Should I wear my glasses all the time?
Getting new prescription glasses is exciting. Your vision is clearer, and your eye strain is relieved. But you might begin wondering “how often should I wear my glasses?” Sometimes it’s simple to figure this out – if you have reading glasses then you just wear them while doing up-close work. Other times, it can be a bit more confusing, especially if you are wondering if you should wear your distance glasses all the time or just for looking far away.
Your prescription type and vision needs affect how often you need to wear your glasses. Some people need to wear their glasses all the time, and others only need to wear their glasses for specific tasks. We will discuss different types of glasses prescriptions, and how long you should be wearing them for.
To decide how often you should wear your glasses, it is important to understand what your glasses are designed for. Glasses can be prescribed for many different purposes. Some are designed to correct refractive errors, while others are designed to help with vision problems.
A refractive error is when your eye shape causes light to focus incorrectly on your retina (the back layer of your eye). This causes blurry vision. Refractive errors include:
- Myopia (near-sighted) – When the eye is too long in length, light focuses in front of the retina. This causes blurred distance vision, but near vision remains clear.
- Hyperopia (far-sighted) – If the eye is too short in length, light focuses behind the retina. Low levels of hyperopia affect near vision, while high levels of hyperopia affect both near and distance vision.
- Astigmatism – When the cornea (front surface of the eye) is not perfectly round, it causes light to hit the retina unevenly. This is called astigmatism, which causes blurry and distorted vision. Astigmatism is most noticeable in the distance, but it can also affect near vision.
- Presbyopia – As we get older, our focusing ability weakens. This means that nearby objects become more difficult to focus. To correct presbyopia,multifocal glasses are required. Multifocal glasses will provide the extra magnification that you need to focus on up-close objects while correcting for distance as well.
Glasses can also correct vision problems. Binocular vision problems affect how your eyes work together. Common binocular vision problems include problems with convergence and divergence. Convergence is when your eyes come together when looking at up-close objects. Divergence is when your eyes move outwards when looking far away. If your eyes struggle to converge or diverge, then your optometrist may prescribe glasses for this.
But do you need to wear your glasses all the time? This depends on how strong your prescription is. If your prescription is very minimal, then glasses may just be recommended to prevent eye strain. However, if you have a higher prescription then you may be required to wear your glasses more often. Many people who wear distance glasses find that it’s easier to wear their glasses all the time. This is because the correction in their glasses also helps to make their near vision clearer.
Is It Bad to Wear Glasses All the Time?
Many people believe that wearing your glasses all the time will make your vision worse – but this is not true at all! Wearing glasses all the time will not worsen your vision or make you dependent on the lenses. Instead, wearing your glasses will give you clearer vision and reduce your eye strain.
When Shouldn’t I Wear My Glasses Full Time?
While it’s great to wear your glasses as much as possible for their designed purpose, there are some instances where you shouldn’t wear your glasses.
For example, you should not wear your glasses while you sleep. When you’re asleep, you don’t need vision correction. Wearing glasses in your sleep will be uncomfortable and will put your glasses at risk of becoming bent and damaged. It’s best to remove your glasses before bed and put them back on when you wake up.
Why Not Wear Glasses All the Time?
Sometimes it’s best not to wear your glasses all the time. If your glasses are not designed to be worn all the time, then you may feel some discomfort and eye strain. For example, if you wear your reading glasses all the time, then your distance vision will look blurry. Your eyes will try and focus your vision, which will cause them to become strained and tired.
If you have reading glasses but prefer to wear your glasses all the time, then you should consider getting bifocal or progressive lenses. These have a reading zone in the bottom of the lens, and a distance zone in the top of the lens. Progressive lenses also have an intermediate zone in the middle of the lens. Multifocal glasses allow you to wear your glasses for everything while still giving you clear, comfortable vision. This is also a great option if you require glasses for both distance and near vision such as patients with presbyopia
How Long Do I Have to Wear My Glasses?
How often you wear your glasses depends on your lifestyle and vision needs. It is important to understand what your glasses are designed to do for your vision. Wearing your glasses correctly will give you the clearest possible vision and reduce eye strain.
If you have a low prescription or if your glasses are only for up-close, then it’s okay to not wear your glasses all the time. If you wear distance glasses that you need to drive and walk around, then you should wear your glasses all the time.
It isn’t bad to wear your glasses all the time, if you understand what your glasses are designed for and are comfortable with your vision. It is also okay to not wear your glasses all the time. If you feel eye strain or blurry vision, then you should reconsider this or get your eyes tested.
You should contact your optometrist or eye health professional if you have any questions about your glasses. This includes what they are designed for and how often you should be wearing them. Your optometrist will explain the purpose of your glasses and how to get the best possible vision from them.
