Wearing The Wrong Lenses

There is no clinical evidence to suggest that looking through lenses with the wrong prescription or distance configuration will cause actual physical damage to your eyes. However, there could be other undesirable consequences, especially with stronger corrective lenses, such as headache, dizziness, and vertigo. While these are not permanent damages, these effects could be dangerous situation when driving, operating machinery, or performing other tasks that rely on eyeglasses for safety.

The situation is different for contact lens prescriptions though, as wearing the wrong contact prescription can cause the eyes to become red and irritated if the fit is poor and does not allow enough oxygen to reach the surface of the eyes. This condition can be serious and may cause permanent scarring and vision loss with use over time. Contact lens prescriptions have a vision correcting function as well as the need to fit correctly. If the vision part is wrong you will have blurred vision. If the shape is incorrect and does not fit well, the lenses will make your vision blurred and over time they can cause physical eye damage.

The major difference between eyeglasses and contact lenses is the fact that glasses sit on the face, while contact lenses sit on the living tissue surface of the eyes. When the incorrect prescription is worn or the eyeglass lens is not manufactured to specifications, the main risk is only blurry vision and temporary discomfort. When the wrong contact lenses are worn, there is actual danger of damaging the eye tissue. If you think a mistake has been made in filling any corrective lens prescription, you should consult your ophthalmologist or optometrist as soon as possible. Although it won’t physically injure your eyes to wear eyeglasses that aren’t exactly what the doctor ordered, wearing contact lenses requires a greater degree of precision and safety.