# Optical Forums > General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum >  Advice please on when to wear glasses?

## CLK

:Confused:   I have a very mild prescription for myopia - L: -1.25 R: -1.50.  I had an eye exam today and the doctor told me that with this prescription my vision is just 60% of what it is with my glasses.  I currently just wear them for driving and watching tv or movies.  I've been suffering from headaches recently, he said I should wear them more than I currently do.  He mentioned it would be good to wear them even walking down the street, and explained that I don't need to take them off to read because I can see with them at all distances.  I'm 26.  It's not like this is my first prescription.  Would anyone agree with his recommendation?

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## Jim G

Why wouldn't you wear them all the time?  I'm sure that you can demonstrate to yourself that you see "better" with them than without.  

Chances are your myopia will continue to get worse for the next few years to the point where you'll need to wear them all the time anyway.  Statistically, over 90% of the population will have to wear 'em by the time they reach 50...you're just a little ahead of the curve.

If wearing glasses is more of a "personal" issue than simply vision, consider talking to your doctor about contact lenses.

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## chip anderson

Why not wear them when you want to see.  Any time you do not feel you need to see (such as entertaining young ladies in the dark) don't wear them.   

Chip

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## Texas Ranger

Chip. CLK is likely to be a lady, but that's another issue. At 26, and having previously worn glasses that are weaker, you'll likely be wearing lenses stronger in the future; but it is awkward to be taking your eyewear off and on, you likely see fine within a 4 ft. circle at not too bad at 8-10 feet, but from there out, it's a bit blurry, especially beyond 20 feet. In normal lifestyle visual experiences, you're likely to be looking at all of those distance alternately, which means that your doctor gave you great advise, put 'em on and wear them, if it's a "cosmetic" appearance issue, go talk to the dr. about contact lenses....

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## chip anderson

Texas:

I was trying to tell the person in my usual subtle sarcastic manner:  "Wear the things if you want to see (assumeing that any thinking person would want to see all the time except for activities usually done in the dark."

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## CLK

Thanks all for the responses. Texas, you were right!  
One final word on the subject, I guess I was surprised that with my prescription that I thought was pretty weak the advice was wear them more! 
I always figured that people who needed to wear just for walking down the street would have vision much worse than mine.  So let me know, what prescription strength would you recommend wear all the time - I hope I'm nowhere near it and I hope your predictions don't come true!!

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## Jim G

As our friends from the Republic of Texas will tell us, this is a free country and you can d**n well do whatever you want...and, in this case, that's pretty good advice (unless driving or operating machinery, etc.).  You'll know when you need to wear 'em...like wanting to see the alarm in the am.

If this is a vanity issue, seriously consider contacts.  The negative to taking 'em off and putting them on is that you'll probably scratch the heck out of them and need a new pair in 6 months to a year...that way, you'll always have the newest in frame styles and be a trend setter--that too is always good for the ego.

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## mleamaster

Hi Laura,  good question!  With your RX your eye's have a natural "built in" reading range.  This will come in handy at some far off point when you and everyone else develops presbyopia.  Obviously wearing the glasses will improve your distance vision, and you will be able to read as well.  However, the muscles in your eye, (which have been a little underused), will be working more for reading than they were before you were using the glasses.  So at first there may be some eyestrain when reading.  

Good luck!

Mark

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## CLK

I tried them for reading (-1.25/-1.50) and I didn't get any eyestrain.   I don't know why he mentioned wearing them for reading really, don't think I need to.

Do you think some eye doctors deliberately push more wear at lower prescriptions?

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## chip anderson

CLK:

Once they are paid for and you are out the door what possible reason other than your benefit would the doctor have for "pushing glasses wear?"

You are letting this asked and over answered subject worry far to much.  Get on with life before a simple pair of glasses puts you on someone's couch.   You once adapted to wearing shoes, you will to eyeglasses also.

Chip

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## JERRY HUANG

Any time you do not feel you need to see (such as entertaining young ladies in the dark) don't wear them. ------Chip.



Chip:D  Chip:D   Chip:D 

:cheers:

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## Texas Ranger

CLK, the thing is that you don't "need" the glasses for reading; but you do "need" them to see things furthur than small room distances. EX. if you're in a small kitchen, preparing dinner, you have no need for your glasses, unless you have an open floorplan, with a 27" TV at the other end of a 35' room, then you need them to watch TV while you're preparing dinner; basically, most folks do visual tasks at a variety of distances, near, midrange and far, all at the same general time, we're just not generally "conscious" of it, until we need glasses for near or far. So, put 'em on and wear 'em! Like Chip said, they're kinda like shoes, apparel and functional. and btw, please get some good sun wear for driving too!

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## Maria

I have a similar Rx, and I wear mine all the time. This is mostly because then I know where they are, and should I suddenly need to look at something far away, I can. However, I do not wear them when I am entertaining young ladies in the dark. ;)

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## Jim G

Hmmmmm.

Maria, obviously, you have been missed.

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## Tim Hunter

> *CLK said:* 
> So let me know, what prescription strength would you recommend wear all the time - I hope I'm nowhere near it and I hope your predictions don't come true!!


As a UK optometrist (I assume that's the equivalent of an eye doctor in the US)I would advise a patient to wear their spectacle prescription all the time if it would remove symptoms of asthenopia (eye strain), improve their binocular vision, improve the cosmesis of a squint and if it improved their distance/near vision significantly without reducing their near/distance vision. However it would only be advice, at the end of the day you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it wear spectacles! I would expect a -1.00 myope to be happier with spectacles on than without, would definitely advise to wear for driving and most distance tasks and would advise could happily wear all the time for better distance vision all the time (as has been said before). 

Sorry can't give you a prescription power I would advise to wear all the time as it depends on the patient's individual circumstances.:D

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## CLK

Thanks all for the responses, hope you didn't think me too dumb. It's been *really*  informative for me, I really didn't know that it was so acceptable to wear low prescriptions - I thought full time wear was only for the acutely myopic.  I've always thought that I should only wear them when I absolutely couldn't see something so it's interesting to know that there really are no absolutes and that opthalmic profession takes a more  holistic view.  I was only ever told to wear them for driving and just drifted into tv wear - so I guess that had I ever had the benefit of the discussion of the sort you've presented here I may have had a different view.

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## Adam Simmonds

I like to be slightly controversial...


Nobody *needs* to wear glasses.


However, if glasses make things clearer and more comfortable, wear them. If it doesn't don't. The bottom line is (in your case) the wearing - or not wearing - of glasses will not make your eyesight worse, i.e., more shortsighted.

If you're happy being blurred, great. If not, also great. You, the wearer makes the decision, not the doctor. Make your own mind up. They're your eyes - they're your responsibility. There is no right or wrong.

By the way, the clue to all this is that CLK considers his/her Rx to be very mild. There are plenty of people out there with the same degree of shortsightedness who think they're half blind. It's all a matter of perception.

By the way, part II, I completely disagree with earlier posts that suggest that your eyesight is bound to get worse over time so you may as well get used to it now. These people are doom-mongers and way to negative.

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## Darris Chambless

Hello spurs,

I like your statement of "Nobody needs to wear glasses." While this may be true there are many that "should" be wearing something but aren't. Case in point had a patient in last week that only wears her glasses to drive at night. She's a -2.75 OU. Because of what I know about opitics and because I wear a fairly healthy prescription myself I know what they can and cannot see and that bothers me.

An example I will use to deter your analysis is this: If a child is born blind and thinks that is how everyone sees and feels comfortable with their perception of what the world around them looks like is it okay for them to drive? If they feel that they can do it as well as anyone else then what's to stop them? That's an extreme example I know but it is in the same vain.

If a person elects not to wear their glasses that's one thing as well as their porogative but if someone asks if they should be wearing their glasses with a -1.00 or -2.00 script then I say they should be wearing them full time IF they want to see. If they just want to get by then go without. 

"By the way, part II, I completely disagree with earlier posts that suggest that your eyesight is bound to get worse over time so you may as well get used to it now. These people are doom-mongers and way to negative."

I read your profile and you are an optometrist so my question is what have your experiences shown with younger patients and nearsighted scripts? I'm not saying I disagree with your assesment but what I have seen with my own eyes and dealt with in my own experiences is that peoples script usually increases with time. I don't think anyone suggested that CLK would go blind or die if they didn't wear their glasses but rather gave an observation of their own on this subject. 

And finally to:

"I like to be slightly controversial..."

You don't know ME very well do you? :)

Darris C.

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## Optixx

CLK, I suppose my question is why you would not want to wear your glasses and see well all the time, (unless reading, for which you may not wish to wear your glasses as you may feel they minimize the text vs your natural reading ability).

For many, wearing glasses makes them feel "weak" or "nerdy".  I helped a teen boy the other day who "didn't want to wear his glasses in front of his Dad, he didn't want his Dad to know he "needed help to see".  I have been wearing glasses for 36 years and have watched the tide change from "four-eyes" to "wow, glasses are cool and so stylish"  There really does not seem to be much "social stigma" on glasses anymore.  Qualifying social stigma as there are still self-imposed conceptions of eyeglass wear.  I think I look good in glasses and prefer them to contacts, which I also wore for 20 years.  It's part of who I am. (I see 20/800 so there is no choice about going without some type of eyewear) The only thing I enjoy looking at without my glasses are holiday lights (especially the Christmas tree...soft fuzzy colorful lights! Pretttttyyyy)  

Please know that true eye care professionals are not going to "push" you into anything just to make money.  We are interested in your well being and visual health.  You only get one pair of eyes.  Experience tells us vision gets worse over time, with plateaus along the way.  If you strain your eyes, it may worsen a little faster than if you helped your eyes and wore your glasses. 

 It is not about sales, it IS about helping people see and live their lives at their best, and to be both physically visually comfortable as well as emotionally comfortable in their eye wear.  And, if we weren't such a dedicated lot, we'd be making A LOT more money as the car salesmen we are too often compared to. Find a good, caring place to get your exams and eyewear and develop a lasting relationship with them.

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## rinselberg

Optixx--you realize(?) that you just responded to a thread that was started eight years ago.

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## Judy Canty

For all we know, he's been hit by a bus trying to cross the street without his glasses...

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## Geirskogul

Not just that - but eyecare related questions go to the doctor, not optiboard.  Doesn't matter that the poster's last activity was three years ago, and this thread is eight years old, but still...

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## eye2

> I have a very mild prescription for myopia - L: -1.25 R: -1.50.  I had an eye exam today and the doctor told me that with this prescription my vision is just 60% of what it is with my glasses.  I currently just wear them for driving and watching tv or movies.  I've been suffering from headaches recently, he said I should wear them more than I currently do.  He mentioned it would be good to wear them even walking down the street, and explained that I don't need to take them off to read because I can see with them at all distances.  I'm 26.  It's not like this is my first prescription.  Would anyone agree with his recommendation?



You are kidding right! :drop:



Para phrase quote by Mark Twain: Politians are like babies, they need to be changed often and for good reason some stink!

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## Happylady

I was reading this thread and thought " oh no, a consumer!" And then realized it's 8 years old. :)

My son's Rx is about a -1.25 and -1.50 and he almost never wears his glasses. I made him some prescription suns and he likes those but he only wears his clear glasses to drive (and only because he has a restriction). I think I've seen him wear them for TV or movies twice.

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