Should Lens Power Be Different for Each Eye in My Son's Glasses?
MAY 10, 2014
Question:
My 15-year-old son has been diagnosed with myopia (nearsightedness) and one eye was much worse than the other. After leaving the office with his prescription I realized that the prescription was the same for both eyes. Shouldn't each eye have a differently powered lens?
Answer:
This is a difficult question to answer without more information. At age 15, your son may have a lazy ("amblyopic") eye due to the difference in degree of myopia (nearsightedness), but if not, he will not acquire that problem.
But if the "much worse" eye is due to amblyopia, the degree of myopia may still be the same in both eyes, which would be consistent with the prescribed glasses.
Another possibility is that the difference in the two eyes is quite substantial, and a different power lens in the "weak" eye does not help improve vision. Since markedly different lenses result in a different appearance, the prescription may have been written in this fashion for cosmetic reasons.
The prescribing physician should be able to answer your question more specifically, since he has necessary additional information.