Slab off in my eye glass prescription

[bill18163]

A couple years ago I had a cataract removed from my left eye. After the surgery I had trouble with the eye. It was hard to decscibe to my doctor what was wrong. After a number of return visits over about 6-8 months I was able to convince him that there was something wrong when I told him that if I closed one eye while looking at an object and then closed the other eye the object did not look the same size. He picked up on that right away and told me that most people adjust to the implant surgery with no problem but I must not be adjusting to it like other people. He ordered what is called a "slab off" in my prescription for my left eye. That corrected the problem. It's been over a year now and I'm starting to have a problem getting dizzy and what feels like a mild strain in my left eye. Is it possible that I have "adjusted" to the implant now and the slab off in my prescription is not needed?

[JodieJ]

Dizziness and eye strain are both symptoms of an image size difference between your eyes.  You can read more about this condition (called "aniseikonia") at www opticaldiagnositcs com.  Sometimes adjustments of the base curves, vertex distance, or lens thickness of your glasses can eliminate the symptoms.  If you can tolerate contact lenses, they might work better for you than glasses.  See your eye care provider.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Perhaps it might be time to have the other eye cataract surgery done, or you may simply need a new adjusted eyeglass prescription.  The slab off is usually used when one eye has been operated on and the other still has a fairly large, different glasses prescription.  Your doctor should be able to figure out the best course of action for you.

MJK MD