All I know on this is that I was near sighted from the 3rd grade on. My vision steadily got worse when I was wearing glasses. When I switched to contacts, it stayed at the same level. Had to go without the contacts for a year and it got worse again. Finally got lasik and it’s been perfect for 10+ years. Anecdotal I know, but still...
Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
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Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#32Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#33There is a genetic component to myopia, i.e. two people can have similar closeup/distance/light exposure as children, yet only one develops myopia. If you are genetically (nature) susceptible to myopia, then lifestyle (nurture) plays a role in development and progression of myopia. Lifestyle factors include:
% of closeup vs distance vision
reducing uninterrupted closeup time
increasing viewing distance
light quality/intensity: >10K lux natural vs artificial
self-awareness of eye strain signals
outside distance vision (especially with motion)
sports with fast-moving objects, e.g. ping pong
use of full peripheral vision
Good vision depends on the visual cortex of the brain which processes signals from the physical eye. Software and hardware. There is a complex feedback loop between the brain's ability to correct small errors vs. eye muscles accomodating to change focus and direction. The most advanced work in this area is vision therapy for veterans with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).Neuroplasticity means that the brain/software can be upgraded with vision therapy. This is most effective with children where both the brain and eye are still developing, but it also works with adults. However, it is much more expensive than eyeglass correction and thus requires special insurance coverage for behavioral opthalmology. It may be covered by national healthcare.
https://aoa.org/patients-and-public/resources-for-teachers/a... says: "Reading requires the integration of a number of vision skills: visual acuity, visual fixation, accommodation, binocular fusion, convergence, field of vision, and form perception. The typical school eye chart test only evaluates distance visual acuity." This means a child can pass the "eye exam" (visual acuity) test and still have vision difficulty, causing an incorrect diagnosis of learning disability. Wendy Beth Rosen wrote the only book on this topic: https://www.wendybethrosen.com & https://youtube.com/watch?v=d-FvbUnxGKM.
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#34Everyone in my family said to me as a teen why aren't you wearing your glasses? You know your eyesight will get worse. Ten years later as a 27 year old I went to the opticians and they had got worse by .25 which my optician told me is so nelgigible that people drop by that in six months. I know this is hardly a scientific study but I do get suspicious sometimes the advice to wear glasses is coming from the opticians…
And, according to the studies referenced in the post, they were right -- and would have been more so if you were younger than a teen (ie. if you didn't wore then at 6-12 yo, you'd have worsened more).
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#35I am pretty near-sighted. I started practicing martial arts ten years ago. When I practice I don’t wear glasses. Several hours a week, where I would have worn glasses all the time previously. After a few years I noted that I felt I could see better without glasses than I used to. But my optician says otherwise. It feels like my brain ha gotten better/more comfortable (?) at interpreting what it sees, even if I don’t…
Neuroplasticity: http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/vision_therapy.htm
Undercorrection: https://gettingstronger.org/2016/03/faq-for-vision-improveme...
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#36All I know on this is that I was near sighted from the 3rd grade on. My vision steadily got worse when I was wearing glasses. When I switched to contacts, it stayed at the same level. Had to go without the contacts for a year and it got worse again. Finally got lasik and it’s been perfect for 10+ years. Anecdotal I know, but still...
My eyesight was perfect for 10+ years after Lasik as well. In the last two years...had to return to glasses :-(
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#37It's so surprising to me that people never consider their in experience and wondering. The first time wearing the correct prescription is amazingly clear. The first time taking them off makes vision much worse than before trying the glasses. Of course it's natural to question if the latter is 'being caused'. That of course is only a feeling or hypothesis, so the more results like this we have the better.
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#38Knew a co-worker who'd worn glasses her whole life said her eye sight got better after she turned 50. The optometrist told her the muscles around your eye weaken and don't squeeze your eyeball as well, thus changing the focal point.
Someone around that age at my workplace had a moment like that too, in fact he went from near sighted to far sighted and had to get new glasses.
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#39Knew a co-worker who'd worn glasses her whole life said her eye sight got better after she turned 50. The optometrist told her the muscles around your eye weaken and don't squeeze your eyeball as well, thus changing the focal point.
Re: Does wearing glasses weaken your eyesight? (2014)
#40Knew a co-worker who'd worn glasses her whole life said her eye sight got better after she turned 50. The optometrist told her the muscles around your eye weaken and don't squeeze your eyeball as well, thus changing the focal point.
Someone around that age at my workplace had a moment like that too, in fact he went from near sighted to far sighted and had to get new glasses.