Do Glasses Really Shrink Your Eyes? Facts vs Myths About Wearing Glasses

Do Glasses Shrink Your Eyes? Understanding the Myths and Facts

If you wear glasses or are considering getting a pair, you may have heard the common myth that wearing glasses can cause your eyes to shrink or get smaller over time. This idea causes many glass-wearers anxiety and confusion about whether their vision is truly improving with glasses or if the glasses are somehow damaging their eyesight. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the myth that glasses shrink your eyes. On the contrary, glasses simply help focus light properly on the retina and do not alter the physical size or shape of your eyes at all.

Where the Myth Comes From

There are a few reasons why the myth about glasses shrinking your eyes has become so widespread:

• When you first start wearing glasses, your eyes need time to adjust. This adjustment period can temporarily cause eye fatigue or minor headaches. Some people mistakenly interpret this as their eyeballs shrinking.
• Young children may get the idea that glasses have "shrinking" powers from cartoons or imagination. Children sometimes spread myths without understanding the science behind them.
• People often remove their glasses to clean or polish them. Your eyesight may momentarily appear worse without glasses, falsely giving the impression that your eyes have gotten smaller.
• As we age, our eyes' lenses gradually lose elasticity. This natural change in eyesight leads some to blame the glasses rather than the normal aging process.

While these reasons may explain why the myth exists, there is simply no evidence that glasses have any impact on the physical size or shape of eyeballs.

How Glasses Actually Work

To understand why glasses cannot shrink your eyes, it helps to know how glasses actually work. Your eye's lens focuses light onto the retina, which sends signals through the optic nerve to your brain, allowing you to see. When you have refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, it means light is not focusing properly on your retina, resulting in blurred vision.

Glasses contain prescription lenses shaped to refract (bend) light in a way that compensates for your eyes' refractive errors. This allows light to correctly focus on your retinas and provide clear vision. The lenses do not emit any energy or forces that could possibly damage the eyes or change their size. The frames simply hold the prescription lenses in front of your eyes to improve focus.

Do Glasses Weaken Your Eyesight Over Time?

Another common myth is that glasses weaken your vision over time by allowing your eyes to become dependent or "lazy". In fact, glasses have the opposite effect - they help keep your eyes strong and healthy!

Wearing the right glasses prescription actually provides a small amount of exercise for your eye muscles as you read, look around, and focus. This helps maintain the eye's focusing power. Going without needed glasses forces your eyes to strain to see, which can cause headaches, squinting, and fatigue.

Think of glasses like a crutch helping to support and rest weak legs. The crutch doesn't cause the leg to get weaker - it helps take pressure off so the leg can heal and grow stronger. The same concept applies to wearing glasses prescribed by your eye doctor.

When to Start Kids on Glasses

Many parents worry that putting young children in glasses will cause their eyesight to get worse. However, the opposite is true - getting the right prescription glasses helps children's vision develop properly. Here are some guidelines from the American Optometric Association on when children need glasses:

• Infants should be taken for an eye exam at 6 months old to check for refractive errors and ensure healthy vision development.
• Most children do not need glasses until age 3-5 when vision problems can be better detected and corrected as needed.
• Children who show signs of eyesight problems like persistent crossing/turning of eyes, frequent squinting, or difficulty seeing should be taken for exams as soon as issues arise.
• Kids diagnosed with refractive errors will benefit from glasses as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary eye strain.

Young eyes and visual pathways are still developing, so correcting vision issues early is key. Properly prescribed children's glasses support healthy eye growth and focus.

Ensuring Proper Fit of Glasses

For glasses to work effectively without interfering with eyesight, proper fitting is crucial. Frames should fit comfortably without pressing on the eyes or sliding down. Lenses must also precisely match your prescription and pupil positioning.

Factors like choosing frame size/style, measuring pupillary distance, centering lenses for your eyes, and adjusting nose pads all affect how the glasses sit. Going to an experienced optician for glasses fittings will help ensure the frames and lenses fit just right.

Kids require extra care when fitting glasses since their facial bones and proportions are still growing. A kid-friendly optician can select durable, flexible children's frames that can easily be adjusted as needed. Getting children involved in picking their glasses helps them feel positive about wearing glasses.

Proper Use and Care of Glasses

To get the most benefit from glasses without irritating your eyes, follow these use and care tips:

• Clean lenses daily using microfiber cloths and proper lens solution to remove dust and smudges.
• Disinfect glasses regularly with anti-bacterial wipes or solution.
• Rinse glasses after swimming to remove chlorine and salt from ocean water.
• Avoid touching lenses with fingers to limit oil buildup.
• Use quality lens cleaners only. Avoid spraying solutions directly in your face.
• Rinse and dry glasses thoroughly before wearing to avoid residue irritation.
• Store glasses in protective cases when not wearing.
• Have glasses adjusted as needed to maintain proper fit as your face changes.

Caring for glasses and wearing them correctly ensures glasses can provide clear, comfortable vision without interfering with your eyes.

When to Visit an Eye Doctor

Even with glasses, it’s essential to get regular comprehensive eye exams. An optometrist or ophthalmologist can:

• Evaluate your vision and need for glasses.
• Detect early signs of eye diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
• Prescribe lens options like scratch/uv coatings to best meet your needs.
• Recommend updated prescriptions based on changes in vision.
• Determine if eye health issues like dry eye or allergies may be bothering your eyes.

The American Optometric Association recommends eye exams at 6 months old, 3 years old, before first grade, and every 1-2 years for school-age children. Adults should have exams every 1-2 years starting at age 40, or more frequently if high risk for eye disease.

See an optometrist right away if you notice any sudden, unexplained changes in vision. Reading fine print may gradually become harder with natural aging, but abrupt difficulty seeing, eye pain, flashes of light, or floaters could indicate more serious issues needing prompt evaluation.

The Bottom Line

Glasses simply help focus light properly on your retina to correct refractive errors; they do not cause any shrinkage or change to the physical eye itself. With proper use and care, glasses support healthy vision development and reduce eye strain. So you can rest assured that your eyeballs remain the same size with glasses - the myth of shrinking eyes has no science behind it!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.