Glasses & Contacts

Adjusting the Focus: Why People Need Vision Correction

People need glasses and contacts for several different reasons, all related to how your eyes receive light and images. When you see, light is bouncing off objects and at your eyes. Two clear parts of your eye, the cornea and the lens, bend the light so the image gets projected sharply on the back surface of your eyeball, called your retina. Your retina is covered in nerve endings that then send what you’re seeing to your brain. When all this happens perfectly, you see clearly. Unfortunately, the shape of your eye can change all this. If your eyeball is too short or too long, your lens may not be able to focus the image of what you’re seeing correctly on your retina. You end up with myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness). In other cases, blurry vision actually comes from the shape of your cornea, which is the transparent structure that forms a window in front of an uneven curvature. An odd shape to your cornea changes how light enters your eye, which can blur your vision. Glasses and contacts are designed to compensate for these problems, allowing light to focus correctly on your retina so you see clearly.

Getting Your Glasses Prescription

Getting an accurate prescription and glasses that fit you correctly isn’t difficult. First you will need a vision test to determine whether or not you do need glasses. From there, our doctors will work with you to determine a prescription that will help correct the blurriness. At Sight Clinic, we have a special machine that helps measure the shape of your eyes to get a baseline for a potential prescription. After that our team refines the prescription through vision tests, helping you get the clearest vision possible. Once you have your prescription, you can take it to order glasses and find frames that fit your face. Our optical shop team have years of experience helping people find frames they love! Our team will also make eye measurements to ensure your lenses are crafted correctly and sit where they should on your face.

Fitting Your Contacts

Contact lenses are different from glasses, since they sit directly on your eye and require a different prescription. Our team will measure your cornea, which is the transparent surface of your eye above your iris, and use it to help determine the contacts that will fit you best. Then we will order trial lenses for you. For a first time fitting, you’ll be taught how to put your trial lenses in and take them out safely. After this you’ll be expected to wear the lenses for a period of time to check the fit. If they are comfortable and allow you to see, your follow-up appointments to check the fit will be fairly easy. If they are uncomfortable and cause problems, we will change the lenses and continue working with you to find the correct fit for your eye. Hundreds of thousands of Americans wear glasses or contact lenses on a daily basis. Getting the right pair and making sure they fit correctly—both physically and in the prescription—is important. Your vision depends on it. If you’re at all concerned about blurry vision, or simply haven’t had a glasses update in a while, let us know! Our team of experts will help you get exactly what you need to see clearly and comfortably. Contact our Zeeland, MI, office for more information or an appointment today by calling (616) 772-2020.