So I've been living in Japan for about a year and a half and I wear contact lenses for distance. When I first got here I brought the lenses I had left from the US and when those ran out I went to an eye doctor here for an eye exam and to order contacts. The process for fitting contacts there was by far the most arduous I've had in my entire life, we had to try about 20 different lenses, all of which were uncomfortable in my eyes and didn't seem to fit at all. Eventually, I suggested that we try the same brand I used to use in the past in the US (CooperVision Biofinity toric) and those are the only ones that fit comfortably in my eyes. However, they told me that it's impossible to get the exact prescription I might need in Japan. My US prescription had the AX for my left at 70 and my right at 100, and my vision was always clear with that, even up until I ran out of them several months ago. The eye doctor here said it's impossible to get that AX on any of the lenses they carry and that 90 is the best they can do.
I've been using these lenses for a few months and it's become abundantly clear that these are inferior to my previous prescription, I've had bad vision for months and been unable to focus on distant objects, which never happened before. I went back to the eye doctor for another exam, but they said the prescription has not changed and they can't provide me with exactly what I need, they just suggested I take eye drops for dry eyes, but that's unrelated to my issue. My guess is there must be some biological difference between my eyes (Caucasian male) and Japanese folk's eyes where that AX is not used here. Is there any recommendations people can provide for any eye doctor where I can get a more precise eye exam and get the exact prescription I need? I'm in Kansai so anything in Osaka for example would be fine. I can't even read signs at a distance anymore and it's really uncomfortable. Thanks in advance.
by Syrup_Johnson