The Student Room Group

How do you tell if you need to wear glasses

I have a prescription of -1.25 in both eyes which people have said is nothing.
However I became short sighted about 2 years ago and I hadn't been wearing my glasses and using the computer a lot. I felt fine until about May. Since then Ive been getting what I think is severe eyestrain, sore eyes strange headaches, dry eyes head pressure a kind of dizziness.
When I wear my glasses for a day the symptoms improve loads.
So do you think its best for me to wear my glasses all the time
1 optician said yes another said no :C
Reply 1
why dont you go to your opticians, tell them whats happening, see if theyl give you glasses
If you're getting headaches and sore eyes then clearly something is wrong, if glasses help it why not wear them?
Just wear them whenever you get a headache/you find yourself straining to see something. If you're only slightly short sighted you shouldn't really be wearing them all the time. (at least that's what my optician said)
Reply 4
It depends what you're doing.


You could probably get away with glasses only every now and then. ie, wear them when at the computer, when driving, reading late at night, etc...

But, if you're just sat at home watching tv, there's probably not much need to, same with going out on a night.

Obviously, if you're in pain, wear them.
Your eyes will only get worse the more you don't wear your glasses.

I'm -1.75 and -2.10, which isn't terrible, but I wear my glasses all the time because I look better with glasses on, but in 3-4 years of wearing my glasses constantly my eyesight hasn't worsened at all. (Since you're short-sighted, reading and using the computer should be fine. Try turning down the brightness of your comp.)

Just wear them. If you don't like how you look with them, wear contacts. Unless you want headaches...
Reply 6
DisgruntledMoth
Your eyes will only get worse the more you don't wear your glasses.

I'm -1.75 and -2.10, which isn't terrible, but I wear my glasses all the time because I look better with glasses on, but in 3-4 years of wearing my glasses constantly my eyesight hasn't worsened at all. (Since you're short-sighted, reading and using the computer should be fine. Try turning down the brightness of your comp.)

Just wear them. If you don't like how you look with them, wear contacts. Unless you want headaches...

my opticions said it doesnt get worse if you dont put glasses on
I had -1 on both eyes when i started wearing my glasses all the time - its definitely not a prob!
Reply 8
Thanks for your replies
So they definitely won't worsen by wearing glasses all the time
Reply 9
Brightstar
I have a prescription of -1.25 in both eyes which people have said is nothing.
However I became short sighted about 2 years ago and I hadn't been wearing my glasses and using the computer a lot. I felt fine until about May. Since then Ive been getting what I think is severe eyestrain, sore eyes strange headaches, dry eyes head pressure a kind of dizziness.
When I wear my glasses for a day the symptoms improve loads.
So do you think its best for me to wear my glasses all the time
1 optician said yes another said no :C


same, 2 years i'm -1.25 in both eyes, got my glasses like last year from headaches and bad vision when it comes to driving. other than that, i can see everything fine.

first time i wore the glasses, i got a headache, i suppose my eyes was getting adjusted to them. Apparently wearing glasses improves your eye vision but makes them lazy than not wearing them when necessary.

Need those long term geg users out there to confirm that for me :smile:
prash_s90
my opticions said it doesnt get worse if you dont put glasses on


Well just from experience, my eyesight became increasingly bad the longer I didn't wear them. He's probably right.
Reply 11
Wear the glasses. Seeing as your eyestrain has only appeared now, it might be worth another eye test.
I just had my eyes tested and my eyesight is now horrendous, something like -3.0, -3.25 :frown:
Thank god for contacts.
Reply 12
prash_s90
my opticions said it doesnt get worse if you dont put glasses on


probably true, but same thing for the opposite. wearing too much if not needed, surely worsen the vision? i dont wear my glasses when its not needed and my vision is improving slightly as months go by.
Reply 13
Sorry I didn't explain it properly 2 years ago I had an eye test and I was -0.75 and -1
Then 2 months ago after having all these symptoms i had another test and got a prescription of -1.25 in both eyes
and i still ahdnt been wearing my glasses hardly at all and the symtpoms have got worse
but Ill wear them al the time
I have glasses for reading as I'm long sighted and a slightly lazy eye causes headaches through strain. I've gotten to the point when I'll forget to take off my glasses for watching TV and stuff. My brother apparently used to keep his glasses on all the time and his eye sight got worse. I think it's a case of being dependant on your glasses which my boyfriend always warns me about.

When I first got my glasses I wouldn't wear them all too often but then I started to wear them every time I read or went on the computer. Now it's really uncomfortable to read without them as I am so used to their help.
Reply 15
CheesyBeans
I have glasses for reading as I'm long sighted and a slightly lazy eye causes headaches through strain. I've gotten to the point when I'll forget to take off my glasses for watching TV and stuff. My brother apparently used to keep his glasses on all the time and his eye sight got worse. I think it's a case of being dependant on your glasses which my boyfriend always warns me about.

When I first got my glasses I wouldn't wear them all too often but then I started to wear them every time I read or went on the computer. Now it's really uncomfortable to read without them as I am so used to their help.



Rather then becoming dependent on the glasses, it's probably more a case of you aren't squinting/straining your eyes anymore. About 2 years back I went to the opticians, at the time I was only wearing glasses for seeing the board at school e.t.c. The optician was like "wtf you should be wearing glasses all the time!"

I got my glasses and after a few weeks of wearing them constantly I couldn't bare to be without glasses; everything seemed worse! I had another eye test as I was getting contacts, and my prescription was actually the same as it was before. In other words my eyesight wasn't made worse by the glasses, the glasses just made me realise how much I'd been straining my eyes and how ****** my eyesight actually was!
I wish my optician said "wtf"
Reply 17
If not wearing glasses at any time causes any discomfort to you and wearing glasses rectifies it. Then you should be wearing glasses all the time.
Reply 18
My teacher realised I could not see the board properly and sent a letter to my parents. My mother said that it was not the end of the world and she would get her eyes tested at the same time because she thought she might need reading glasses.

As it happened I did not have to start wearing my glasses all the time until a few years later but my mother was told she should start to wear bifocals all the time.

So, a week later we went to collect our glasses. I was able to keep mine in my bag until I needed them to see the board at school on Monday but my mother felt very embarrassed about meeting her friends and neighbours on the way home wearing bifocals! My mother kept saying I'm only 38 I didn't think I was going to have wear bifocals!
(edited 11 years ago)