If you’ve recently started wearing prescription glasses or have just gotten your very first pair of glasses, you are hopefully experiencing clearer vision.
If you’ve visited our office, you should have a great set of frames for your very comfortable glasses. (If you don’t have comfortable frames – definitely come see us!).
If you are comfortable wearing your new glasses, there is no reason why you can’t just wear your glasses as much as you’d like to.
Many folks love their new, improved vision and find themselves increasing the amount of time that they wear their glasses. However, many times we hear that people are very concerned that they could wear their glasses too much and damage their eyesight. We’re going to look at this issue in-depth in this article.
The likely outcome – increased time wearing your glasses, but can you wear glasses all the time?
In the majority of cases wearing your glasses in an increasing amount will not harm your eyes. Whether it’s prescription glasses, or a specific set of lenses for corrective vision, wearing your glasses for more extended periods won’t hurt your vision.
Situations Where You Can’t Wear Glasses All The Time
There are certainly times when you will need to choose a different eyewear option.
One of the most obvious answers for a time to not wear glasses would be during sleep. While your glasses are not necessary for rest, you’ll also want to remove them to ensure that you don’t damage them while sleeping. We recommend cleaning your glasses as a regular practice either upon going to bed at night or upon waking up in the morning.
Another situation when you may not wear your regular glasses would be outdoor. Especially here in Oklahoma, our Summers are very bright. Combined with a flat geographic area and not a lot of trees, we have significant sun exposure. This especially true here in Tulsa. For outdoor wear or even for driving, you want to consider a pair of glasses that combine your prescription with a coating that blocks UV rays. You can always visit our shop for one on one assistance to find the right solution for your needs.
Why Not Wear Glasses All The Time?
There are many reasons why people don’t wear their glasses all the time. They may not like how your frames look, be self-conscious about how they look, or not feel comfortable wearing them.
Beyond the look and feel of your glasses, a lot of people are afraid that wearing glasses all the time can hurt their eyes and worsen their vision, increasing their dependency on eyeglasses or contacts.
What do people believe about wearing glasses all the time?
A recent study found that among several different people groups that the majority (over two-thirds surveyed) believed that wearing glasses all the time could significantly damage their eyesight. In addition to the belief that wearing glasses all the time would damage your vision, many people surveyed were self-conscious when it came to wearing glasses and believed that they would be mocked or made fun of.
Surprisingly, there have been very few trials conducted on the effect of wearing glasses continuously. From what we’ve seen, there is no clear evidence of negative impacts on adults when it comes to continually wearing glasses.
Why do people still think that wearing glasses all the time makes their eyesight worse?
We believe that the truth is that many people find themselves more and more dependent on their eyeglasses only because their glasses deteriorate after many years of use. The fact, in most cases, is that the glasses have worsened, not the eyes! We see this when folks visit us with a worn-out pair of glasses that have significantly deteriorated over the years. They served their purpose day in and day out for a long time, but they just aren’t cutting it anymore.
If you’re not convinced, you can always visit us or contact us to bring in your glasses for an inspection. We’ll get to the bottom of the issue for you.
Getting a new set of frames can be a bit daunting, but with the right fit and the right look, you can significantly improve your quality of vision. That’s why we love helping families and individuals find the winning combination for their eyewear.
We carry the very best styles and brands to make sure you find a pair of glasses that fit your face perfectly and matches your unique look.
We’ve got names like HUGO Boss and Maui Jim as well as Vera Wang. No matter what your preference is – we’ll get you the perfect pair of glasses.
When it comes to reading glasses, often, people falsely correlate the pain they experience from straining their eyes when reading to the reading glasses they’re wearing.
Whenever you experience an inconvenience or discomfort with your eyes, it’s time to have a professional conversation about your eyewear.
The Exception: Children
Children are an exception. Wearing the wrong glasses or wearing glasses when they are not needed is not OK. Forcing the wrong glasses or unnecessary glasses on a child can have a significant negative impact on a child.
If your child needs glasses, though, please act quickly. The benefits are very evident for children when it comes to eyesight. They need clear vision to make sure that they can have full educational benefits in school. Beyond that, the quality of their life can be significantly improved as well. Glasses have been well documented to improve reading speeds and thus considerably improve learning for children.
Disclaimer: All content within this article is provided for general information and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional.
