The Student Room Group

Glasses

Calling any budding optometrists/opticians.

I have glasses of strength -2 and -1.75 (I think). I despise wearing them, and I'm not allowed contacts. I can get by without them (except at college) but its blurry. I want to be in the police force, so I need reasonable eyesight, but I don't want them to get worse. If I don't wear my glasses as much, will my eyesight stop deteriorating as much because my eyes are not so dependent on them?

:confused:

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Reply 1
No. Most people's eyesight changes during puberty as they're growing, and then stabilises, so most likely yours won't get much worse. Not wearing glasses will not help and might actually strain them as you'll have to squint at stuff that's far away. And of course, you'll HAVE to wear them for driving.
Reply 2
Glasses look sophisticated and debonair anyway..
Reply 3
Helenia
, so most likely yours won't get much worse.

Phew.
Reply 4
riccardo
Glasses look sophisticated and debonair anyway..

Except mine. :rolleyes: Although I suppose I'm lucky that I don't have the NHS glasses... :smile:
Reply 5
I have exactly the same problem as you. I ended up not wearing my glasses, and never being able to see the board, but I've learned to write in shorthand as the teacher talks. So... its possible.

My eyesight has continued deteriorating (I'm 17) but I was told that it *probably* wasn't accelerated due to not wearing the glasses. If you hate them that much, then don't wear them when it isn't necessary... just slip them on when you need to see the board.
Reply 6
Yeah, that's what I used to do - just wear them for when I need to see. But now I have funky glasses it's much less hassle just to wear them all day, or wear contacts (though I can't wear these all the time)
Reply 7
you can always have an operation to fix your eyesight
it may be a little expensive but if you do it in jordan its cheaper, i know alot of people who've done it and dont wear glasses anymore and have really good eyesight
In Jordan? Cripes, even I wouldn't travel all the way to Jordan to correct my eyesight, even though I do look like a bit of a wally in glasses.

But yes, laser eye surgery is an option. Although there are some slight risks. I don't actually know anyone who has had the procedure so I don't know much about it.. hmmm.
Reply 9
spangletastic
In Jordan? Cripes, even I wouldn't travel all the way to Jordan to correct my eyesight, even though I do look like a bit of a wally in glasses.

But yes, laser eye surgery is an option. Although there are some slight risks. I don't actually know anyone who has had the procedure so I don't know much about it.. hmmm.

loads of people travel to jordan to do it, my aunt did it, my dads colleague whose german did it. my dad was gonan do it but was told he didnt need to.
the only risk is exposing your eyes to direct sunlight after a certain period of time after the operatio, its not that much time, think 24 hrs or a bit more.
Reply 10
i wear glasses and i'm 17.
when i take them off now..i look really weird.
i say big up the glasses wearers!!!
Helen_w
Although I suppose I'm lucky that I don't have the NHS glasses... :smile:


Nothing wrong with good old NHS glasses! :p:
Reply 12
I'm not going near laser eye surgery until there is some more long-term evidence that there aren't harmful long-term consequences.
Reply 13
Helenia
I'm not going near laser eye surgery until there is some more long-term evidence that there aren't harmful long-term consequences.

:dito: My eyes are just too precious to take a risk.

My eyesight is so bad though :frown: Like -5 on one eye!!!
Reply 14
i've got a prescriptoon of -2 and -1.75 as well and i got contact lenses 4 weeks ago. why won't they let you have them? they have changed my life a lot, because before i had to wear them at school for seeing the board, and then i hated not being able to see things when i go out, like not being able to find my friends because i can't see them in a club or whatever. but yeah now i just put my contacts in and my vision is good. i don't know why i didn't do it sooner. almost anyone can wear them nowadays, ask your optician why you can't have them. i hated my glasses.
Reply 15
I got the same prescription too. Why don't you want to wear your glasses that much? I don't mind them so much but from my experience I think it's a turn off for certain girls and many people think they are totally "uncool". They make you look sophisticated but that can be damaging for your social life.
wooot. glasses.
I never hated wearing glasses as such, but I just got contacts this month and I'm never going back!

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to have them cos I have astigmatism (irregular curvature of the eye) but luckily almost anyone can wear them these days!

Also if touching your eyes is a problem, don't worry it is easily overcome with practice... :smile:

otherwise, I'd have to say wear your glasses and be proud of who you are - better than straining and putting yourself at risk, especially, as someone mentioned, if you are going to be driving.
Adhsur
:dito: My eyes are just too precious to take a risk.

My eyesight is so bad though :frown: Like -5 on one eye!!!

I'm -8 :p: ...wait...that's a bad thing :frown:

I used to hate mine, but I got some quite nice ones recently and to be honest I really can't be bothered to go through the hassle of contacts - I tried but I have a phobia about touching my eyes...:rollseyes:

It's weird though, people who wear glasses are stereotyped as being "bookworms" - I never thought there was any truth in it, but in fact in my experience virtually everyone with glasses I've met has been intelligent and big readers. Is it just coincidence, or is there some element of truth in the rumours e.g. that ancestrally it was reading that further strained eyesight :confused:
Reply 19
>Helen

I don`t understand why you can`t wear contacts, there should be a right one suitable for you.

I have really bad eye sight, -4.50 and -5.50, i wear glasses and contacts 24-7 so its like a part of me. I started having contacts when I was 15ish (18 now) and they are irritating me, because you have to keep buying lens solutions, they dry your eyes out and become uncomfortable, you have to clean it every night, become reluctant to stay over at friends caus you can`t sleep with them in.

I`d like to have laser eye surgery but apparantly, by cutting your cornea, it becomes very weak and the pressure inside the eye may get too high and burst your cornea. Basically, we`re unlucky to have crap eyesight, but gotta get over it until science improves.

Having said that, there are new products available such as lenses you wear in the evenings which change the shape of your cornea so that during the day you can see without any corrective lenses. And you can also get surgical permenant contact lenses, which should last a lifetime. Hopefully, they`ll become available for us one day.