If you are experiencing double vision or another type of vision misalignment, finding the right corrective eyewear isn't just recommended, it's essential.
Vision problems can make it harder to perform everyday tasks, which can severely impact your quality of life.
If you are one of the millions of individuals currently living with vision problems, it's time to seek the right eye care.
Prism glasses are one of the many options available to help users see more clearly, and they are changing the game for individuals living with conditions like double vision, strabismus, and more.
Let's break down what prism correction lenses are, the types of visual problems they can address, and more.
Key takeaways
- Prism glasses are designed to correct visual misalignment and help eyes align properly
- Prism glasses can be incorporated into your current glasses prescription to treat conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, as well as misalignment
- The best way to find the right prism prescription is to consult with an eye care professional who can perform a thorough exam
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What are prism glasses?
Many individuals experience some degree of vision misalignment, whether in one eye or both eyes. This can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, such as headache, eye strain, and difficulty seeing clearly.
Whether you are hoping to correct double vision, binocular vision, or another type of vision condition, wearing prism glasses can be a way to correct your vision and help the eyes align properly.
Prism glasses utilize prism technology to redirect light rays and align images seen by each eye.
Prism lenses are triangular in shape, which helps them bend light prior to reaching the retina. This bending allows for the light's reflection to reach the retina in the correct spot, helping the brain process a single image rather than two separate images. Seeing more than one image is a hallmark of double vision.
Wearing prism glasses is a common alternative to prism contact lenses in individuals in need of vision correction. Prism glasses come in various styles and prescriptions, and can even be customized to help images align according to your unique needs.
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How do prism glasses help correct vision?
Prism lenses can also be helpful for treating eye muscle imbalances, which are conditions where misalignment occurs due to the eye muscles struggling to work together. Other symptoms that might accompany this type of diagnosis include headaches, dizziness, and difficulty reading or balancing.
What leads to double vision and misalignment?
Various health symptoms and conditions can lead to double vision, including strabismus (crossed eyes), myasthenia gravis, Graves’ disease, multiple sclerosis, eye muscle strain, and even neurological conditions such as head injuries or strokes.
Prism glasses for eye misalignment
One of the most common causes of eye alignment issues is crossed eyes, or strabismus. This is when the eyes point inward or outward (exotropia).
Prism glasses can be oriented to shift an image in a specific position, helping better align the eyes.
These positions include:
- Inward
- Outward
- Upward
- Downward
How are prism lenses prescribed?
Prism correction is typically recommended by an eye doctor after an eye exam. During this time, they may prescribe prism lenses of the appropriate strength and direction. These can include base up, base down, base in, or base out at the bottom edge.
A prism prescription can be incorporated into your regular eyeglasses lenses to correct multiple vision issues like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Do prism glasses work for all eye issues?
While new glasses or lenses can be extremely helpful in correcting issues related to conditions like double vision or misalignment, that’s not to say they work for all vision problems. Refractive errors like farsightedness and nearsightedness, for example, may require different types of lenses entirely. Acquiring the right prescription is key for optimal comfort.
Aside from prism contact lenses, there are other alternatives to prism glasses, such as Fresnel prisms. These flexible plastic sheets consist of tiny prisms, serving as a temporary solution to double vision and other misalignments.
Oculus Eyecare carries a wide variety of prescription and non-prescription frames from today's most high-end brands. Browse their growing selection or schedule an appointment today with an eye care professional.
Eye tests for misalignment
The best way to determine whether you can benefit from prism lenses is to visit your eye doctor.
Your doctor may perform various tests, such as the Hirschberg test, or the corneal light reflex test. This quick and easy test involves shining a light into the eyes to observe the reflection on the eye’s corneas.
If your eyes are properly aligned, the reflection will appear in one spot on both of the corneas.
Another test, the Krimsky test, can be used to measure the angle of deviation and degree of misalignment in misaligned eyes.
There is also the Maddox rod test, which can detect and measure strabismus and eye movement problems, or phoria.
One other way to quantify the deviation of misalignment is through the Alternate Prism Cover Test (APCT), which combines the alternate cover test (ACT) and prism lenses. During this test, patients will alternately cover each eye while placing prism lenses in front of just one eye, allowing them to neutralize the eye movement caused by the misalignment.
Conclusion
It is never too late to commit to proper eye care, especially when an eye misalignment may be holding you back.
If you are currently experiencing double vision, strabismus, or another type of visual problem, getting to the bottom of your vision problems is important, and can help you live the quality of life you deserve.
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Oculus Eyecare is Seattle’s premier optometry practice and optical boutique for those looking to see and be seen in a new way. Located in South Lake Union on Denny Way, Oculus Eyecare offers comprehensive eye care services and exams for individuals and families in Seattle. Click here to schedule an appointment or a personal styling session. To stay connected and learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter.