Why do you have headaches when you wear new glasses?

So you visit your optometrist, he updates your prescription and now you have new glasses. Just when you think that everything is fine, your new eyeglasses started giving you a few troubles.

If you feel like your new prescription glasses have let you down or you made a mistake when buying them, just know that these side effects are completely normal.

Since your eyes are still in the adjustment process, you can experience annoying symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, and watery eyes when you start wearing your new glasses.

The good news is that these symptoms will disappear as the adjustment phase ends. We have put together some information to help you understand what is causing these symptoms.

Why do glasses give you a headache?

While eyeglasses are made to compensate for your low vision, they might give you a hard time, even more so, if you have never worn them before.

It can be quite disheartening when you find that those designer glasses you spent so much on are causing problems instead of helping.

People experience headaches when they need eyeglasses as their eyes are working extra hard to get a clear vision. Or if your prescription changes, your eyes will strain to keep up with the new optical power. Maybe you selected the wrong frame size when you ordered your glasses online.

Here are some other reasons why your new glasses might cause headaches-

Muscle tension

There are six muscles in each eye socket. As your eyes get the privilege to see the world with a better vision, these muscles work harder than they did before. This will make your eyes feel worn out and you will have a headache that can go on for several days. You will be more vulnerable to this if you are wearing spectacles for the first time or your prescription has changed by a significant number.

Digital eye strain

Digital screens can put a strain on your eyes. Your regular glasses are not specialized in protecting your eyes from the high-energy blue light of these devices. If you spend a lot of time on computers, laptops, smartphones, or watching TV, you become vulnerable to computer vision syndrome and headache is one of its symptoms.

To shield your eyes from the blue light, make sure that your new eyeglasses have a blue light filter on them. If they are costing you a fortune, you can find good-quality cheap glasses in online stores as well.

Multifocal lenses

It is difficult to adjust to a single lens power let alone multiple lens powers. Some people are unlucky in the matter of both near and distant vision which requires them to wear bifocals, trifocals, or varifocals that have multiple focal power on their lenses.

To see clearly through these lenses, you have to look at the right vision spot. The bottom part of these lenses is for reading, the middle part for intermediate vision, and the top segment for a clear distant vision.

This makes it even more difficult to get used to these glasses and headaches, dizziness, and nausea can be felt when you first start wearing them.

Poor-fitting frame

It is not just your lens that contributes to your headache, your frame might be causing it. If your frame is loose on the nose or too tight behind your ears, you will get a headache.

However, the frame can be readjusted to the measurement of your face. Whenever you are buying prescription or reading glasses online, make sure you always give correct facial measurements and interpupillary distance. Also, go for frames with flexible hinges and adjustable nose pads so that your glasses are more comfortable to wear.

Prescription error

Your optometrist or ophthalmologist is only a human and thus there is always room for human error. If your eye doctor has given you a wrong prescription or didn’t take precise interpupillary distance, it will lead to eye strain. In such a case, visit your optician and tweak your glasses to make them more comfortable.

The takeaway

Headaches, blurry vision, and dizziness are normal when your eyes are learning to adjust to the new-found vision. These symptoms will disappear within a few days. However, if the symptoms persist, call your eye doctor. They will make little adjustments to your frame if that is the root cause of the problem. Or, they can recheck your prescription to make sure that your eyes are not struggling due to a wrong lens power.