You may have heard this before, or maybe you have thought it yourself. “Does wearing glasses make your eyes weaker?” Well, it is a valid question if you consider that according to the Vision Council of America, approximately 75% of adults use some sort of vision correction. So, let’s explore this question in detail in this week’s article. We hope you enjoy it!
Does Wearing Glasses Create a Dependency on Them?
As we age, it is more and more likely that we will need some sort of vision correction. Whether that be in the form of glasses or contact lenses. Even those who have had corrective eye surgery like Lasik will inevitably need reading glasses. So, we know we need glasses, but does wearing them over a course of many years actually make your eyes weaker? A lot of our customers think this is true. Since wearing glasses they feel that they can’t do without them. When they do take them off, their vision is much worse than when they didn’t have glasses or an updated prescription. There is an explanation for why many feel this way. Firstly, patients have just become used to seeing clearly! So now, seeing unclearly is just a lot more noticeable. Secondly, many people’s vision does get worse over time as they age, and this can be due to any number of things like genes, age, or an underlying health condition. Comparing your vision to when you didn’t have glasses might just have to do with time.
Glasses Don’t Change The Shape Of Your Eyes
Wearing glasses doesn’t physically change the shape of your eyes. This means if you are nearsighted or farsighted, your eye shape is not going to be changed negatively or positively by simply wearing glasses. Additionally, wearing glasses also does not affect the structures that make up the eye. For example, presbyopia, which is a condition that develops as we age and makes it harder to focus on objects at close distances, will not get worse (or better with glasses). Instead, the underlying reason for this eye condition is simply, age. As we age our lens is thought to get harder and less flexible. This in turn negatively affects the eye’s ability to focus.
Under correcting Children’s Eyes
Some parents request their children be under corrected so their eyes won’t get worse. The belief behind doing this may be that a child’s eyes will learn to adapt to the under corrected lenses. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. I cannot stress how important it is to ensure your child can see clearly. A child who cannot see clearly is hindering their ability to read, learn, and navigate through the world. It can also hinder their confidence and ability to communicate. Not to mention increase their risk of developing a ‘lazy eye‘.
Don’t miss your child’s regular eye exam as your child may not know that their vision is blurry, they may just think it’s normal. Watch out for these warning signs, but don’t rely on your own instinct. Nothing can replace a comprehensive eye exam, which not only ensures your child is seeing clearly, but that their eyes are healthy.
So in conclusion, if you are a glasses wearer you can rest assured that wearing glasses will not make your eyes worse. Remember an eye exam is more than just getting new specs. It’s also about ensuring your eyes are healthy. Don’t miss your regular eye exam. It could uncover serious eye and non-eye-related diseases, which may not have any other symptoms.
Need an eye exam? Give us a call or book online with Dr. Sharma.
We don’t sell glasses, so you can be sure all we care about is your eyes!