How to clean and look after your glasses
Water, a drop of soap and the right cloth. Small habits that keep lenses clear and frames straight for years.
Do glasses make your eyes weaker? Four common beliefs
Glasses, screens, reading in dim light and eye exercises: what we tell patients who ask about these worries.
Some questions come up at our counter every week. Here is what our optometrists usually say. “Once I start wearing glasses, my eyes will get used to them and get weaker.” Glasses do not change the shape of the eye. Prescriptions change because eyes change, especially in children as they grow and in adults after 40. Not wearing glasses you need does not slow that change; it only means you see less clearly and may get headaches.
“Reading in dim light will damage my eyes.” Poor light makes your eyes work harder and feel tired, but it does not cause lasting harm. Good light is still worth having, because it makes reading more comfortable. “Screens ruin your eyes.” Long hours on a phone or laptop cause dry, tired eyes, because we blink less while staring at screens. Try the 20-20-20 habit: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Children who spend more time outdoors also tend to have less short-sightedness, so time outside matters.
“Eye exercises will let me throw away my glasses.” Exercises can help with a few specific focusing problems, which an optometrist diagnoses. They do not reverse short-sight, long-sight or astigmatism. If anyone promises that, ask what they are measuring. If you have any of these worries, ask during your test. That is what the 25 minutes are for.
