7 Tell-tale Signs You Need Glasses

Do you feel like every other person is wearing glasses?

Maybe you wear them too or maybe you need them but just don’t know it yet.

Vision changes are subtle that can be difficult to notice. Many people go years without glasses whereas some don’t even bother to get their eyes examined in the first place.

These subtle changes in your eyesight can cost you big time in the long run. A healthy vision is crucial for all aspects of life be it reading or driving.

Our eyes work all day. So it becomes even more important to take special care of them.

Schedule regular appointments with your eye doctor and consider having an eye test once a year. If you already have an eye condition, increase the frequency of the test.

Spotting these changes requires you to pay close attention to your vision. Even if you feel like everything is fine inside your peepers, you may find a problem that could be treated with eyeglasses.

Here are the common telltale signs that you need glasses.

1. Eye strain or fatigue

Nothing can be a more obvious sign than constant eye pain. Eye strain can result from insufficient sleep, cold, flu or allergies.

However, if the pain persists for more than a couple of days or your eyes get tired from regular activities like reading or watching TV, you need to get them checked. You would also be surprised to know that an underlying medical condition can also be detected in an eye exam.

2. Headaches

Frequent headaches may signal towards a potential eye condition. Headache is a common symptom of farsightedness or astigmatism which can cause blurry vision for both near and distant objects.

When you have one of these conditions, your eyes struggle to focus harder which is why you may get a headache. If you have been a victim of persistent headaches, book an eye test with your optometrist or ophthalmologist or, better yet, get a free eye test from us here at Specscart. Schedule an appointment with out opticians and walk in for the test at our stores in Walken or bury.

3. Screen time

If your digital media consumption exceeds 6 hours a day, you need computer glasses or blue light glasses. They will protect your eyes from the harmful high-energy blue light that is capable of damaging your retinal cells.

You don’t need a prescription for buying glasses with blue light filters. If you spend a major of your day staring at a digital screen, you can benefit from these glasses. Whether you pass for these glasses or not, read it here.

4. Squinting

While closing our eyes partially when looking at bright light helps us see better, it can be a sign of poor vision. When we look directly at bright light, the image formed is rather blurry. Squinting reduces the amount of light that enters our eyes so that the blurred image appears smaller.

When the crystalline lens in our eyes loses its flexibility, the light is not completely focused at the center of the eyes which is why images appear blurry. If you are nearsighted or farsighted, you may need to squint so that the light is only focused at the center of your retina.

5. Rubbing your eyes

You may rub your eyes when something gets in them. However, it can also be a common way to tackle eye fatigue or strain. When our eyes feel tired they become dry. Rubbing our eyes helps in stimulating the lacrimal glands inside them for more lubrication. Doing this may give you a moment’s relief but it can also be a sign of ‘pink eye’ or ‘conjunctivitis’.

If you have severe conjunctivitis, your eyes become sensitive to bright light which will require you to wear glasses with tinted lenses. If you wear normal prescription glasses, replace the lenses with transition lenses. They will give you a clear vision when you are indoors and turn dark when you come into the contact of UV light.

6. Reading at arm’s length

How you hold the material when reading something reveals a lot about your vision. If you hold it close to your face, you are nearsighted. Or if you like to hold your book at arm’s length, you are farsighted.

The near focusing ability of our eyes diminishes when we hit 40. This condition is termed as ‘presbyopia’. This is why people in their 40s need reading glasses to see close-up objects clearly.

Poor vision is one of the most brutal parts of ageing. Presbyopia is not the only eye condition you should be ready for as you approach 40; there are other vision problems as well. To know more, read this blog about the common vision changes in the elderly.

7. Poor night vision

People with 20/20 vision have some visibility even in low light conditions. But, if you almost get blinded when the lights are out, it can be due to nearsightedness, cloudy vision, cataract, retinitis pigmentosa.

Visit your eye doctor for a quick examination. They will take your detailed medical history and if you get diagnosed for night blindness, your doctor might recommend corrective eyeglasses for a better vision both day and night.

The final word

Don’t wait until these vision changes get severe. Take annual eye exams to know what’s going on inside your eyes. If you have been experiencing these symptoms, even more so for a couple of days, don’t take the situation lightly. Visit your eye doctor and fix it before it gets worse.