As the saying goes, two heads are usually better than one. Well, that may be true when problem-solving, but it's an entirely different situation when it comes to vision. Seeing two heads—or multiples of anything that doesn’t belong, really—is certainly cause for concern.
Do you find yourself regularly seeing extra things or people? You’re likely suffering from double vision and may need some sort of intervention to keep your eyes from giving you trouble. Luckily, this condition is often easily improved by using prism glasses, and we have chosen to highlight the benefits of this noninvasive treatment here.
What is Double Vision?
Before proceeding, let’s first begin by defining what is generally known as double vision.
Double vision, also technically referred to as Diplopia, is a somewhat commonplace condition that affects how one perceives images. Instead of seeing one image normally, an individual suffering from double vision often ends up seeing two, either side-by-side, on top of one another, or in some combination. This effect may occur in either one or both eyes.
Double vision can be extremely disorienting, to say the least, and can make everyday activities like reading, walking, driving, and working seemingly impossible or even dangerous. It can also cause other problems beyond the obvious, contributing to pain around the eyes or when moving them, as well as headaches, nausea, and dizziness.
There are many reasons why double vision affects some individuals, but one of the most widespread causes is muscle weakness due to inherent nerve issues, certain autoimmune disorders, stroke, injury, or diabetes. Deviations in the shape of the eyeballs are frequent contributors, too, often because of something as innocuous as astigmatism, but occasionally because of more worrisome ailments such as infections.
How Prism Glasses Can Help
Double vision may be fairly common, but it can usually be alleviated. Prism glasses are a type of eyewear that doesn’t look any different from regular frames, but their double vision-correcting abilities might make them seem like something out of your favorite sci-fi flick. Their double vision reduction properties are due to specialized prism lenses that bend or reflect light, ensuring it’s positioned correctly for both eyes.
Without this light being properly aligned for the individual in question, it becomes increasingly difficult for the retinas to focus. Why? Our brains rely on light and its positioning to take the information processed by both eyes and combine them into a single, coherent image. The lack of this coordination of input translates to each eye perceiving something slightly different enough to cause problems, resulting in double vision.
Prism glasses correct this issue before light can even reach your eyes, let alone your nervous system. By redirecting and realigning it, these glasses compensate for your natural way of seeing and typically resolve any double images you may experience. Keep in mind that your eyes aren’t going to be physically altered in any way!
However, if you take off your swanky new specs, you’re going to see double once again. So, you’ll be reliant on them for crisp, accurate vision moving forward. Only surgery can permanently correct chronic Diplopia, but prism glasses are a perfectly valid, practical, and noninvasive temporary solution. They’re not necessarily suitable for everyone, although they certainly do function well for nearly anyone who doesn’t mind consistently wearing glasses or whose double vision has an annoying habit of changing from time to time.
We understand that double vision and similar issues can be frustrating and debilitating. Fortunately, there are many simple solutions such as prism glasses which can help to improve your quality of life in the short- and long-term. If you’re concerned about the quality of your vision, we welcome you to contact us or explore our services page for more information. It’s our goal to give you the tools and knowledge you need to see the world around you as clearly as possible.
