Do Glasses make vision worse?

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   TruthDebaterposted 14 years ago

   Do or can glasses and contacts make vision worse than without? It seems like they would cause the eyes to become dependent on the glasses or contacts and then worsen. It this completely false? I had horrible vision on an eye exam in '97, but I can still read, drive, and see good enough, not great, and I have never worn glasses or contacts.

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      psycheskinnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I say a show that covered this beleif (spread by Scientologists, amongst others) and said research showed the reverse was true.  People with similar vision deficits declined faster if they did not wear glasses then if they did, due to eye strain.

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         TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks. If eye strain makes the vision worse, why does eye comfort with glasses make vision worse when taking them off?

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            IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I wonder about this too! I had perfect vision until my early 40s when I noticed that when reading the daily paper I had to hold it a certain distance from my eyes else the words blurred a bit. I went to an optician and he gave me a pair of +0.5 glasses which he said was the minimum. I only used them for reading but in the main didn't use them much. Then about 4 or 5 years later, I realised I could no longer read without glasses.
            Long story short, I got variofocals from my optician about 2 years ago, and since them my eyes have deteriorated to the point when I can't see without them. If someone wakes me by phoning me, I can't read their number until I have put my glasses on.
            I can no longer see not just a distant horizon, but things in front of me are a little out of focus even while wearing glasses.
            My eyes seem to be getting worse daily. I struggle to read - I need really good light and strong readng glasses to read by.
            This all inside 10 years. I don't have a 'condition' except for crooked arteries in the backs of my eyes. Have been told it is age related.
            I'd take up knitting, to go with the rocking chair I'm going to have to order, except I'd probably not be able to see what I'm doing! lol

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               TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Ha, thanks Izzy. Just be sure not to knit your fingers together! I'm jk. I hope your eyes start getting better, if they get worse, I will read to you as long as I can still see.

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               ptosisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah when I hit 40 - I though I was going to go blind - but it stopped at 1+ for me in the last decade. I don't believe glasses make your eyes worse and that it's just an old wives tale. You eyes just get worse - period.

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            psycheskinnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            You vision only seems worse because of the contrast.  When your visions is constantly bad you notice it less than when it is sometimes corrected and sometimes bad.

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               TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I accept this. But dependency or laziness to the eyes from glasses or contacts seems logical to factor in to some extent.

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      Mark Knowlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Nice that you feel comfortable driving and putting other people at risk by driving when you "see good enough, not great".
      
      How bad can you see? Do you drive an SUV just to be sure the other guy dies instead of you if your "not great" vision lets you down?

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      1. 52

         TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Ha, why the exaggeration all the time? Good as in, i've never cause an auto accident and I haven't had a ticket in the last 10 years. Also haven't ran over any animals or children, except for squirrels. Does this give you more comfort?

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            Mark Knowlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Not at all. I am glad you feel comfortable driving with "not great vision" and have "never cause an auto accident."
            
            Bet you have seen plenty though.........

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               TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I only have bad vision on eye exams. I see good when driving without straining. I have seen a bit.

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                  Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  But can you read a number plate unaided from 20 metres?  Because if not then you should not be driving at all.

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                  1. 52

                     TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     If I couldn't, compare me with a person twice my age with bifocals that is allowed to drive and see which one of us has more awareness while driving. Shouldn't awareness for license be tested as well?

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                        Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        That is a whole separate issue, and it is quite true that many eldery people are driving who probably shouldn't be. Yes, the reflexes are not as good when older. But to be able to drive safely then you have to be able to see clearly - just being able to see the cars is not enough.
                        
                        I cannot read number plates withou contact lenses, and I would not try to drive without them. Someone else said that your eyes seem worse because of the contrast when you take them out, and that is true.  Before you wear glasses/contact lenses, you do not realise how much more sharply other people can see. There is nothing wrong with wearing glasses etc. and rest assured, I have been wearing contacts day in day out for 17 years and my eyes haven't really changed in that time. (which I know, because I have checks every 6 months) My partner has worn contacts for 25 years, yet last year he actually had an improvement in his prescription.
                        
                        Of course, your prescription maybe totally different, we are both short sighted which means we cannot see in the distance well, yet I am typing this without wearing contacts right now. Only your optician can advise you, and btw, if you drive without being able to see the required distance then you will be held account for any accident that may occur and could end up in court for dangerous driving...and of course it could be worse.

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                           TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           So if you ran a redlight and T-boned me while I was trying to cross, but I didn't have my glasses, it would be my fault?

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                              Eleanor's Wordsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              Deleted
                              1. 52

                                 TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                 That is a serious question. Is this how you always greet people? I have serious concerns that it will make my vision worse. I have read the comments without blurriness. I don't think the test is accurate for determining driving ability.

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      jennshealthstoreposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I am not sure about prescription glasses. But I do know that those non-prescription reading glasses can make your vision worse. I think it has to do with choosing the wrong strength. They can put a lot of strain on your eyes. I would imagine if you go to an eye doctor, they know exactly what you need, so your eyes will not have to strain.

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      camloposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well, I started to become near sighted at the age of 15.
      Being as vain as I am, and because an optician told me my eyes would become dependent and subsequently worsen, I refused to wear glasses. It was only when I started to lose friends (snubbing people on the street etc., because I couldn't see who they were), I bought hard contact lenses with a strength of -4.5. Hard lenses are said to prevent the sight from further deteriorating ... nowadays I wear comfortable soft lenses with a strength of -6.5.
      So, not wearing glasses was of no help, just as hard lenses weren't.
      BTW, driving a vehicle is a tremendous responsibility, and you have to be able to see perfectly.

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      pylos26posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I’m wondering what the dickens one would get an eye exam for if one has no intent of using the prescription. what is the point?

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         TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I couldn't see the doctors office and went to the wrong doctor and got the wrong exam!

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            pylos26posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            First Truthdebater wrote:
            
            “ I can still read, drive, and see good enough, not great, and I have never worn glasses or contacts.”
            
            Then Truthdebater wrote:
            
            “ I couldn't see the doctors office and went to the wrong doctor and got the wrong exam!”
            
            
            I don’t know much Truthbebater…but…I feel like something is wrong here.

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               TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I can see these tiny words, but can't see a person or a car? Come on. Ha
               I feel like people are trying to sell me into getting glasses.

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      Austenjaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think glasses/contacts correct the problem but they never fix the problem. I learned that there are possibilities to gain your normal eyesight back but it would depend on the axial length of your eyes.
      Have you ever heard of the Bates Method? I can't really tell how true it is as I have never experienced its effects on my eyesight (because I've 20/20 vision, Thank God). But I've heard so many testimonies on youtube regarding the effects of the method. They're all natural and easy to perform so I guess it's worth the shot.

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         Austenjaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hey, I found this site, I've told you about the Bates method: http://perfecteyesightcenter.com/the-ba … t-glasses/
         
         Well I hope this helps, TruthDebater. You could check more info on google or you can even search youtube videos. There are videos there like Nathan Oxenfeld's channel. He's gonna perform those methods for you to follow. Anyway, Good luck if you're gonna go with it.

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   akirchnerposted 14 years ago

   I think that all depends - in my son's case, he has a severe nystagmus (his eye flutters left to right constantly because of a hole in his pupil, parts of his eye, etc).  So if he is refracted and wears glasses, looking through the refraction helps him temporarily yet over the course of hours, that extra focusing tires his eye and decreases his vision.
   
   It is said as well that by wearing glasses, you 'teach your eyes to be lazier' meaning that they have a harder time focusing on the same material once you take them off. 
   
   But the argument also stands that without glasses, headaches, eye strain and fatigue are huge factors - I prefer to wear the blasted glasses!

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      TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent information, Thank You.

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   classicalgeekposted 14 years ago

   In the Middle Ages, glasses were considered to be temporary, to retrain the eyes to focus properly. From the medieval scientific studies I have read, the doctor would prepare a set of spectacles that was opposite to the correction needed; that would retrain the eyes towards their proper focus (because having to correct twice as far would bring the focus back to the middle).

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      psycheskinnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Of course in those times they also drained people of blood to balance their humors, often killing them in the process.

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   pylos26posted 14 years ago

   haha...cool.

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   wychicposted 14 years ago

   It seems like in this case it would depend on why you have bad eyesight to start with. If you have bad eyesight because of lazy eye muscles then yes, wearing glasses could definitely make it worse by not making those eye muscles do the work to come back into focus, especially if the lenses are stronger than needed. However, most age-related eyesight loss and a lot of other eyesight loss has nothing to do with the eye muscles, and wearing glasses or soft contacts will not affect the shape of the eye or the placement of the lens. I have heard of cases where hard contacts have caused some minimal re-shaping, but it's on the corneal surface which is not generally responsible for eyesight loss anyway unless you've recently had eye surgery. In my own experience...when I was little I had to do eye exercises to fix a lazy eye, which it did, and have had to wear glasses since age four due to severe myopia. I've now been wearing glasses for 20 years (alternating with soft contacts for the last 10) and since I stopped growing so my eyes stopped reshaping my prescription hasn't moved, and despite wearing corrective lenses my lazy eye has never returned.
   
   On the other side of the issue...my husband had perfect eyesight until about 40, when age-related eyesight loss kicked in. It took him about a year or so before his eyes settled at needing a 1.5 diopter correction, and they've stayed there since...almost 10 years...and he uses his glasses daily for close-up reading and for surgery.

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6. 0

   Kathryn LJposted 14 years ago

   The manufacturers of glasses have conspired with product wrapper manufactures, who produce instructions in a print so tiny that you practically need a micro-scope to read them.  Either that or since I hit the big 4 0, my eyesight has started to deteriorate.  Either way, I can't shop or sign anything for that matter, without a pair of the hated bins.  As I approach my 50th, I am gradually becoming like a tiny female version of Mr Magoo.

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      Home Girlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Do glasses make your vision worse? They do and they don't. Let me explain. I had miopia since 3rd grade. Slowly, minus1,5, minus 2, minus3,5. I would come to the doctor and he would prescribe stronger glasses, then stronger again, then again. When it hit -5. I started to think. It was like my body did not want me to see 100%! As soon as I get new 20/20 vision glasses, my sight deteriorates and in 3-6 months I do not see perfect any more. I loose some vision, get new glasses and loose more. I stopped wearing glasses all the time. Only when I needed,  I would put them on, like when I watch move, or have to meet somebody, etc. I always had them in my pocket but not on my nose. I stopped loosing my eyesight. Then I got married and later when I gave birth to my first son I had to wear them permanently, because I could not afford not to see everything about my baby boy, it would be too reckless. Sure enough my eyesight statred to deteriorate! To make long story shorter, now I have two pairs of glasses. One is -5, that I wear permanently, and another I am supposed to see 20/20 in, I have it in my drawer, I used to wear it when I was driving, because I did not want to kill somebody, just because I did not see "it" coming. What I learned about vision:
      Yes, glasses are a crutch! If you do not have a leg, you need it, but if you do - train your leg to be stronger. You can do the same with glasses, but there is one but. Yes, you can train your eyes to see better, may be not 100% but better. I tried it(exercises for your eyes), they work, your eye vision improves, but the problem is you cannot drop your crutch, you need it. And as soon as you put it on you  body "remembers" - it is easer that way and you loose you gained vision pretty fast! That my problem. I cannot afford not to wear my watercloset lids on my nose. I have to work, I am not driving now, but I cannot miss the bus!
      That's my story, believe it or not.

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         TruthDebaterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I appreciate the hub. It was very interesting and informative. I would have voted it up! Thank You.

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7. 0

   Uma07posted 14 years ago

   I always felt straining your eyes deteriorated your vision.Glass do help but now you have these lasik and zyoptix laser treatments which are a permanent cure and get u rid of glasses but very expensive.
   P.S. Opticians say these treatments are lifetime investments:)

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      wychicposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Luckily, the price is coming down . In the nearest quality eye treatment center, my 7 diopter corrective surgery with LASIK will be about $3,800, including lifetime eye exams and "tune-up" surgeries. This does seem like a lot just looking at it, but we figured out that with the money not spent in contacts, glasses, lens solution, etc. it will pay itself back in 8 years. I have about 20 years or so before age-related eyesight loss kicks in, and that would also prevent me from having to get expensive bifocals or multifocals when age-related does kick in. The only problem is that some people can't get it due to thin corneas, eye disorders or family history of disorders, etc., and some people just aren't that concerned about being able to see out of their own eyes. Me, I've never been able to see further than the end of my own arm without correction (now I can't even see that far), so surgery is a definite plan for my future .

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   timorousposted 14 years ago

   You all may be interested in reading the findings of an opthamologist from the early 20th century.  His name is Dr. Wm. H. Bates.  He did extensive scientific studies on human subjects and animals (remember this was like 1910).
   
   Here's just one of many sites on the subject.  The Bates Method
   
   He found that poor vision of all kinds is caused by strain in the eye muscles.  It is generally a result of staring, stress, and not blinking every couple of seconds (your eyes knew how to do this automatically when you were small).  Once the strain is removed, vision always returned to normal, or at least improved.  This is the difficult part...removing the stress and strain.  But it can be done.  You just need to allow your eye muscles to do what they were meant to do, and not rely on glasses so much.
   
   Because computer screens are nowhere near as sharp as the printed word, our eyes have to work harder to resolve the fine detail.  I believe this is one of the leading causes of poor vision...unfortunately.  I could see perfectly well until I started using a computer.  Within 3 years I needed glasses to read and work at the computer. 
   
   You may also be interested in a book which details the Bates Method.  It is very interesting indeed.  It's called "Relearning to See" by Thomas Quackenbush. 
   
   Prepare to be shocked at Dr. Bates' findings.  They fly in the face of what is the generally held theory of vision.  Yet, The Bates Method just makes too much sense to be dismissed out of hand.  You decide.

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   erorantesposted 9 years ago

   I asked  a few people about the eyes and glasses. I wear eyeglasses for reading only. I when to see the eye Doctor. The eye gets better with the eyeglasses.  Also, the eyeglasses control the vision of getting bad or worse. The eyeglasses make it easier to see, so you are not making your eye extra work to see. It is better to be under the care of a Doctor.The eye exam is only 49.99 at the mall's eye clinics. Good luck with your eyes.

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