Should Prescription Glasses Hurt your Eyes?

A question that seems to have popped up a lot recently is whether your prescription glasses should hurt your eyes. The simple answer is no, they shouldn’t. However, you might need to have a think about what you are doing to cause your eyes to hurt; this might help you understand more about why they are causing you trouble.

The wrong prescription

Well this is the most obvious cause to your eyes hurting. One or both eyes may have changed prescription. This may happen over a short period of time or may be over a longer spaced out period of time. Children’s and teenage eyes can change prescription in a shorter period of time. Then as you age, the lenses in your eyes grow harder which lead to you becoming more long sighted. During your forties and early fifties this is often more apparent. Which can be a weird phenomena when you are short sighted to start with – why would you be short and long sighted at the same time? Perhaps you need a longer prescription for distance sight but a reading option as well. Or you may find having a type of varifocal will ease the strain on your eyes. If your prescription of your glasses isn’t correct then this could hurt your eyes.

Eye strain

One of the most common reasons why your eyes could be causing you trouble is through eye strain. If your eyes are straining too much, it can lead to headaches and blurred vision, which definitely should be avoided. If this is caused by wearing your prescription glasses, it usually means they are not suitable or the right prescription for your eyes. But this may not be the main cause of why your eyes are straining. Some people have problems with eye strain when they are doing a specific task for long periods at a time.

Are you looking at a screen for too long?

If you spend too long in front of a computer or other sort of screen, you might find that your eyes begin to hurt. Even when you’re wearing your prescription glasses. This is because your eyes are straining too much and focusing too much on a single object. If you feel like you are spending too much time in front of a screen; why not read one of our previous blog posts about how to prevent eye strain whilst using a computer.

Do you drive long distances?

If you’re driving for long periods during the day; you might find that you’re eyes begin to get tired and cause irritation. Similarly to looking at a computer screen, driving long distances requires you to focus at the same distance for an extended period of time. In order to combat this, you should take regular breaks on the road to make sure it gives you and your eyes a rest.

Driving at night

Driving at night can also hurt your eyes. Many people as they get older choose to abstain from night driving. The glare from other headlights as well as street lights and wet roads can all go towards hurting your eyes. Our Crizal lenses are great for this though and will reduce glare, making your eyes far more comfortable.

Health problems with your eyes

You may also find that it could be a medical condition that causes your eyes to hurt, so always get that checked out with us if you think this may be the case.

Need help with your Prescription Glasses?

If your eyes are causing you constant irritation when you’re wearing your prescription glasses, book an appointment with us, and we’ll have a look at your prescription. We have patients all around Hailsham including Horam, Polegate, Heathfield and Herstmonceux. We’ll be happy to help you adjust your prescription if necessary to prevent your eyes from hurting.