When my wife was working she’d ask, “Which is better or are they the same?”
If you don’t see a difference, you are already very close to the optimal correction and a subtle change in either direction is unnecessary. They will still go ahead and try fine-tuning the prescription and when you tell them that A and B are the same, they can fall back when they add another correction. A and B might currently be the same, but if you add C, A+C could be better than B+C.
You know, it makes me wonder how that works. Because most of the time, they get the prescription right, even though, for the most part, we only guess which one feels right to us, even though, to us, one and two look practically the same.
If one and two look the same to you, does it matter which one is prescribed? Can you even say that the prescription is correct?
If they look the same, you are prescribed the weaker of the two, to avoid overcorrection, which can worsen your eyesight over time.
I haven’t done a test since I was a child because I generally do fine, but I wonder if some people need additional instruction about what to look for. Like the two “look the same” because they don’t know what to look for. Maybe just a “Is the apostrophe a line or a dot? Okay, how about now?”
They get it right when you don’t know how… isn’t it the same with nearly all professions?
I think part of the image processing is done subconsciously and so we can pick up the minute differences in image quality by feel, even when we can’t say what exactly is different.
That makes sense. Our subconscious is better at picking up the small details than our conscious mind, because it takes more effort for us to think about it. That’s why they say “go with your gut” because our brains calculate things subconsciously. It’s why we can do things without thinking about it.
My guess is that if one and two look the same, both are equally close to ideal and thus it doesn’t matter which one you pick.
You’re probably right. But I bet the doctor knows the difference. I guess we’ll never know.
If it isn’t obvious, you’re done. The weaker of the 2 lenses is right for you.
Me: One?
Optometrist: Wrong! How dare you! Get out of my sight!
