Optics Question: Clarity of prescription glasses. Should?!
Question: Should my recently purchased lenses be equally clear throughout the lens? These lenses approx 5x2.5 cm are clear at the center and fuzzy towards the edges... and I don't mean just at the edges. The area of clearity is roughly 1cm round with the "fuzziness" increasing as you move to the edge. This means to see clearly, I must move my head rather than my eyeballs. The "glasses store" told this was normal. The lenses are rectangular and relative flat. I have not had this problem in previous prescriptions. It is for near sightedness... about 20/80 and some astigmatism.
Answers: Should my recently purchased lenses be equally clear throughout the lens? These lenses approx 5x2.5 cm are clear at the center and fuzzy towards the edges... and I don't mean just at the edges. The area of clearity is roughly 1cm round with the "fuzziness" increasing as you move to the edge. This means to see clearly, I must move my head rather than my eyeballs. The "glasses store" told this was normal. The lenses are rectangular and relative flat. I have not had this problem in previous prescriptions. It is for near sightedness... about 20/80 and some astigmatism.
Lenses for myopia (near sighted) are usually thinner in the middle and thicker toward the edges to allow distant light rays to be corrected. And yes, the edges of such lenses can be appear to the eye slightly distorted where they are thicker, and even more so if there is a cylinder correction for astigmatism in the lens. How much distortion your glasses actually have, and how sensitive you are to it, well these are not cut and dry matters. I would take them to whomever gave you your eye exam and prescription and ask them. Most opticians/optometrists can test the lenses and let you know.
These distortions can be more pronounced nowadays with the smaller lenses that are in fashion; with the large lenses that were in vogue in the 1970's and 80's, you probably would have never noticed as the edge was so far away from your eye. But with the short lenses (under 28mm or so in height) so popular these days, lens distortions are much easier to find with the eye...