How To Know If You Need Glasses
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder if I need glasses?”
Whether or not you need glasses may not be as cut and dry as you think. Yes, glasses provide clear, crisp vision to those who are far-sighted or near-sighted, but they are also used to reduce eye strain. Below are some signs it is time to see your Optometrist.
You have to squint to see.
If you find yourself squinting when looking at things in the distance, such as signs while driving or print on the TV guide, this may be a sign you need glasses.
You suffer from headaches.
If you regularly suffer from headaches, this can be a sign you are straining your eyes to see clearly, and you may need glasses.
Your eyes feel tired.
If after viewing screens or reading, you feel your eyes are tired and they just want to close. This is often a side your eyes are straining. Certain types of glasses can reduce fatigue of the eyes during these activities.
You have trouble focusing up close.
If you find you have to move things (such as your cell phone) further from your face to focus on them, this is likely a sign you need glasses.
Whether or not the above points hit home for you, an Optometrist is the best person to determine if you need glasses. Not only that, an eye examination involves a thorough health check of your eyes that can provide insight into your overall health. Come see us!
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Near-sightedness, or myopia, is a refractive error in which the light that enters your eye focuses in front of the retina. This causes an image in the distance to appear out of focus, or blurry. A negatively powered lens is used in front of the eye to help refocus the light on the retina, providing a clear image to the brain.
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Far-sightedness, or hyperopia, is a refractive error in which the light that enters your eye focuses behind the retina. This causes an image up close to appear out of focus, or blurry. A positively powered lens is used in front of the eye to help refocus the light on the retina, providing a clear image to the brain.
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Presbyopia is a normal, age-related change that causes the eye to gradually lose the ability to focus on objects up close. This happens because the lens in the eye starts to loose elasticity, and the zonules within the eye start to lose strength. These are the parts of the eye responsible for accommodation, or focusing, on near objects. This process starts around the age of 40 and stops around the age of 65. A positively powered lens is used in front of the eye, also known as reading glasses, to help the eye focus on close objects.