What to Do If Your Spectacles Are Made Incorrectly: A Customer Checklist

Sometimes new glasses feel wrong because they were not made to what was ordered. Sometimes they feel wrong for another reason, such as frame fit or adjustment. Before deciding which it is, it helps to follow a clear sequence. This checklist is meant to help you get your problem properly looked at and understood, without assuming the cause.

Step 1: Describe what you notice, specifically

"They feel wrong" is hard to act on. Write down:

• What you notice: blur, double vision, headaches, a tilted floor, the glasses sliding
• When: distance, reading, screens, all the time
• Which eye, if you can tell
• How long you have worn them and whether it is improving

Step 2: Compare the order with the prescription

Gather your prescription and your order or bill. Compare: right and left eye, SPH, CYL, AXIS, ADD (if any), PD, and the lens type and coating you ordered. If you are not sure how to read the slip, see how to read a prescription slip. Do not try to adjust the glasses yourself.

Step 3: Rule out the simple causes

Many complaints turn out to be fit, not prescription: a crooked frame, loose nose pads, or lenses sitting at the wrong height. Our guide to seven things to check covers this. A fitting assessment can often settle it quickly.

Step 4: Take everything to the shop promptly

Bring:

• The spectacles
• Your prescription
• The order or bill
• Your notes from step 1

Going early matters. A problem raised soon after delivery is easier to investigate than one raised months later.

Step 5: Ask for the right checks

• A fitting check of the frame on your face
• A check of the lens powers and alignment against your prescription
• A review of the order details
• If the prescription itself might be the cause, a fresh eye test

Step 6: Understand the shop's process before agreeing to anything

Ask what happens if the glasses were made incorrectly. Remaking, refunding and replacing are three different things, and the answer depends on the problem found. A shop might remake the glasses where it confirms an error in how they were made, and handle other requests case by case. Ask what applies to your situation, how long it would take, and whether there is any cost, and ask for it in writing if possible.

What not to do

• Do not keep wearing glasses that give you persistent headaches or blurred vision without getting them checked.
• Do not have the glasses adjusted or repaired elsewhere before the original shop has looked at them. It can complicate the assessment.
• Do not assume a particular outcome. The cause needs to be found first.

When to see an eye-care professional

If the glasses match the prescription and fit well but you still have symptoms, the prescription itself may need re-checking. See an eye doctor promptly for eye pain, sudden changes in vision or flashes of light.

This article is general information, not medical advice. For persistent symptoms or any sudden change in your vision, see an eye-care professional.