Some people may experience a distortion of their peripheral vision after receiving a new glasses prescription. This is a fairly common occurrence that can be a result of the adjustment period as your eyes get used to the new prescription. This type of peripheral vision distortion can often occur if the new glasses are of a higher prescription or the frames are larger than what you are used to. Glasses focus on the section of the visual field that is right in front of you, in order to help correct your vision and perception. If you've been wearing glasses for a long time, your brain gets used to this and can find it hard to adjust if the prescription is changed.

In addition to this, hi index lens materials can also cause a distortion of peripheral vision. These types of lenses are thinner and lighter than normal, which means the back surface of the lens is placed further away from the natural curve of your eye. This distance can in turn affect your peripheral view. Another type of lens that can cause peripheral distortions are multifocal lenses. These lenses are designed to provide clear vision in certain areas.  Towards the edges or sides of multifocal lenses, there are peripheral distortions.

What is peripheral vision?

Peripheral vision is the term for the part of the visual field that is not right in the centre of your gaze. It is usually used for detecting motion, colours, lights and shapes at the edges of your vision, but the human ability to do this is weaker when compared with animals. The reason for this is that humans have the lowest density of receptor cells at the edges of the retina, with a higher concentration found in the centre.

What to do if your glasses are distorting your peripheral vision?

If you are experiencing peripheral vision distortion as a result of your new glasses, go back to your optometrist and let them know about your problem. Sometimes the fit of your new glasses will need to be changed to minimise this distorted effect.In some cases, a short adjustment period may be all that is required to help your eyes get used to the new glasses. Particularly if this is the first time you are wearing multifocal lenses. Ensure you speak to your optometrist about how to properly use your multifocal lenses.