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Wearing glasses will weaken your eyes?

This is not true. Glasses correct near-sightedness astigmatism or presbyopia (wherein the lens in your eye can no longer focus on close objects) but they won't weaken your eyes. Their purpose is to correct the vision of people where the image of what they're looking at falls in front of or behind the retina, the "seeing" part of the eye because the eyeball has changed shape.


Exceptions are glasses for children with crossed eyes or lazy eyes. These glasses are used temporarily to help improve poor vision permanently.



Quick facts on myopia

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is being able to see clearly close-up, but not at a distance.


It turns out that myopia has been a growing concern during the pandemic, especially among children. A study published early this year in JAMA Ophthalmology, using data from Feincheng, China, reported that myopia in children ages 6 to 13 increased by up to three times in 2020 from the period between 2015 and 2019. On average, children were more shortsighted by -0.3 diopters (the unit used to measure the corrective power of the lens the eye requires).


The signs


Sitting close to the TV, complaining of headaches, tired eyes or frequently rubbing your eyes.



The cause


Short-sightedness usually occurs when the eyeball grows slightly too long as it may do in old age.


This means that the lens can't bring images to focus on the retina at the back of the eye. Instead, the light rays focus in front of the retina, so distant objects can't be seen clearly.


We don't know why it happens, but it often runs in families and has been linked to focusing on nearby objects, such as books and computer screens, for long periods during childhood.



The treatment


There are several options, depending on severity. A routine eye test, at least once every two years, to pick up on any changes, is recommended. Corrective lenses, such as glasses or contact lenses, will let you focus on distant objects. Artificial lens implants, where a man-made lens is permanently inserted into the eyes to help focus light on the retina, can help. For adults, laser eye surgery is also an option.





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