Check yourself for glasses

In the September 2023 edition of JAMA Ophthalmology, Dr. Lloyd Zhao and colleagues published a study about the use of adjustable-focus spectacles in children aged 5-11. They reference that these adjustable glasses have been used in older patients successfully in the past to achieve good vision.

While the younger kids were able to achieve good vision, just as the older patients were, their prescriptions were not correct. Specifically, the kids chose powers that were too “low” (too far in the minus direction). Note that this isn’t what you normally think of as “low power.”

So, while these adjustable glasses can be used as a first approximation and are better than nothing, they’re no substitute for a real exam.