Are My Glasses Making My Vision Worse?
Have you recently been to the optometrist and been given your first pair of glasses or a new prescription? I’m sure you have found that putting on this new pair of specs has made your world a wonderfully less blurry place – hoorah!
A common question to optometrists is … will increasing the strength of my glasses or wearing them more make my eyes weaker?
Now, you may have heard the common misconception that glasses make your eyes weaker or you may have even noticed that your vision appears to be worse when you aren’t wearing your new glasses, than it seemed to be before.
So, you ask yourself, are my new glasses making my vision worse? The short answer is no. In reality, you are getting used to seeing the world in high definition, and the contrast between wearing and not wearing your glasses illustrates this. It is essentially a change in your perception of how things should look (ie: clear versus soft focus or blur), as opposed to a change in your eyes themselves.
There are various reasons why people require vision correction, including common conditions such as:
- Myopia or short-sightedness occurs when the shape of the eyeball is elongated so light doesn’t focus correctly on the retina (film layer) at the back of the eye and distant images are blurred.
- Astigmatism where the eyeball is not spherical – more like a rugby ball shape rather than a soccer ball, and the vision is blurred at all ranges of distance.
- Hyperopia or long-sightedness – occurs when the shape of the eyeball is too short so the lens inside the eye has to adjust focus to see things clearly up close. This can result in fatigue eyestrain and blurred vision for near tasks.
- Presbyopia is similar to long-sightedness and occurs in the mid 40’s. It is a result of a lack of flexibility in the lens causing reduced ability to adjust focus for near tasks.
Myopia commonly affects kids, and it’s on the rise! This is not due to kids wearing glasses, in fact it’s the opposite, some studies have shown that not wearing glasses or wearing an out of date prescription that is too weak worsens myopia at a more rapid rate. The rising rates of myopia are thought to be the result of changes of behaviour in relation to near tasks including introduction to digital devices at an early age. The effect of prolonged periods of up-close visual focussing and reduced time spent outdoors is significant is needs to be addressed. There is a wide evidence base that is evolving on ways to reduce the risk of “myopic progression” and optometrists should be discussing risk of progression and mitigating strategies in the form of lens corrections, specialised contact lenses, behaviour adaptations and drops in the eyes with all parents of children at risk of progression in childhood and teen years.
Presbyopia is a natural phenomena associated with ageing and this progression can’t be stopped however glasses or contact lenses can relieve the symptoms of blurred near vision. Presbyopia continues to worsen as you age, which is why your vision might be different now than it was a year or two years ago. There is a limit on the reduction in vision over time and most reach a plateau in the late 50’s. This deterioration is not because you are wearing your glasses (which should be making your vision clearer) but due to the natural progression of lens hardening.
There are several other conditions that can lead to worsening vision such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, all of which should be assessed by your optometrist at regular intervals. Regular eye exams are always important for maintaining healthy vision, so if you have concerns about worsening vision, your eye health generally, or are just ready for a check-up, be sure to schedule an appointment with your local optometrist today.
