Having less-than-perfect vision isn't as uncommon as you may think. About 75% of adults use some sort of vision correction, according to The Vision Council. About 64% of them wear eyeglasses, and about 11% wear contact lenses, either exclusively, or with glasses. How many people wear glasses?
The simple answer is that about two-thirds of American adults wear some kind of glasses or contacts.
Over 61% of the population or 177 million people in the United States need some sort of vision correction according to Jobson Research. 61% need eyewear due to “nearsightedness” (myopia) and 31% need vision correction due to age related “farsightedness” (presbyopia).
Even if you have enjoyed relatively good eyesight for most of your life, everyone reaches a point eventually where they need reading glasses. You might remember your grandparents or parents pulling out reading glasses every time they were looking at small details or fine print.
Some people can go most of their lives without needing glasses. Others may end up getting them while they're young. For the rest of us, vision problems don't surface until early adulthood or middle age.
Not wearing your prescription glasses won't actually cause harm to your eyes, but they will give you other kinds of unpleasant symptoms. These can include blurry vision, headaches, and tired, strained eyes. Children requiring prescription lenses and don't wear them can cause their eyes to develop improperly.
You can stop wearing your glasses or contact lenses for many eye conditions without risking your eye health. You may experience uncomfortable symptoms, but it won't damage your eyes. For example, when patients with hyperopia stop wearing their glasses, they won't see close distances clearly.
Most Kids Need Glasses Starting in Elementary or Middle School. Most kids who wear glasses end up getting them during elementary or middle school between 6 and 12. Some of the most common signs that kids might need glasses include dropping grades, recurring headaches, and rubbing the eyes or blinking excessively.
Squinting, headaches, and fatigue
Not wearing glasses also poses an interruption to daily life as you might bump into or trip over things, be unable to see far away or up close (more on that later), or have trouble reading or seeing at night. Less obvious warning signs vary by age.
The answer may be as young as a few months of age. Healthcare providers who specialize in children's eye care say kids usually become nearsighted or farsighted between ages 6 and 12. Farsightedness may be diagnosed even earlier, sometimes in infancy. Even infants can wear glasses if they need help to see well.
According to Optometry Australia's 2020 Vision Index, two-thirds of Australians surveyed wear prescription glasses; however, only 37 per cent wear them all the time.
In the United States alone, about 12 million people age 40 and above suffer from vision impairment, with about a million suffering from blindness. Globally, the statistics are just as similar, with reports from the World Health Organization showing over 2.2 billion people with eye and vision problems.
This statistic displays the share of individuals who wear eye spectacles in selected European countries in 2020. In that year, approximately 70 percent of the populations of Belgium and North Macedonia wore spectacles. This was followed by Switzerland at 67.7 percent and Norway at 66 percent.
Children don't outgrow their vision problems — left untreated, they will just continue to struggle as adults. Most of the time, vision problems persist or worsen in adulthood. Fortunately, optical correction or vision therapy during childhood can treat many vision problems.
Bad eyesight can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from genetics to lifestyle habits. It is important to take steps to prevent vision problems by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and protecting our eyes from harmful environmental factors.
Wearing glasses will help improve your eyesight only when you are wearing them. If you want your vision to improve without wearing glasses, you will have to treat your eye issues' root cause. Your glasses will only correct your sight based on your existing prescription.
If your child has a refractive error like myopia (nearsightedness), they probably need prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct or manage the issue. But will their vision be harmed or get worse if they don't wear prescription eyewear? In general, no, it won't.
Until evidence-based research proves otherwise, it's safe to assume that nonmedical self-help eye exercise programs won't keep you out of glasses if you need them and won't change the ultimate course of your nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia, or astigmatism.
Most adults between the ages of 19 and 40 enjoy healthy eyes and good vision. The most common eye and vision problems for people in this age group are due to visual stress and eye injuries.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision problem that impacts nearly 1 in 3 Americans. Like many eye conditions, myopia can get worse with age. Most commonly, myopia will start to develop in school-age children and will continue to progress until it stabilizes around the age of 20.
The teenage years are often when common vision problems first arise. A US study conducted in 2016 found that 51.9% of girls and 38.8% of boys aged 14–17 wore glasses or contact lenses, highlighting the prevalence of the need for eyewear within the teenage cohort.
Although it's much more common for your eyesight to get worse over time, it is possible for it to improve. While positive lifestyle changes may possibly improve your vision, other possible causes include eye conditions and diseases.
Many vision problems are treatable or manageable if discovered early. However, once vision loss starts, it may be irreversible. Take steps to care for your eyes today to help protect your vision far into the future.
In many cases, glasses can correct vision to 20/20. If you had adequate vision from the start, sometimes corrective eyewear can even give you 20/15 vision or better. However, keep in mind that while glasses can improve your visual acuity, your eyes won't experience any physical changes.