4 ms·

Glasses tend to degrade vision. This seems suspect, and a quick google search disagrees with you. Where did you get this information?

User23 4y ago
It’s the same principle as using crutches tends to degrade leg strength.
- Broken_Hippo 4y ago
  How? It isn't like your eyes are healing or anything. This isn't what we are doing with glasses because your eyes aren't injured. Using glasses is more akin to using crutches when your leg simply will never work - neurological disorders, permanent disability, and so on. The crutches help you get along. Or maybe you aren't using crutches, but instead a brace for drop foot or some other sort of support. What you are referring to is something that will heal - an injury. And crutches are good when you are healing, too - those times you do not want to put weight on a leg. In these cases, you don't want to use crutches too long lest you have atrophy or stiffness. But this isn't like glasses at all: In this case, for eyes, you'd use things like a temporary, protective contact and/or an eye patch (There may be cases for glasses, but I'm a layperson and simply cannot think of any right now)
  - AngryData 4y ago
    Your eyes aren't static objects and can change the lens shape and your focal distance to an extent. The theory is that by not forcing your eyes to strain and exercise towards seeing things at a farther distance they don't get the very exercises that may mitigate or delay further degradation or change in focal length in the opposite direction. I don't know of any research offhand that definitely says it does or does not permanently effects your vision, but it isn't hard to get confusing or contradictory results if studies aren't well prepared specifically because your eyes can change focus slightly through concentration and can also get tired and will effect the maximum focal change possible at different times.
- mschuster91 4y ago
  Usually people wear crutches for short-time only because they are recovering from some sort of injury. Obviously leg strength degrades because of the lack of exercise, but walking around with a broken leg also leads to a lack of exercise and reduction of leg strength.
999900000999 4y ago
Personal experience. Whenever I switch glasses my vision gets much worse. If I stay on a prescription for a while I'm stable.
- Broken_Hippo 4y ago
  That is an error in your brain's perception of things. When you use glasses for a while, your eyes get less used to straining and different muscles in your face relax. Then, when you go without, you notice the strain. This same sort of thing happens when you switch prescriptions as well (not to mention that folks' eyes might degrade as part of normal aging). Realistically, these are the same sort of things that drive folks to the eye doctor because they are having headaches.
krageon 4y ago
There's a popular theory (hormesis I think it's called) that says this. It's also just something that's popular among people that are "just logically thinking" / "using common sense", I've heard it for as long as I've had glasses (decades). Not a single doctor has agreed with this sentiment and I've never found any significant studies conducted that support this claim. If it were true you would expect it to have a lot more actual backing than it does, especially given how long the theory has been around now.

User23 4y ago

It’s the same principle as using crutches tends to degrade leg strength.

Broken_Hippo 4y ago
How? It isn't like your eyes are healing or anything. This isn't what we are doing with glasses because your eyes aren't injured. Using glasses is more akin to using crutches when your leg simply will never work - neurological disorders, permanent disability, and so on. The crutches help you get along. Or maybe you aren't using crutches, but instead a brace for drop foot or some other sort of support. What you are referring to is something that will heal - an injury. And crutches are good when you are healing, too - those times you do not want to put weight on a leg. In these cases, you don't want to use crutches too long lest you have atrophy or stiffness. But this isn't like glasses at all: In this case, for eyes, you'd use things like a temporary, protective contact and/or an eye patch (There may be cases for glasses, but I'm a layperson and simply cannot think of any right now)
- AngryData 4y ago
  Your eyes aren't static objects and can change the lens shape and your focal distance to an extent. The theory is that by not forcing your eyes to strain and exercise towards seeing things at a farther distance they don't get the very exercises that may mitigate or delay further degradation or change in focal length in the opposite direction. I don't know of any research offhand that definitely says it does or does not permanently effects your vision, but it isn't hard to get confusing or contradictory results if studies aren't well prepared specifically because your eyes can change focus slightly through concentration and can also get tired and will effect the maximum focal change possible at different times.
mschuster91 4y ago
Usually people wear crutches for short-time only because they are recovering from some sort of injury. Obviously leg strength degrades because of the lack of exercise, but walking around with a broken leg also leads to a lack of exercise and reduction of leg strength.

999900000999 4y ago

Personal experience. Whenever I switch glasses my vision gets much worse. If I stay on a prescription for a while I'm stable.

Broken_Hippo 4y ago
That is an error in your brain's perception of things. When you use glasses for a while, your eyes get less used to straining and different muscles in your face relax. Then, when you go without, you notice the strain. This same sort of thing happens when you switch prescriptions as well (not to mention that folks' eyes might degrade as part of normal aging). Realistically, these are the same sort of things that drive folks to the eye doctor because they are having headaches.

krageon 4y ago

There's a popular theory (hormesis I think it's called) that says this. It's also just something that's popular among people that are "just logically thinking" / "using common sense", I've heard it for as long as I've had glasses (decades). Not a single doctor has agreed with this sentiment and I've never found any significant studies conducted that support this claim. If it were true you would expect it to have a lot more actual backing than it does, especially given how long the theory has been around now.