Some people may only need to wear glasses when they’re watching TV at night or reading a book, others will need to wear their glasses for most activities. If you’ve recently started wearing prescription glasses and you’ve noticed that your vision has improved dramatically, then you may have started wearing them all day at work, when you drive, and when you watch TV at night. But should you wear glasses all the time? If you feel more comfortable wearing your new glasses, then there’s no reason why you can’t wear them as often as you’d like. However, some people are concerned that wearing their reading glasses too often and for the wrong applications can potentially damage their vision. But is this true? Let’s learn more.
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Your New Glasses
In most cases, wearing your new glasses all the time won’t cause any damage. There will definitely be times when you don’t need to wear your glasses, based on what you’re doing. Obviously, you’ll take your glasses off when you shower, when you go to sleep, and if you’re participating in sports. Doing so will ensure that you don’t damage them. But you may also want to switch from reading glasses to another type if you’re watching TV or working on your computer. As an example, if you spend several hours a day at the office staring at a computer screen, then you may want to wear the best glasses for gaming and office work since these glasses work by blocking out blue light, which is what can cause severe eye strain and general discomfort.
The best reading glasses can significantly improve your vision, instantly bringing the world into focus. However, you may need glasses for more than just reading, depending on whether you also struggle to see objects in the distance. If you only experience vision problems when you’re trying to read, then you may even want to try wearing over the counter reading glasses if you enjoy a hobby that involves fine detail work, such as painting.
But are over the counter reading glasses any good and can they damage your vision? In most cases, these glasses won’t cause any damage, but they also cannot correct certain vision problems. These glasses work to magnify whatever you look at, so if you’re painting and need a little extra help in terms of magnification, then they can definitely come in handy. If you’re simply experiencing age-related reading problems, then these glasses are an effective, and affordable option.
Wearing Readers
Unfortunately, you definitely cannot wear readers all the time, like you can with prescription reading glasses. This is because readers will simply magnify everything, which would make it very disorienting and potentially dangerous to wear them for anything else other than reading or participating in a hobby such as painting, putting together a puzzle, or doing a word search puzzle.
If you’re not sure whether you need prescription glasses for reading, click here to learn more in my article on do you need reading glasses? This article will discuss many of the common signs and symptoms that are linked to vision loss.
Prescription glasses are much different and work to correct vision problems. Wearing your readers for everyday activities can lead to accidents, injuries, eye strain, eye fatigue, and chronic headaches, while wearing prescription glasses can help to correct vision problems with consistent use.
A Common Myth
In a study conducted on glasses wearers, the study showed that many participants believed that wearing their glasses all the time could cause significant damage to their eyesight. Others didn’t wear their glasses all the time because they were self-conscious about how they looked wearing them. Unfortunately, there have not been very many studies on the effects of wearing reading glasses constantly. The results of a few studies have shown that there’s no clear evidence that wearing reading glasses all the time will have a negative impact on vision.
In most cases, people believe that wearing their glasses too often can be harmful to their eyesight because they have failed to have their eyeglasses prescription updated. Over the course of years, eyeglasses can actually deteriorate and will not provide the same type of vision correction that they did during the first few years of use. These glasses’ wearers believed that their vision has deteriorated over the years since they became very dependent on their glasses and noticed this change in visual quality, but in reality, their vision is no worse, it’s the quality of the lenses that worsened. While the glasses served a purpose at one point, they’re simply not doing their job any longer, which is why eye doctors recommend having a regular vision exam every year.
During this type of routine exam, your doctor will ask you many questions related to how clearly you see, whether you experience any eye pain, negative changes in vision, headaches, eye strain, and more. If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, your doctor will update your prescription. If no issues can be found concerning your eye health, in many cases, it’s simply that the lenses are no longer as powerful as they were when they were new.
What Happens If I Don’t Wear My Glasses When I Should?
If you’re guilty of not wearing your glasses as often as you should, this can lead to fatigue, eye strain, pain, red eyes, eye pain and headache, and trouble seeing clearly. Not wearing glasses will make your life much harder, making even the simplest task feel like a serious chore. You may get your work done slower since you’re struggling to see clearly, or you may feel tired, or experience chronic headaches caused by straining to focus.
If you need corrective lenses and you’re choosing to not wear your glasses, then you’re not functioning with the clearest vision possible. When you drive, ninety percent of your reaction ability relies on your sight. When you get behind the wheel and don’t wear your glasses, you’re putting yourself and other people on the road at risk.
Are There Any Long-Term Effects?
If you were diagnosed with a vision problem at an early age and didn’t wear your glasses as much as you were supposed to, then it can result in the incomplete development of the eyes. Getting a clear image to the retina is what helps a person’s eye develop, so when their vision is not clear it prevents the eyes from developing normally.
Myopia
If a person is diagnosed with myopia, this means that they have trouble seeing objects that are far away and will only be able to focus on objects that are nearby. Eyeglasses prescriptions for people with myopia will have a minus since they need power to be taken away from the eyes in order to allow it to see at a distance. When a child who has myopia doesn’t wear their glasses they can run the risk of developing a lazy eye.
Farsighted
If a person’s eyes have to work harder in order to focus on nearby objects, then they’re farsighted. If a person is farsighted and they don’t wear their glasses, then they will have to work much harder to focus. This usually leads to fatigue and headaches. Many children who are farsighted will complain that they dislike reading, or they tend to have trouble learning how to read. If this type of vision problem goes untreated there will be long-term effects.
Prescription Glasses
When it comes to improving your vision with the help of corrective lenses, personalization will be crucial. There are many factors to consider, such as the distance between pupils, the position of the frame, the angle of the frame, and the position of the eyes. This is what generally makes prescription glasses unique for every wearer. Because of this, you should never share your prescription glasses with anyone, even if you and a friend have similar vision problems.
Final Thoughts
Should you wear your glasses all the time? If you’re nearsighted and farsighted, then yes. If you’re nearsighted, then you will definitely benefit from wearing your glasses at all times since it can help you to easily and clearly see objects in the distance. This will be especially important if you’re driving. If you’re farsighted and have trouble seeing objects that are close up, then you may only need to wear your glasses when you’re working or reading, or watching television. Ultimately, this can differ from person to person. If you’re not sure how often you should wear your glasses, speaking with your eye doctor can easily clear up any confusion and concerns you may have.
