Many people experience headaches after getting new glasses or even with their current pair. While glasses are designed to clarify vision, they can sometimes cause unexpected head pain. Understanding these reasons can help address the problem.
Adjusting to New Glasses
When you get new glasses, especially with a significant prescription change, your eyes and brain need time to adapt. The new visual input makes your eye muscles work harder to process clear images. This increased effort can lead to temporary symptoms such as mild headaches, eye strain, a feeling of distortion, or even dizziness.
For most individuals, this adjustment period typically lasts a few days, with full adaptation occurring within one to two weeks. If you are wearing glasses for the first time, or if you have switched to multifocal lenses like progressives, the adjustment might extend a bit longer, sometimes up to several weeks. Progressive lenses, in particular, can cause initial dizziness or nausea due to the varying focal points within the lens, requiring the brain to learn how to navigate different viewing distances.
Issues with Your Prescription or Fit
Headaches can also stem from an incorrect prescription or an improper fit. If your prescription is too strong, too weak, or simply outdated, your eyes must strain to compensate, leading to discomfort and headaches. This strain is common when lenses do not precisely correct for conditions like astigmatism. Blurry vision or the need to squint are common indicators that your prescription might be inaccurate.
An improper frame fit also contributes to headaches. Glasses that are too tight can create pressure points on the temples, nose bridge, or behind the ears, triggering pain. Conversely, frames that are too loose may slide down, forcing your eyes to constantly adjust their focus or causing the lenses to sit at an incorrect distance from your eyes. Furthermore, if the optical centers of the lenses do not align precisely with your pupils, even by a few millimeters, it can lead to visual distortion and recurring tension headaches as your brain struggles to process skewed images. Issues such as dirty, scratched, or low-quality lenses can also impair clear vision, compelling your eyes to work harder and potentially causing strain-related headaches.
Digital Eye Strain and Visual Fatigue
Modern lifestyles, heavily reliant on digital screens, often contribute to eye strain and headaches. Prolonged use of computers, smartphones, and tablets can lead to digital eye strain. Symptoms include dry eyes, blurred vision, eye discomfort, and headaches.
Several factors related to screen use contribute to this fatigue. People tend to blink less frequently when concentrating on digital screens, reducing the natural lubrication of the eyes. Glare from screens, improper viewing distances, and poor screen contrast also place additional demands on the eyes. Beyond direct eye stress, poor posture adopted while using devices, such as hunching over a laptop, can lead to tension in the neck and shoulders, which can radiate as headaches. To mitigate digital eye strain, eye care professionals often recommend the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to allow your eye muscles to relax.
When to Consult an Eye Care Professional
While temporary discomfort with new glasses is common, certain symptoms warrant a consultation with an eye care professional. If headaches persist or worsen beyond the initial adjustment period (typically two weeks), seek an evaluation. Other concerning signs include sudden changes in vision, persistent blurry or double vision, or significant eye pain that does not resolve with rest.
Persistent dizziness, nausea, or imbalance after the adjustment phase also warrants a visit to your eye doctor. These symptoms could indicate that your prescription needs fine-tuning, that the glasses’ fit is incorrect, or that there may be a subtle eye misalignment requiring specialized correction. Regular comprehensive eye examinations, recommended every one to two years, ensure your prescription is current and rule out underlying eye conditions contributing to headaches.