Are My Reading Glasses Making My Vision Worse?

The short answer to this question is: no!

People who wear reading glasses do so because changes to their eyes make it increasingly more difficult to focus on up-close objects. Many people believe the common misconception that using reading glasses makes a person’s eyes “dependent” on the glasses, essentially weakening their eyes. This is not true. If you wear reading glasses and notice that your near vision is worse than it was before, it’s a result of the natural, progressive process of aging that affects everyone’s eyes.

Why Can’t I See Up Close?

Why do older people need reading glasses at all? This is a result of a condition called presbyopia, or age-related near vision loss. As we age, the lens inside the eye loses flexibility, which affects our ability to “zoom in” on objects up close, like the words on a page. This is a normal part of the eye’s aging process that begins to impact most people shortly after the age of 40.Presbyopia is progressive, so as the lens of the eye becomes more rigid, people may notice increased impairment of their near vision. Trusted Source American Academy of Ophthalmology What is Presbyopia? Go to Source ¹

You can’t stop the aging process that leads to presbyopia, but you can help enhance your near vision with glasses (reading glasses), contacts, bifocals, or eye surgery.

Learn More About Presbyopia

If you are over the age of 40 and have started to notice that you hold books, your phone, and newspapers further from your face so that you can read them clearly, it’s very likely that you are experiencing the natural aging process that is presbyopia. Knowing more about presbyopia and age-related vision changes can help you safeguard the health of your eyes. The expert ophthalmologists and optometrists at Presbyopia Life can help you deepen your understanding of presbyopia. A great place to start learning more is to read our blog, Top 10 Presbyopia Questions.

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