# Optical Forums > General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum >  Wearing 'too strong' lenses

## Alex

Curiosity makes me ask this question.  A colleague admits she is regularly wearing contact lenses that are stronger than she needs because she likes how she sees with them. She's in her early 40s and thinks this might make her more nearsighted.  I think she'd actually like this to happen.  In your experience, does wearing stronger than necessary glasses/contact lenses make your prescription go up?

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## chip anderson

Soft contact lenses make your prescription go up whether they are correct, too strong or too weak,  more so if too weak (in young patients).  As to both soft and hard contact lenses, if too strong they will make the need for reading glasses over them occur sooner, or require stronger readers.

Chip

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## Diane

There may still be a few people who believe that soft contact lenses may make the prescription increase, however, I am not one who believes that a properly fit lens will do so.  

I do, however, believe that wearing stronger (minus lenses for nearsightedness) will most likely make a person need stronger reading glasses earlier.

Diane

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## chip anderson

Diane:   

The question was phrased:  "in your experience."  My experience has been ongoing since 1958 and yes I believe after following thousands of soft contact lenses over 4+ decades, that they cause an increase in myopia.  Of course I also beleive that "properly fitted and supervised" PMMA lenses prevent same.   Of course this may not compare with your experience.

Chip

"The fit and effect of contact lenses must be measured over decades."    ...... C. Anderson, FCLSA

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## Optom

Hello  Alex,

Wearing stronger contact lens makes perceived image larger,a reason she likes how she sees through them.
In my experience wearing slightly stronger than necessary eyeglasses/contact lenses does not make prescription go up,but can cause eye strain.
Short-sighted contact lens wearing people demand more accomodation,she likely to experience presbyopic symptoms soon.

Regards,
Optom

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## Diane

I will stand by my statement...."There may still be a few people who believe that soft contact lenses may make the prescription increase, however, I am not one who believes that a properly fit lens will do so."  

It is MY opinion that my statement is correct.  

As was stated in the original post.  "In your experience, does wearing stronger than necessary glasses/contact lenses make your prescription go up?"  That being the question, any answer should reflect that it is the opinion of the individual, not of everyone on this board.  I was merely stating my opinion, and stated it as such.  

Perhaps, I have had a better experience of well fit contact lenses in my 3 decades of experience.  

Just my personal opinion.

Thanks,
Diane

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## another Sarah

I have a real prescription of -1.25 but for  the last year I've been wearing contact lenses that are -1.75.  Why, you might wonder?  Well I'm one of (I imagine) a minority of people who do want to make their myopia stronger and I think I've been successful.  I won't know for sure till next month when I get another test but I'm hoping for what I'll consider to be a good result simply because I don't think I can see as well without my glasses/lenses as I could a year ago.  Would that be proof enough?  I'm even squinting to see the alarm in the morning.  Beacuase of my interest in getting more nearsighted, I've done quite alot of research and I understand that at 37 it's rare to increase the degree of nearsightedness. Has anyone come across a case like me?  In all honesty I do feel I "need" this prescription so much more than 12 months ago.

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## paw

Why do you WANT to increase your near-sightedness?

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## Stopper

Diane,
I agree with you. In my experience, wearing soft lenses doesn't increase a prescription. But I'm willing to look at any studies that indicate otherwise is anyone can show me. (just keeping an open mind). And a well fit rigid lense may stall or limit the progression of myopia.

I assume we are talking about a myope in this situation. Patients may percieve they are seeing better if over minused but they are not.
Optom,
An over minused patient will percieve the image as smaller and further away. Just like when refracting and the patient is over minused, the patient reports the image as smaller and further away.:cheers:

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## sandeepgoodbole

[QUOTE]*Optom said:* 
Hello  Alex,

Wearing stronger contact lens makes perceived image larger,a reason she likes how she sees through them.
In my experience wearing slightly stronger than necessary eyeglasses/contact lenses does not make prescription go up,but can cause eye strain.


Yes, indeed ,The "Strain" is the most expressable feeling we often get back from the customers, of exact, under and over corrections. That's really strange !

How can we define Strain on the Opto Neural System apart from psychological aspects?
Is there any Objective measure like streching of muscles, changes in BP, rise in cortex activity associated with the eye strain due to corrective visual aids?

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## Optom

Hello,

Chip is correct if he meant soft contact lenses cannot stop progression of myopia.This is true.

Stopper: 
No doubt "over-minusing" myopic patient makes them artificially hyperopic. You know refractionist generally performs "Plus to Blur Out" procedure to prevent "over-minusing" their patient. 
In a scenario here, a patient admits "she is regularly wearing contact lenses that are stronger than she needs because she likes how she sees with them". Probably she needs more minus than her actual prescription! But it is also common with many of today's soft contact lens wearer to over-wear their soft contact lenses causing corneal edema, and a constant enduring edema may not make them see well. This patient may be an edematous myopic soft contact lens wearer, as she prefers to wear soft CL stronger than she needs because she likes how she sees with them. Such patient report improvement in their vision with slight over correction (stronger minus than actual Rx) as it makes perceived image darker because the light is concentrated into a smaller retinal image. The best is to advise such patient to undergo review with their optometrist. This is my opinion.

Sandeepgoodbole: 
The common reasons of eye strain is over-correction of myopia or under correction of hyperopia, inaccurate facial measurements and inaccurately dispensed spectacles. Patients generally complain of headaches, pulling of eyes, aniseikonia, image distortions and detest wearing spectacles. You will see conjunctival hyperemia, epiphora and so forth.

Regards,
Optom

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## Stopper

Optom,
I also agree that a soft lens will not limit myopia progression. 

Your example of over wear certainly is reasonable and that patient may prefer a stronger lens for the reasons you stated. But I don't think that wearing soft lenses increases a patients RX except on a pathological basis such as the over wearer in your example. I apreciate your insight.

Life is too short to drink cheap beer:cheers:

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## ripper

Keep in mind strong lenses have different consequences in myopes and hyperopes, too much plus in the hyperope can make one near sighted and magnify objects, whereas overminusing myopes can stimulate acommodation, causing possible strain and even excessive convergence

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## mrba

I am a myope and I love to be over minused at night.  About .25 will do.  Doesn't make a difference during the day.

Yes light effects acuity in Myopes.  Generally young Myopes love to overeat minus.  As they age this tendancy usually goes away.

To respond to whether or not over minusing effects near vision, the only answer is, I take my glasses off to read, and If I'm lucky, I have a shot at never needing a Bifocal.

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## chip anderson

You need a bifocal now if you find you have to take your glasses off to read.  All myopes (whose myopia exceeds the power of the near add) can read without glasses.  Just the intelligent ones admit the problem and decide it's a pain to take thier glasses off every time they want to read something.  This makes a much sense as having two pair of glasses one for near and one for distance which is something some women do to avoid that ugly word: "Bifocal".

As to being over minus-ed at night, all myopes are aproximately 1/2 diopter more myopic at night.   The Rx is usually a compromise to deal with this.

Chip:cheers:

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## mrba

I actually read quite easily w/ my glasses on, however don't need to.

However "all myopes" is absolutely not true when it comes to a power shift at night.  In fact the ones that do have it often grow out of it.  Usually .25 is enouph.  .5 is definately an overminus job for most.

Use your Red green chart to find true power and add a quarter for us decadant myopes and we'll all be happy!

ba

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