Reading Glasses Problems: What You Need to Know

Reading glasses are a common solution for people who have difficulty reading small print. These eyeglasses are designed to magnify text, making it easier to see and read. However, despite the benefits, reading glasses also have some problems.

The main disadvantage of reading glasses is that they can cause eye fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, and worsening of vision. This is because reading glasses will only magnify the text and not the surrounding area. As a result, individuals may need to focus their eyes hard on the text, which can lead to discomfort and headaches.

Another disadvantage of reading glasses is that they are inconvenient to use. Individuals who need reading glasses must always carry them with them, which can be cumbersome. In addition, individuals may need to switch between reading and regular glasses throughout the day, which can be both time-consuming and frustrating.

A girl enjoys reading is sitting by the river

Vision Changes

Prescription Changes

Reading lenses are designed to correct presbyopia, a condition that affects the ability to focus on nearby objects. However, wearing reading glasses for long periods of time can lead to changes in prescription. This happens because the eye has become accustomed to the magnification provided by the glasses and the muscles that control the eye lens become weaker. As a result, over time, the eye may require stronger prescription glasses, which can be both expensive and inconvenient for the wearer.

Peripheral Vision Issues

Another disadvantage of reading glasses is that they can cause peripheral vision problems. This is because reading glasses are designed to magnify objects close to the eye, which can cause distortion of the visual field. This distortion can affect the ability to see objects around you, which can be dangerous when driving or participating in other activities that require a full understanding of your surroundings.

Physical Discomfort

Reading glasses can cause physical discomfort to the wearer, especially if they are not the correct prescription. Two common types of physical discomfort that can be caused by wearing reading glasses are eye strain and headaches.

Eyestrain

Eye strain is a common problem that can occur when wearing reading glasses. People usually wear reading glasses to focus on text or objects. This can cause eye strain, soreness or dryness, and blurred vision.

A man wearing reading glasses with tired eyes

Incorrect prescription of glasses. Many inexpensive reading glasses have the same lens prescription settings on the left and right side, but for the majority of older people, there is a certain gap between the prescription of the left and right eye, there is also astigmatism and other problems. Wearing the wrong reading glasses, such as configuring too low or too high degrees, leads to sore eyes, and dizziness, making the presbyopia of presbyopia increase. To a great extent, it damages the quality of life and physical and mental health of the elderly. If the eyeglasses are not the correct prescription, they can cause more eye strain, which can exacerbate the problem.

Headaches

Headaches are another type of physical discomfort that can be caused by wearing reading glasses. This is because the glasses can cause the eye muscles to overwork, which can lead to tension headaches or migraines. In addition, if the glasses are too tight or too loose, they can cause discomfort on the sides and around or behind the ears of the glasses, which can also lead to headaches.

Cervical spondylosis causes headaches. This is because there is a high risk of overexertion when looking at things, which can lead to cervical spondylosis attacks and compression of peripheral nerves, causing unbearable headaches as well as nausea and other symptoms.

Headaches are caused by a discrepancy in the prescription of the glasses. If the prescription of the reading glasses worn by the people does not match their own prescription, it will cause items to fail to focus on the retina, at which point the eyes will over-adjust, causing visual fatigue and discomfort, which in turn will cause headaches.

Nervous breakdown causes headaches. If you suffer from neurological disorders, it is likely to stimulate the central nervous system of the brain after watching something for a long time, leading to spasms in the nerve cord and a sense of nausea, a sense of dizziness, and even headaches.

Blurred vision

Wearing reading glasses to swipe your phone for a long time, the eyes are blurred, which may be related to eye fatigue, and does not exclude the presence of optic neuritis or other conditions.

Eye fatigue. If you wear reading glasses to swipe the phone for too long, it will lead to a decrease in the ciliary muscle adjustment ability of the eyes, easy-to-eye dryness, fatigue, tearing, and other symptoms.

Optic neuritis. If you have inflammation in the eye, the inflammatory cells may spread to the optic nerve, which can easily cause optic neuritis. When looking at a cell phone for a long time, it causes inflammation to flare up and experiences blurred vision and eye pain.

Conjunctivitis. If you usually do not pay attention to hygiene around the eyes, bacteria may invade the conjunctiva of the eyes, which may easily cause conjunctivitis, causing local congestion and also leading to vision loss and itching after using the eyes.

a woman swipe her cell phone

In conclusion, while reading glasses can be a useful tool for those who need them, they can also cause problems. Eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, and worsening vision are four common problems that can be caused by wearing reading glasses, especially if the prescription is incorrect or ill-fitting. It is important to consult an optometrist to ensure that your glasses are correctly prescribed and fit properly to minimize discomfort.