First of all, what do conventional corrective lenses in eyeglass even do??

Simply put, eyeglass lenses, and their inconspicuous counterpart contact lenses, work by way of refraction. The transparent lenses bend the light that passes through them just before it reaches your eye refracting and refocusing the images to compensate for the eye’s focusing weakness.

Bending the incoming light/images in no way alters the physical structure of the eye. Even contact lenses, which by design are in contact with the tear film layer of the eye that covers the cornea, do not affect or alter the eye itself in any way.

With that in mind, the answer is NO! WEARING EYEGLASSES OR CONTACT LENSES DOES NOT WEAKEN YOUR EYES!

I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Is Gone

Okay, since corrective lenses, when worn properly obviously, do not in any way make your eyes any weaker, why is this misconception so widespread?

If you’re any one of the approximately 4 BILLION people worldwide that wear some form of corrective lenses to see the world more clearly, then you’ve probably had the experience of removing your eyeglass or contact lenses and perceiving that the world is much blurrier than you remember before you started wearing glasses, or even before you put them on that day.

The key is that perception. While wearing corrective lenses does nothing physically to your eye at all, your eyes and more importantly your brain, are becoming more accustomed to seeing the world much clearer, as such, uncorrected vision will inevitably be that much more noticeable.

Why Do I Need Strong Prescriptions as I Get Older?

Another erroneous basis for the misconception is that most people will require stronger corrective vision prescriptions as they age, but that fact is not a result of having worn eyeglasses at all, but simply due to the eyes changing and weakening naturally as you get older.

General eye conditions like nearsightedness, or Myopia, can increase with age, and Presbyopia or farsightedness often rears its head in people over 40 years old. These conditions worsening, or changes in the shape of the lens of the eye over time, all mean a stronger prescription will be necessary as you get older to satisfactorily correct your vision.

In fact, NOT wearing corrective lenses to correct your vision can cause eye strain and otherwise avoidable eye concerns.

Corrected Vision is Healthy Vision

Maintaining a reliable commitment to eyecare can mean staving off stronger vision prescriptions for a good while as you care for and correct your vision as needed throughout your life. Routine eyecare and wearing the appropriate corrective lenses are essential to healthy vision and will not do anything to harm or weaken your vision.