Prism Glasses

Light normally enters your eyes through the cornea before it reaches the retina. In eyes with normal vision, the light hits the same place on both retinas, which creates a single image in the brain. People with double vision have light reaching different parts of each retina, which produces two separate images. Prism lenses bend light and redirect it to reach precisely the same spot on each retina. Then the brain steps in and combines the two images into one crystal-clear image.

You should only experience one side effect from prism eyeglasses: corrected vision. If prism glasses wearers experience wandering or misaligned eyes, headaches, pain accompanying eye movement, facial or eye pain, nausea, or seeing double images, they should see an eye doctor immediately. These side effects can be caused by misaligned frames, an incorrect prescription, or a change in the body, but it is important to figure out what is causing these symptoms.

The cost of your prism lenses will depend on the frames you choose, but will not be much more expensive than any other prescription glasses you order from EyeBuyDirect. Even if you choose high index lenses for strong prescriptions, when you order from us, you’ll save hundreds of dollars compared to what prism lenses cost elsewhere.

Prism lenses look just like any other eyeglasses! The thickness of the lens will vary based on the prescription, so some will be thinner than others. However, the lenses in prism glasses are ground to a different shape than most other prescriptions: the apex of the lens will be thinner than the base. This is usually unnoticeable unless you are inspecting the glasses carefully.

Yes! While patients with double vision are often advised not to drive, if their diplopia can be controlled with prism glasses, they should have no trouble doing so safely. One of the great benefits that come with correcting double vision is being able to see clearly, which makes driving much safer.

The thickness of prism lenses will vary by prescription, but generally speaking, they are not very thick–certainly not noticeably thicker than other prescription glasses. A very high prism prescription may be noticeably thicker towards the bridge of the nose, but using high index lenses can ensure a thin, lightweight lens. If you are concerned about the appearance of thick lenses, you may want to choose a full-rimmed frame to conceal the edges.