What Happens if You Don't Wear Your Corrective Lenses Enough?

You have corrective lenses for your eyes, but sometimes you forget to wear them. If you’re single and immersed in the dating scene, perhaps you don’t want your glasses to be a distraction. 

On the other hand, it’s simply easy to forget to wear your glasses when you leave the house for an errand or have a busy schedule. If you wear contacts, it’s easy to forgo the routine of putting them in, but is it harming your eyes when you don’t wear them or wear your eyeglasses instead? 

Our board-certified ophthalmologists and optometrist with Wolchok Eye Associates, PA, prescribe glasses and contact lenses to correct your vision. It’s critical to keep your scheduled appointments for eye exams because your eyesight isn’t static. It changes over time. 

Is there a problem if you don’t wear your corrective lenses as your doctor has prescribed? The answer is yes. The following are some of the issues that arise when you don't wear your lenses. 

Headaches 

Are you taking over-the-counter pain relievers for headaches? When you don’t wear your corrective lenses as prescribed, you’re likely to suffer from eyestrain. Your eyes have to work harder for you to see. They get fatigued more easily. Perhaps you’re squinting when trying to observe things. 

Figure out the reason you’re not wearing your lenses. If you don’t like the frames of your glasses, invest in a new pair. Book an appointment with your doctor to discuss concerns about your contacts, and we can work together to resolve the issue. 

Blurry vision 

Without your corrective lenses, do the objects you see have blurry edges? Is reading road signs difficult until your car is right under them? 

It’s no fun seeing the world through a haze. If the problem is forgetfulness, you may want to invest in a chain that holds your glasses around your neck. If you don’t like how you look in glasses, you can try contact lenses. Alternatively, you may be a candidate for LASIK surgery. 

Risk of accidents 

When you don’t wear corrective lenses and need them, you’re at an increased risk of accidents, including falls and motor vehicle accidents. Without corrected vision, you’re more likely to misjudge the distance between your car and another one, for example, because you have a depth perception error. 

Worsening eyesight 

Are you or your child nearsighted (myopia) and can’t see objects far away clearly, or farsighted (hyperopia), meaning you can’t see objects that are close to you? Both nearsightedness and farsightedness can worsen over time if you don’t wear corrective lenses. 

Myopia in childhood increases the risk of eye problems 

About 1 in 3 children have some form of myopia, which can start anywhere from elementary school to high school. High myopia is a severe form of myopia. About 5-15% of people with myopia have the severe form. The least invasive treatment method for high myopia is bifoc al or multifocal glasses or multifocal contact lenses, which help slow the progression of the condition. 

If your child has myopia or high myopia, ensure that they wear their glasses as prescribed. Those with high myopia have an increased risk of eye diseases in adulthood, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. 

If you or a loved one has a vision problem, call Wolchok Eye Associates, PA, or request an appointment through our online portal today. We provide comprehensive eye exams and treat many eye diseases and conditions.