Hi Group,

My glasses prescription from August, 2006 is:

OD    PL    -2.00 x 161
OS    PL    -1.75 x 017

I'm satisfied with this prescription and see some letters on the 20/15 line.
Earlier this year I was given contacts to try and eventually bought.  They
are acuvue advance for astigmatism:

OD   -0.25    -1.75 x 160
OS     0.00    -1.75 x 020

I've seen two opticians during the process of obtaining lenses and it seems
to me neither wanted to put a lot of effort into getting the best CL for my
left eye.  In the right I have 20/20 when the lens is correctly aligned, the
left is 20/25.  In general I find them inferior to glasses.  I get that they
only come in limited powers and axis increments and this is the best
approximation, and that they turn somewhat with each blink.  However they
are nice to have for sports, outside activities, beneath my motorcycle
helmet, etc. and I intend to wear them when convenient.  In general my eyes
don't tolerate contacts well (dry eyes perhaps) so I won't be spending a lot
of time in them.

I should have been more assertive and asked for more trials but didn't.
Instead I got (from the internet) two different lenses for the left, same
brand, same cylinder power but with -0.25 and -0.50 sphere.   Improvement is
such that the left eye is now near equal to the right.  I'm still not sure
which of the two is best but eventually I'll figure it out.

I've now got two choices.  Continue to buy replacement lenses from the
internet in the prescription that works best, or preferably, to discuss this
with the optometrist when I see him later this summer and hope he'll adjust
the prescription for my left eye so that I can buy the lenses locally.  I'm
just unsure how he might react to this.  So, to the eye care professionals
out there, how would you react?  I'm obviously high strung about this, but
also shy and lacking in the assertiveness I needed to get it right in the
first place.  How weird is this and how might you react to a patient asking
for an adjustment that might not make theoretical sense but does in
practice?

Thanks in advance,

Dave