Prisms and Cylinders

I've recently been to an eye doctor to inquire about the tired eyes I've had for a couple of years now. He advised me to get a pair of glasses due to the fact that I need cylinders of -.75 for both eyes. After I had been to the optometrist to choose a pair of glasses, I was told that I also need prisms of 1.25 for both eyes (they didn't test this in the hospital). Furthermore, I do not have any other deviations, meaning that I need the glasses for the cylinders and prisms only.

My optometrist told me that I could wear contact lenses, but the problem is that prisms cannot be made into lenses and they would only ''fix'' the cylinder deviation. Therefore, my question what is primarily responsible for causing my eyes tiredness: the cylinders or the prisms? I'd like to figure this out to understand whether I can wear contact lenses for some time during the day without having tired eyes.

Thanks in advance and sorry for my English, I am non native English speaker.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I would not get the prism glasses. Once you start wearing them its hard to stop andyou may have double vision without the glasses.

See an Eye MD ophthalmologist. Ask your personal MD to refer you.

JCH MD