After a knock to the head or a hard fall, most people think about the bump, the scan, and the appointment. Fewer think about the glasses or contacts they have worn every day for years. Those lenses sit close to your eyes and move with every turn of your head, so they can quietly show how your focus and balance are doing. This note explains how to keep a simple log of what changes with your eyewear, so you have something concrete to bring to an examiner in the St. Louis area or anywhere else.
This is educational information only. It does not tell you what is wrong. A changed prescription, a new blur, or a feeling that your glasses sit wrong can have many causes, and only an examiner can sort them out.
Start with what you already wear
Keep a short note on the eyewear you use every day. Glasses, contacts, reading glasses, and the sunglasses you wear while driving all count. Write down the date, which pair you were using, and when it was last checked or replaced. If you have a copy of your last prescription, keep it with the note. Dates matter because a change that began the morning after a fall is much easier to describe than one you can only place somewhere in the past month.
Note what changed and when
Each day, jot one or two plain lines. Did the lenses feel tilted? Did a line of text seem to jump or double when you looked down? Did you need to hold a page farther away, or closer, than usual? Did one eye seem to work differently from the other? Write in your own words. A line such as sits crooked or text shifts when I look down is more useful than a guess about the cause.
Also note what helped. Did closing one eye make a difference? Did dim light or resting your eyes for a few minutes change how things looked? These details show how the change behaves over the day, which can matter as much as the change itself.
Track the frames, not just the lenses
Frames can bend in a fall or a bump, and a bent frame can shift lenses off center without anyone noticing. Look at the bridge, the arms, and the nose pads. Note whether the arms sit even behind each ear, whether one side rests lower, and whether the frame sits the same way it did last month. If you can, take a photo from the front and from the side against a plain background, and date it. Photos do not replace an exam, but they give you a record that matches what you saw.
If you wear contacts, note whether one lens feels different, is harder to center, or is uncomfortable in a way you have not felt before. Do not keep wearing a lens that feels wrong just to see whether it settles. Set it aside and mention it at your visit.
Bring the log and say what it is for
When you book, tell the office that you have had a knock to the head and want to report changes in your glasses or contacts. Bring the log, the photos, and the pair you were wearing that day if you still have it. Keep the summary short: the three or four changes that came up most often, and the first date you noticed each one.
You do not need to be sure what it means. Your job is to describe what you saw, when you saw it, and how it affected your day. Keep a copy in your bag so you can hand it over without searching for it.
When to get urgent help instead
A shift in how your glasses sit is not the same as an emergency, but some symptoms need immediate help. If you notice sudden loss of vision, a double image that does not clear, weakness, confusion, trouble speaking, or a headache that grows fast or severe, do not wait for a scheduled visit. Call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department now.
Between visits, be careful about driving or using stairs when your view feels off. Ask someone to take you where you need to go if your vision seems unreliable. A log helps most when it is kept calmly, one plain line a day, and shared with the person who examines you.