Prescription eyewear (otherwise known as eyeglasses, prescription sunglasses, or contact lenses) works by bending light as it enters your eye to allow it to focus perfectly on your retina for a crystal clear viewing field. To better understand this process, we first need to understand how the eye itself functions.
- Your pupils (the dark center of your eye) dilate and contract to allow light into a complex system of nerves at the back of your eye
- This complex system of nerves is known as the retina
- If your vision is 20/20 or better, this means that light is able to focus directly on the retina
- If the lens of your eye forces light to focus before or after the retina you will suffer from common vision problems
- Eyeglasses or other corrective lenses can be used to bend the light to land correctly on the retina and allow almost anyone to have a clear viewing field
How Do Reading Glasses Work?
Reading glasses work in a similar fashion to a magnifying glass by enlarging text or images by a certain power of magnification. This type of eyewear is great for doing close-up work like reading, sewing, or drawing. Reading glasses only offer temporary alleviation of age-related myopia and are not intended for extended use. They can cause eye strain if worn for long periods of time. Eyeglasses, or glasses with a prescription, work in a similar way as they provide a level of magnification, but the lenses are also tailored in curvature and thickness to help improve the visibility of objects close at hand and far away. Unlike reading glasses, eyeglasses can be, and should be, worn all day.
What Happens to Your Eyes When You Wear Glasses?
Your eye has a series of internal mechanisms that allow light to be transferred to your optic nerve to create images. This system includes the pupils, cornea, lens, and retina. When you wear glasses your eyes adjust and:
- These three mechanisms fine-tune the light as it scatters and merges to land on the retina
- The image shrinks and curves to match the natural shape of the retina
- Reaction to light is relayed from the retina to the brain and is translated into an image
If we can say anything about the human eye, it is beautifully complex!
How Do Lenses Correct Vision?
Corrective lenses work by allowing light to focus on the correct part of the retina, bringing an image into clarity. The lens refracts and directs light to focus farther forward in the eye, instead of behind the retina, or vice versa, depending on what type of correction is needed. The curvature, thickness, and shape of a prescription lens can also account for decreased curvature of the cornea or a smaller length of the eye itself. An optometrist will run a series of tests to determine what kind of lens you need to correct your vision. Whether you want traditional eyeglass lenses or a pair of prescription sunglasses, the tests will be the same.
How do I know if I need glasses?
Blurred vision is an extremely common sign that someone might need glasses, but chronic headaches and neck pain are also symptoms that a person is straining to see. Most people's eyesight worsens as they age, so it is recommended to see an eye doctor as you get older to receive proper care and eyewear to help keep vision clear.
Eye Health Fact: 75% of Americans need corrective lenses (otherwise known as eyeglasses, prescription sunglasses, or contact lenses) to keep their surroundings in focus.
If a person is experiencing age-related vision problems, the changes may be so gradual, they do not realize them day to day. It is always a good idea to have a yearly check-in with an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They will run a series of tests to determine the health of your eyes, if you suffer from any kind of vision problems, and if you need glasses or corrective lenses. Your eye doctor will present you with a chart containing your prescription and will have measurements for your left eye, right eye, and whether or not you suffer from astigmatism. For more on how to understand your eyes’ needs, see our guide on how to read your prescription.
There is nothing more important than the health of your vision and your eyes. Here at FramesDirect, we have opticians on staff to help you find the perfect pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses. Contact us today with questions about your prescription, progressive lenses, and which styles will best flatter your face shape.
Also see: Lens Material Guide | How to Measure Glasses Size | Who Invented Glasses? | How to Clean Your Glasses
