, is definitely not as clear. In fact, there is barely a difference between wearing the glasses and not for that eye.

Is this part of a corrective process, and my left eye will be better after a while? I'd really appreciate any info. I am 31.

Answer 1

Theoretically yes, but in practice, it doesn't always work. My eyes are -1.75 different, and it's always been the case that the better eye sees more clearly with glasses than my left. I think it's probably just that it awkwardly needs a prescription that is between the 0.25D intervals that are prescribed. Also, my right eye is slightly astigmatic and perhaps my left is also but not enough to warrant a -0.25D cyclindrical prescription. I know a few people who have similar complaints, and not all with significant differences in prescription for each eye :)

Answer 2

Quick answer:  Not necessarily.

If your left eye is markedly far-sighted you may have a mild form of a condition known as amblyopia - correctly called lazy eye.  The vision in that eye did not develop to the same extent as the other eye because your right eye was more easily focused on the nearer objects around you.  The left eye remained out of focus, and thus was not stimulated correctly by clearly focused images.

I am surprised that you have not asked these questions when your eyes were examined.  I'm even more surprised that the explanation was not given to you without your asking.

I would not expect vision to get better or worse, just more relaxed while wearing your glasses.

Answer 3

The eyesights will be the same if your eyes are capable of correction to the same degree.  They will try to make each eye as good as it can be, and if one eye just can not see as well as the other, no matter what, there will be a difference.

That isn't all that unusual.  I have the same kind of difference and have had it for decades.

Answer 4

I have a -1.50 difference between my eyes. The worse one isn't as good as the better one even with contacts. I didn't wear glasses all the time till recently but I got contacts and am amazed how much better I can see all the time, I just took what I had for granted. Admittedly I could get by but, like you, my eyes are so much more comfortable when both eyes see the same images and together.

I'm sure if you look with both eyes you won't notice the difference, I don't unless I deliberately look separately with each eye. But without contacts my eyes feel very unbalanced. Weird eh?