# Can eyeglass prescriptions start "going the other direction" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348 "2025-05-13T22:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LivingGhost371](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/1 "2025-05-13T22:05:38Z")
I’m nearsighted and presbyopic, and ever couple of years I need my glasses strengthened a couple of notches. However this time the results reversed and went the other direction New Prescription: DIstance Glasses: -3.75 and -5.00 Distance Contacts -4.25 and -6.00 Computer Glasses -2.75 abd -5.00 Old Prescription: Distance Glasses: -5.00 and -7.00 Distance Contacts -5.00 and -6.50 Computer Glasses. -3.25 and -5.25 Was wondering if eyes can start “correcting themselves” and moving back to zero, of if there might be an error on one or borth prescriptions, or if it’s possible it’s just the way different doctors do things or if refractions are imprecise enough it might be within the bounds of normal? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/2 "2025-05-13T22:35:16Z")
A few years ago my near vision started improving after a long slow decline. It wasn’t until several months later that I started to notice some other vision changes and found out I was developing cataracts. My ophthalmologist explained that cataracts can change the focal length of your eyeball and sometimes improve things for a while. I assume your doctor is checking for that, but it’s worth it to confirm. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/3 "2025-05-13T22:50:03Z")
Does your written prescription only have the sphere component, or are there lines for cylinder and axis? ---
**Author:** ![LivingGhost371](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/4 "2025-05-13T23:03:27Z")
OK, here’s the complete prescriptions: OLD Distance Glasses Sphere / Cylinder / Axis OD -5.00, -.75, 098 OS -7.00, -.50, 018 Computer Glasses OD -3.25. -.75, 098 OS -5.25, -.50, 018 Contacts. OD -5.00 OS -6.50 NEW Distance Glasses OD: -3.75, -1.25, 120 OS -6.00, -.50, 018 Computer Glasses OD: -2.75, -1.25, 120 OS -5.00, -.50, 018 Distance Contacts OD -4.25 OS -6.00 ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/5 "2025-05-14T00:10:01Z")
The cylinder and sphere is additive, so let’s look at your right eye distance: You went from -5.75 to -5.00. That not huge, but it is significant after years of stability. Your left eye has a full diopter change. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/6 "2025-05-14T00:46:55Z")
> [@LivingGhost371](#): > > I’m nearsighted and presbyopic I’m confused. Nearsighted is “myopia”. Which is the opposite of “presbyopia” which is farsighted. No one can be both simultaneously. So what are you really trying to say? Also how old are you? Here’s more on age-related presbyopia = farsightedness > **[Presbyopia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia)** > > Presbyopia is a physiological insufficiency of optical accommodation associated with the aging of the eye; it results in progressively worsening ability to focus clearly on close objects. Also known as age-related farsightedness (or as age-related long sight in the UK), it affects many adults over the age of 40. A common sign of presbyopia is difficulty in reading small print, which results in having to hold reading material farther away. Other symptoms associated can be headaches and ey Presby... ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/7 "2025-05-14T01:05:53Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Nearsighted is “myopia”. Which is the opposite of “presbyopia” which is farsighted. No one can be both simultaneously. Sure you can. Myopia is caused by the shape of your eyeball and the lens such that the eye focuses light in front of the retina. Presbyopia might present as farsightedness, but it’s not the same thing as what people usually mean when they say they are farsighted. That kind of farsightedness (hyperopia) is caused by eyeball and lens shape as well, where the eye focuses light behind the retina. As you note, presbyopia is age-related degeneration of the muscles that focus the eye. You can’t have hyperopia and myopia in the same eye, but you can (and lots of people do) have presbyopia and myopia together. That’s one of the most common needs for bifocals or progressive lenses. The wiki article you linked includes a section specifically on myopia and presbyopia together. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/8 "2025-05-14T11:58:50Z")
I don’t recall the details, but my eyeglass script went from steadily (and slowly) getting worse, to being stable, to getting better. I think that was a few years before I had to switch to progressive lenses. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/9 "2025-05-14T11:59:59Z")
The obvious question is, were the tests and prescription done by the same optician in both cases? Apparently some opticians believe, or used to believe, that undercorrection is beneficial for slowing progress of myopia. Largely discredited nowadays, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/10 "2025-05-14T12:06:56Z")
I’ve know a couple of people who have been nearsighted since adolescence and had prescriptions that held steady for many years. As they got older and their eyes began having problems reading text (farsighted), their nearsighted prescriptions became milder. They both ended with graduated bifocals, so the improvement wasn’t really anything to celebrate. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/11 "2025-05-14T12:10:57Z")
Do’h. Thank you. I had my presby & my hyper connected together sideways. Anyhow, if the OP reads the cite, not my words, they’ll get steered in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/12 "2025-05-15T01:40:24Z")
Agreed, it’s possible for the two opposite effects to ‘cancel out’ to an extent. But I’d echo the advice to have regular eye checks to establish there’s no other causes, like cataracts. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/13 "2025-05-15T02:12:15Z")
I went from 20/15 ( superior ) to 20/20 ( normal)recently due to mild cataracts. My night vision degraded a bit but my scrip improved. 🦘 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/14 "2025-05-15T06:25:20Z")
I was -9.25 at the peak at age 44. It started “improving” and I asked the optometrist if my eyesight was getting better. He said you are one, maybe two years away from the misery of bifocals. My distance correction is now -6.75 and I’ve been wearing progressives for 12 years. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/15 "2025-05-15T23:27:42Z")
Have you bathed in any fountains of youth in Florida lately? Ingested any philosopher’s stone in the last few months? Had any contact with any star trek level medical technology? ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/16 "2025-05-16T23:38:41Z")
My “eye guy” says that it’s not unusual for astigmatism (near sightedness) to wane over time. My distance vision is better at 72 than it was at 15. ---
**Author:** ![LivingGhost371](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/17 "2025-05-21T14:42:21Z")
As an update I got my two sets of glasses. Right eye is absolutely perfect, Left is a bit off in both of them. I think what happened is that I had my exam early in the morning, I have chronic dry eye issues in my left eye so I’m thinking that could have affected the refraction. It’s close enough I don’t notice it unless I close my right eye, and as a happy side effect I can read the letters on my nav system while driving again. Since it’s probably my fault I can’t really complain about it so I’ll live with it and maybe come back in a year as opposed to every other year like I’ve been. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eyeglass-prescriptions-start-going-the-other-direction/1018348/18 "2025-05-21T15:53:09Z")
Yes, your near sightedness can improve with age. At my worst my contact prescriptions were -9.00, about 15-20 years ago. Today I’m -7.25, I’m 59. Starting about 7 years ago I also started having problems seeing up close (reading, on the computer, etc.), so I use over the counter reading glasses +1.5. So I am near sighted and need magnifiers. I am not a candidate for Lasik, as my cornea’s are too thin. I have no problem wearing contacts, have been for about 45 years. But I do plan on getting intraocular lens implants in my mid 60’s, primarily to rid myself of the need for corrective lenses before I encounter demensia, alzheimers, etc.