Prescription Lenses
Prescription Lenses
Prescription glasses correct blurred distance vision. Some specialist spectacle designs also aim to slow myopia progression. Ordinary distance glasses, reading glasses and myopia-control lenses are not interchangeable; the prescription and lens design should follow an individual eye examination.
Do not stop wearing prescribed distance glasses or buy reading glasses to try to reverse myopia. Follow your optometrist’s wearing instructions. A near prescription may help a diagnosed focusing problem, but that is a different goal from controlling eye growth.
Animal experiments can help researchers understand how eyes grow, but they do not establish that ordinary reading glasses reverse myopia in children. Treatment advice should draw on human clinical trials and the child’s examination findings.
Modern myopia-control spectacles have been tested in clinical trials. Results vary by design and child, and follow-up remains necessary. Ask which options suit your child, how the glasses should fit and be worn, and how changes in prescription and eye growth will be monitored.
Your questions answered
Can ordinary reading glasses reverse myopia?
They should not be used as a do-it-yourself myopia treatment. Ask your optometrist to distinguish a focusing prescription from a myopia-control lens design.
How do I choose myopia-control glasses?
Arrange an assessment and discuss suitable designs, fit, wearing instructions and follow-up with your optometrist.
Request an individual myopia assessment. Explore other treatment options.
Further reading: clinical evidence and patient information.