Do Glasses Make Your Eyesight Worse?

Glasses can make your eyesight worse: Is this myth or fact?

Although debated by glasses-wearers across the globe, the short answer is no, glasses do not typically worsen your eyesight. There is no specific evidence supporting this theoretical phenomenon, but many people are still convinced of its validity. So, do glasses make your eyesight worse?

Check Your Child’s Prescription

Having the wrong prescription glasses for your eyes can indeed affect vision quality, especially in children. Wearing glasses that are inappropriate for your eyes can cause eye strain, headaches, and potential vision changes. Children’s eyes are still developing, meaning they can change more easily than adults’ eyes. While an adult wearing the wrong prescription lenses may not experience vision changes, this is not always the case with children.

Wearing the wrong glasses during childhood eye development can cause eyesight to gradually worsen. A study done in Malaysia showed that the vision of children who wear incorrect prescriptions will worsen as long as the lenses are worn. The control group in the study, made up of children with correct prescriptions, experienced no negative vision changes.

Vision Worsens with Age

If you’re an adult and feel that your eyesight is worsening due to your correct prescription glasses, consider this. While wearing your glasses, you’re seeing things very clearly. Wearing glasses often can make you get used to seeing things crisply. When you take your glasses off, your eyes are so used to the clear vision that it can be a shock to see the world so hazily. This is totally normal and does not affect your eyes internally. Additionally, farsightedness becomes more and more prevalent past the age of 40.

So, do glasses make your eyesight worse? No. Glasses that are the appropriate prescription for your eyes should not worsen the quality of your vision. Make sure that you and your family’s glasses are all up-to-date by getting regular check-ups.