Do Glasses Make Your Eyes Worse?

There’s long been a rumor that wearing glasses forces your eyes to become dependent on them. Over time, as your vision changes, your eyes seem to get worse and worse whenever you’re not wearing glasses.

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But is it the glasses themselves that are worsening your vision? Or are your vision changes happening because of other factors?

Optometrist Heather Cimino, OD, explains what’s really going on behind the lens, including why it’s normal to expect changes to your eyeglass prescription over time.

Can glasses make your vision worse?

Glasses don’t make your eyes worse. Instead, they improve your vision by changing the way light hits your eyes. As a result, wearing glasses can help correct issues related to:

Why do prescriptions change over time?

Your eyeglass prescription may change because your eyes and your vision naturally change as you age.

“Our ability to focus peaks in early adulthood, and it gets a little bit worse each year until your late 30s or early-to-mid 40s. That’s when many people need help reading,” explains Dr. Cimino.

Most of your eye growth happens in childhood and adolescence, which is why eye doctors recommend frequent eye exams for kids.

But as you get older, your vision continues to change, even as the shape of your eye remains the same. The lens of your eye becomes less flexible, you produce fewer tears and your perception of the world around you evolves. This can eventually cause other changes to your eyesight, like:

“There may not be a change in the size or shape of your eye, but there could be internal factors that are changing your vision,” says Dr. Cimino.

Whether you’ve worn glasses for a long time or you don’t wear glasses at all, your vision will continue to change as you age. And as those natural changes occur, you may need stronger or different eyeglass prescriptions to see clearly.

Is wearing an outdated/wrong prescription bad for your eyes?

Wearing the wrong glasses may temporarily impair your vision and cause other symptoms, like:

Eye strain
Headaches
Blurry or distorted vision
Dizziness

If you’ve ever experienced these issues with an updated prescription, that’s normal, too. You can expect a short adjustment period where your vision might feel “off.” But in most cases, you’ll get used to your new glasses within a week or two.

If your symptoms worsen or persist, or if your vision doesn’t improve, circle back with your eye doctor. They can check whether your prescription is right and if your glasses were made correctly.

“We want you to be able to read things up close, to not mix up your numbers and, of course, to be safe to drive,” relates Dr. Cimino. “So, don’t force yourself to wear glasses if they’re causing you problems. Let’s make sure we know what’s going on so we can correct it.”

Why does it feel like your vision is worse when you’re not wearing glasses?

When you take off your glasses, your vision may seem worse than ever. But it’s not. It’s just that your brain has learned to see things clearly through corrective glasses. Without them, you’re left to deal with uncorrected errors that get in the way of your vision.

In other words, wearing glasses won’t make your eyesight worse. But it can definitely seem that way — and that’s because you’re so used to seeing well with glasses on!

“You really don’t become dependent on glasses. But when you start wearing them, your brain realizes how you’re supposed to see and how things are supposed to look,” explains Dr. Cimino. “As you go through life and you take your glasses off and try to go back to where you were before that, the brain goes, ‘No, I don’t like that as much. It’s not great.’”

If you’re concerned about eye health and vision loss, make an appointment with an eye specialist. They’ll help determine if eyeglasses or contacts are right for you.

There are other things you can do to support your eye health, too:

Limit continuous screen time and take breaks every 20 minutes.
Use blue light-filtering glasses.
Wear the correct prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Follow a healthy, well-rounded diet.
Seek prompt medical attention for any sudden changes in vision or eye health.

“Wearing glasses doesn’t make your eyes weaker,” reiterates Dr. Cimino. “Your eyes are already headed in that direction anyway, thanks to age. Glasses are one of our best tools to help you see more clearly.”