“Do I need to wear my glasses all the time?” Its a very common question patients have.

The answer to “Do I need to wear glasses all the time?” really depends on your vision needs, prescription strength, and lifestyle. Some people do need to wear their glasses all the time and some do not. Let’s take a look.

Do I Need To Wear My Glasses All The Time? YES!

There are four different reasons why some patients should really opt to wear their eyeglasses full time.

Children Being Treated For Amblyopia

Amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye,” is a vision development disorder that typically begins during infancy and early childhood. In amblyopia, the brain does not fully process the images seen by the amblyopic eye. Amblyopia is a leading cause of decreased vision in children. However when effectively treated at a young age, many patients are able to correct vision problems from it.

Children being treated for amblyopia are often prescribed glasses and instructed to wear them full time for several reasons:

• Correction of Refractive Errors: Amblyopia often occurs when there is a significant difference in the refractive errors (like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) between the two eyes. Glasses help correct these errors, providing a clear and focused image to the brain. This correction is essential for the proper development of vision.
• Promotion of Normal Visual Development: For vision to develop correctly, the brain needs to receive clear, focused images from both eyes. Wearing glasses continuously ensures that the amblyopic eye receives high-quality visual input, which is crucial for the normal development of vision.
• Encouraging Use of the Amblyopic Eye: In cases of amblyopia, the brain tends to favor the stronger eye, ignoring signals from the weaker one. Corrective glasses help balance the visual input from both eyes, encouraging the use of the amblyopic eye.
• Treatment Efficacy: Continuous wear of glasses is often a part of the treatment plan for amblyopia, which may include other therapies such as patching the stronger eye or vision exercises. Consistent use of glasses ensures that these other treatments are effective, as they rely on the correct visual input to the amblyopic eye.
• Prevention of Further Vision Loss: Consistent wear of prescribed glasses helps prevent the amblyopic eye from deteriorating further. If glasses are not worn as directed, the vision in the amblyopic eye could worsen.
• Habit Formation: Especially for young children, wearing glasses all the time helps establish a habit. Consistency is key in ensuring that the glasses become a natural part of their daily routine.

Patients With Only One Good Eye

There are many patients who only have one good eye. This may be because they had amblyopia in one eye as a child that never was treated or because they have eye disease on one eye. Eye doctors often refer to these patients as monocular. Mono stands for one and ocular refers to the eye.

In monocular patients, it is very important to protect the good eye. Protecting the good eye means having a pair of glasses on all the time. The right glasses are ones that are shatterproof. You can ask your eye doctor or your optician during your comprehensive eye exam for recommendations on which material is a good option for you. There are many different types of lenses out there and not all of them are shatterproof.

Having shatterproof lenses is a good idea in order to protect the eye. If something were to fly into the eye, its less likely for it to damage the eye in a glasses wearer than in someone who is not wearing glasses. The glasses serve as a physical barrier to protect the eye. 

Some monocular patients do not need vision correction in their good eye. Even if your good eye is not experience blurry vision, its important for anyone who is monocular to wear glasses for protection. You don’t need to have prescription glasses, just lenses that are shatterproof. 

Patients Who Have Double Vision Treated With Glasses

Some patients have double vision and in some cases it is treated by using prescription eyeglasses that have prism. Having a prism in eyeglasses refers to a special type of lens correction used to treat issues with how the eyes work together. 

Unlike standard lenses that just correct for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, prisms are used to align images properly so that both eyes can focus on the same point to avoid having double vision. If a patient removes the glasses, they will experience double vision. In this case, its a good idea to wear the glasses all the time.

It is important to remember that not all double vision is easily treated with glasses. Sometimes double vision can represent a serious medical condition so its important to have an eye examination to be sure that your eye and brain are healthy.

People Who Drive A Lot

Many patients need glasses or contacts for driving. In most states, the acceptable driving vision is typically around 20/40. If you are someone who can not distant objects without your glasses, then it’s very important that you wear your glasses all the time when driving.

In fact in many parts of the country, driver’s licenses indicate whether the individual requires glasses or corrective lenses for driving. This requirement is noted on the license to ensure road safety, both for the driver and for others. 

Here’s how it typically works:

1. Vision Test During Licensing: When a person applies for a driver’s license or renews it, they often undergo a vision test. This test assesses visual acuity and sometimes peripheral vision.
2. Requirement Notation: If the vision test shows that the person needs corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses) to meet the minimum vision standards for driving, this requirement is usually noted on their driver’s license. The specific notation can vary by region but often includes a code or a statement like “Corrective Lenses.”
3. Legal Obligation: Having this requirement on a driver’s license legally obligates the individual to wear their corrective lenses while driving. Failing to do so can lead to legal consequences, such as fines or points on their driving record.
4. Safety Reasons: The primary reason for this requirement is safety. Corrective lenses ensure that the driver has adequate visual acuity to see road signs, signals, other vehicles, and pedestrians, thereby reducing the risk of accidents.
5. Changes in Vision: If an individual’s vision changes and they no longer require corrective lenses, or if their vision worsens and they now require them, they are typically required to inform the licensing authority. Their driver’s license will be updated accordingly.

If you aren’t driving, then it’s okay to take your glasses off as long as you have a low prescription and can see fairly well without them. If you aren’t sure, check with your eye doctor.

People Who Operate Machinery

Similar to those patients who drive, anyone who operates machinery should also strongly consider wearing their eye glasses full time at work. This will help to prevent any job related errors and protect both the patient and anyone they are around.

Additionally, eyeglasses can serve as a form of protection for the eyes. In these cases, its important to wear protective eyewear. Even if it is not prescription, having protective eyewear on all the time is important for the safety of your eyes.

Similar to above, if you aren’t operating the machinery and are at home, then it’s fine to take your glasses off.

Do I Need To Wear My Glasses All The Time? Probably Not…

You may fall into the category of patients who really don’t need to wear their glasses all the time. Let’s take a look at who this applies to.

People Who Need ONLY Reading Glasses

Presbyopia is a normal part of aging that affects our eyes, usually noticeable after the age of 40. Think of it like this: as we get older, the lens inside our eye, which works a bit like a camera lens to focus on things at different distances, becomes less flexible. This flexibility is important because it allows the lens to change shape and focus on things that are close up, like when reading a book or looking at a phone.

When we’re young, the lens is really flexible and can easily switch focus between far away and close up. But as we age, it gets harder and stiffer. So, when we try to look at something close, the lens can’t change its shape as well as it used to. This makes it harder to see things up close.

People with presbyopia often find themselves needing to hold books, phones, or menus farther away to see them clearly. They might also get headaches or feel tired from doing close-up work. A common solution is to use reading glasses or other types of corrective lenses that help focus on close objects. Some people who already wear glasses for distance vision might need bifocals or progressive lenses, which have different strengths for seeing far away and up close.

Patients With A Low Myopic (Minus) Prescription

The amount of myopia someone has determines how far they can see at a distance. The more negative your prescription is, the less your eye can see at a distance. For example, someone with a -1.00 prescription can see much more than someone with a -5.00 prescription (without their glasses on). 

Some patients have very low minus prescriptions. These include patients with a prescription of -0.25 or -0.5. For these patients, they may only need their glasses when they drive or need to see a TV screen that is far away. They do not need their glasses in their daily life to function most of the day. 

These patients only need to wear their glasses when doing things like driving. The caveat to this is, if you are someone who experiences digital eye strain when not wearing your glasses, then it’s best to wear them. Even if your prescription is very low, if it is causing you negative symptoms, its best to just leave your glasses or contact lenses on. 

Patients With A Mild Astigmatism Prescription

Similar to patients with a low myopic prescription, if you have a mild astigmatic prescription, you may not need your glasses all the time to see. This is very individual and depends on how high your prescription is. 

Will Wearing Glasses Ruin My Vision? 

No, wearing glasses will not ruin your vision. In some cases, like in amblyopia, not wearing glasses can ruin your vision. 

The good news is that wearing glasses or not wearing them does not necessarily affect the progression of your vision condition like nearsightedness or farsightedness. As stated by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, your eyes will do their best to see, whether or not you choose to wear the eyeglasses prescribed to you.

Ultimately, the decision to wear glasses continuously or intermittently should be made in consultation with an eye care professional. 

Do I Need To Wear Glasses All The Time: Summary

Wearing glasses depends on an individual’s vision needs, prescription, and lifestyle. For people with mild prescriptions, wearing glasses all the time might not be necessary. However, for those with stronger prescriptions, constantly wearing glasses can provide clearer vision and alleviate eye strain. In the case of a child’s eyesight that is still developing, having the right prescription on all the time is important. Also for patients who have only one good eye due to a medical condition, its important to wear glasses full-time. 

A good thing about wearing glasses is that they provide the much-needed comfort and clarity when focusing on daily activities. If glasses give you clear vision for reading, driving, and using a computer, you should choose to wear them. They are a great way to maintain clearer vision and help prevent eye fatigue and eye strain.