OPTX Optometry - Los Angeles & Valencia

What is the difference between an ophthalmologist and an optometrist?

Ophthalmologists are sometimes known as eye surgeons or eye specialists as they concentrate on diagnosing and treating eye diseases. They are essentially medical doctors that specialize in eyes and may perform surgery and prescribe medication as they see fit. Some also undertake the prescription of spectacles, contact lenses and recommend eye exercises, although this is quite rare. Optometrists will screen the eyes for diseases and refer to ophthalmologists if necessary. However, optometrists concentrate on spectacle and contact lens prescriptions. Some specialize in eye exercises to improve eye muscle conditions.

How difficult is it to adapt to multifocals?

The first time any spectacles are worn some adjustment time is required mainly because the new, clear vision needs to be accepted by your brain. Once it has learnt to recognize the images seen through the spectacles and become familiar with them, the initial “WOW” effect should have worn off. Multifocals are slightly trickier than single focal specs since they change in power as the eyes look from the top to the bottom of the lenses. Your eyes need to learn which parts of the lens to use when looking either close-up, far-away or in-between. Your optometrist can advise you on tricks to help you get started and in no time you should be well on your way to successful multifocal wear. A few individuals may struggle with these type of lenses simply because they cannot tolerate the changes in power which is inherent in the design of these. We advise that a period of 4 weeks be allowed before deciding that multifocals are not for you.

Will my sight worsen if I start wearing specs or contact lenses?

Wearing a prescription does not make your vision worse. Often when someone gets spectacles for the first time the visual improvement is so amazing that vision without them seems much worse, especially as time goes by. However, this is simply because the brain can now compare two images directly: one with specs and one without.

My close-up vision is not as good as it used to be - is this normal?

Yes - this change in your near vision focus happens to everyone and is called presbyopia. The effect of presbyopia is similar to that of longsightedness, but they are not the same. See Lingo for more information.

What are the advantages of glass lenses over plastic lenses?

Plastic lenses are lighter and have 3 x the impact resistance of glass while glass lenses are thinner.