Nearsighted glasses correct your vision so that far away objects appear clearer. Unlike reading glasses, they cannot be bought over the counter and must be prescribed by a professional eye doctor. Have a proper prescription? Visit our eyewear page to browse our collection of fashionable nearsighted glasses frames.
Where To Buy Nearsighted Glasses
Due to how common myopia is, there are many well-developed glasses and lens options for correcting nearsightedness. Single-prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses are the most common way to correct for myopia, though new research suggests multifocal lenses are very effective at slowing the progression of the condition.
Prescription lenses can be purchased from a wide selection of online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Hundreds of glasses and lens options for nearsightedness are accessible and affordable. They can even be delivered right to your doorstep.
If this is your first time getting prescription glasses, a comprehensive eye exam is the best place to start. An eye care professional will review your health history, assess your current eye health, and provide accurate glasses and contact lenses prescriptions, if needed. With a vision prescription in hand, you can visit any eyewear retailer, online or in person, to find the perfect pair of glasses for you.
Myopia results from the inconsistent shaping of the cornea and lens, which causes light rays to bend improperly, making images appear just in front of the retina instead of on it. This is called a refractive error and is the reason why nearsightedness causes distant objects to become blurry.
The traditional and most common way to correct for nearsightedness is by wearing prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. Glasses and contact lenses change the way light is focused on the retina, so objects far away can be seen clearly once again.
The good news about myopia is that there are many vision correction options available to you. If you are not interested in or do not qualify for laser eye surgery to correct your myopia, there are many glasses and lenses options available to help you achieve clear vision for all of your daily activities.
The above retailers are just a sample of the many companies that offer lenses for nearsightedness. There are hundreds of online and in-store retailers located throughout the country that offer prescription lenses.
If you are on the hunt for a pair of prescription glasses, the best place to start is with a comprehensive eye exam. Eye exams can take place at your eye doctor. You can also get them at eyewear centers and retailers that offer on-site eye exams to determine your vision prescription.
It is important to note that eyeglass prescriptions and contact lens prescriptions are not the same. Because glasses and contact lenses affect the eye differently, you likely need different prescription strengths for the two types of lenses. If you would like contact lenses, be sure to make that clear to the eye care professional who is conducting your eye exam.
Once you know your glasses or contact lenses prescription, you can take it to any eyewear retailer to get filled. If you have insurance that covers the cost of glasses or contact lenses, check first that it is accepted by the specific retailer.
Experts from the American Optometric Association (AOA) explain that anyone with any level of nearsightedness should be offered myopia control. Multifocal lenses can help the condition from getting worse, but anyone struggling with achieving clear vision should seek corrective eyewear of some type.
"You can imagine that if people with nearsightedness had some special skill, they might even be revered," says Schwab. Fine engravings found on ancient coins, for example, might have benefited from a nearsighted artist's craftsmanship. "Now that's just speculation," he adds. "I can't prove that." Another possible upside of myopia? It could mitigate the difficulty of seeing up close that comes with aging.
Things started to look up for the visually challenged at the end of the 13th century, when the earliest known eyeglasses were invented in northern Italy. The region was a hub for glass production, says Neil Handley, the museum curator at the College of Optometrists, London. Merchants soon carried spectacles along the Silk Road to Asia, where they served as status symbols. Some judiciary committees in China even mandated spectacles as part of the uniform. Still, they didn't become as common there as they did in Europe, where spectacles were produced.
These glasses had more in common with magnifying glasses than today's eye accessories. "You pick them up, and you feel the difference," says Jenny Benjamin, director of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Museum of Vision. "You can't wear them on your face; they'd just fall off."
Early glasses were heavy and prone to shattering, Benjamin says. They were intended to help people read, rather than aid nearsightedness. Often, glasses featured quartz instead of glass, since the latter was often turbid.
Glasses for nearsightedness likely arose in the 15th century. "Because they were seen as being unusual and rare, they were seen as having magical powers," says Handley. People who wore glasses "were in league with the devil, immoral."
"They're still universally seen as a disability aid. And they're slightly embarrassing," Handley says of glasses in the 18th century. "But nonetheless, if you're at the richer end of the market, you can show off a bit."
Before prescriptions, customers tried on glasses and chose a pair through trial and error, often from a traveling peddler. But in the 1800s, Handley says, people began receiving eye exams for glasses. In 1862, Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen invented the standardized eye chart that taunts so many today.
Of course, glasses still present challenges. Xavier Holland of Boston, 28, has worn glasses for nearsightedness since he was 10. The glasses fog when Holland opens the dishwasher and make 3-D glasses at the movies a pain.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision problem that often begins between the ages of 6 and 14. It affects an estimated 5% of preschoolers, about 9% of school aged children and 30% of adolescents.
Children are more likely to develop myopia if their parents are nearsighted. However, myopia is on the rise overall, especially in kids. No one is exactly sure why, but experts believe it could be related to more time doing closeup tasks indoors like using computers and playing video games.
In hyperopia, or farsightedness, distant objects are clearer than near objects. It takes more work to focus on everything, but especially on close-up objects. Children's eyes haven't totally developed yet, so some farsightedness is normal in childhood. Most kids don't experience blurry vision though because their eyes automatically focus. As they grow, children usually become less farsighted and may become nearsighted instead.
Myopia cannot be reversed or cured, but it can be treated. The goals of treatment are to improve your child's vision and prevent it from getting worse. This is important for protecting their eye health in the future, even if they still need glasses or contact lenses.
Glasses for myopia can be used all the time or just when they're needed so your child can see far away. It's important to choose frames that fit well and that work for your child's age and activities. For example, if you have a young child, it may help to buy glasses with a strap so they stay on more easily. Or if your child plays sports, getting sports goggles will keep their regular glasses from getting broken. An optician can help you figure out what your child may need.
It's important to always have glasses for backup, even if your child wears contact lenses most of the time. If your child has eye pain or redness while wearing contact lenses, contact your ophthalmologist or optometrist right away.
People who have myopia (also known as nearsightedness) have difficulty seeing distant objects, but can see objects that are near clearly. For example, a person who is nearsighted may not be able to make out highway signs until they are just a few feet away.
Usually, myopia is a minor nuisance that can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. But in rare cases, a progressive type called degenerative myopia develops that can be very serious and is a leading cause of legal blindness. Degenerative myopia affects only about 2% of the population. It is believed to be inherited and is more common in Jewish, Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern people.
If you are nearsighted, your eyeball is too long from front to back, or your cornea is too curved or there are problems with the shape of your lens. Light coming into your eye focuses in front of the retina instead of on it, making faraway objects look fuzzy.
When an eye care provider develops your eyeglass prescription for nearsightedness, it will be a negative number, depending upon your degree of nearsightedness, such as -2.00. The higher the number, the stronger your lenses will be.
If you are an adult experiencing sudden nearsightedness, floaters (sort of like spots floating through your field of vision), flashes of light or shadows, or sudden sight loss in one eye, contact an eye care provider immediately to rule out a more serious health condition.
With myopia, your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is a negative number, such as -3.00. The higher the number, the stronger your lenses will be. The prescription helps the eye focus light on the retina, clearing up your distance vision.
Launch Simulator-->Nearsightedness, or 'myopia', typically starts in childhood and usually requires glasses or contact lenses to see clearly for activities like viewing a whiteboard at school. Nearsighted children may experience an increase in their nearsightedness as they grow, resulting in a greater reliance on glasses or contacts. See how vision without glasses or contact lenses changes with increasing levels of nearsightedness.Launch Simulator
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