Will Myopia Get Worse Without Glasses?

Eyeglasses are beneficial in many ways. They can help you see better, protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light, and help control myopia (nearsightedness). If you have myopia, you will strain your eyes to see things that are far away. That is because your eyes can only see objects that are near you.

Wearing eyeglasses can help correct your vision. Your prescription eyeglasses will have special features to help your eyes see farther away. So, if you should be wearing eyeglasses but opt not to, will myopia get worse? Read on to find out.

Does Your Eyesight Become Worse?

There is still not enough scientific proof to suggest that myopia will get worse without glasses. Eyeglasses only make up for the disparity in the shape of your cornea to help you see better and decrease eyestrain.

If you must squint your eyes to see objects at a distance, you are more likely to get headaches. But this does not mean that myopia is getting worse. It simply means that you are making your eyes struggle.

What Happens if You Do Not Wear Glasses?

While you may not hurt your eyes if you go without eyeglasses, your vision loss symptoms may return. You may experience eyestrain, tension, and headaches after overworking your eyes. These effects of myopia and other eye problems may come back.

Also, children may experience more complicated eye problems, such as amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (crossed eyes). Specialty eyeglasses can correct these issues by making the eyes curve back into shape, stabilizing vision. If you do not wear glasses when experiencing these problems, the problems can keep getting worse or become irreversible.

Can You Slow Down the Progression of Myopia?

Yes, you can stop myopia from getting worse. Here is how.

Getting Treatment

The main reason for treating myopia is to improve eyesight by directing light to your retina. You can do this by:

• Wearing prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. These treat myopia by changing the shape of your cornea to improve your eyes’ ability to see far.

• Getting refractive eye surgery. The surgery uses laser light to improve your vision and decreases the need for contact lenses and eyeglasses.

• Using atropine eyedrops. Using the recommended doses of atropine eyedrops can help hold back myopia.

• Receiving orthokeratology (ortho-k) treatment. Ortho-k helps get your eyes back into their standard curve, decreasing myopia.

Making Lifestyle Changes

You can protect your vision and slow down the progression of myopia by:

• Go to your eye doctor regularly and have your eyes examined regularly

• Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, to promote eye health

• Wear protective sunglasses when outside to block out harmful UV rays

• Avoid smoking

• Use proper lighting

• Minimize eye strain by looking away from your computer or close-up work from time to time

If you experience sudden blurriness, double vision, or see black spots, light flashes, or rings around lights, see your eye doctor immediately. These could be signs of serious eye or medical issues.

For more on whether myopia will get worse without glasses, visit Limestone Eye Care at our office in Lawrence, Kansas. Call (785) 268-6880 to schedule an appointment today.