30 Under 30 Europe 2024
Glasses cause headache, it's a common symptom you experience when you start getting used to glasses? You might have thought them as sweet little harmless creatures, however, they do result in a minor but temporary invoice. No, it's not just you, we all at certain stages have experienced it or will experience it when we are introduced to glasses. There are times when many of us are tortured by the unbearable pain in the head. Although, we ignore it and simply gulp down a tablet or sleep for some time to get instant relief. In fact, people also try to soothe out pain by trying home remedies, which turn out to be a total waste. Headache is a kind of monstrous pain that spares no one. Young or old, men or women, the headache may occur to anyone at any hour of the day.
How does our eyes lead to headaches?
The causes of headache can be anything from sleeplessness, reading late at night for longer hours, working in dim light, stress, use of digital devices like computers, poor diet, health issues, diseases etc. When the muscles of the eyes are strained or excessively tired, this eye-strain is known as Asthenopia. It occurs when the sensitive and soft ciliary muscle which lies within the centre of the eyeballs are highly stressed out. This muscle can get strained as a result of various activities such as staring at the glaring water or shiny surfaced objects, driving on highways for long hours in sunshine or while driving at night with dazzling street lights, playing sports in the day time, fishing, playing games on Xbox or typing for extended hours at work, etc. All these activities involve the attack of UV rays, digital blue light, glares, reflections etc. on the precious eyes. We often forget that eyes too need rest.
But do you know that one of the major causes of the occurrence of headache can be glasses? Yes, you read it right, even glasses cause headaches. Eyeglasses are meant to correct vision but in many cases, it turns out the reason behind the strong pain in the head is because of glasses. And it can be any kind of glasses that are ruining your day and night with pain.
How can glasses cause headaches?
Glasses do cause minor inconvenience while you are getting used especially new glasses cause headache mostly because we are not used to them and it takes our brain and eyes quite some time to work in perfect coordination. It is however accomplished after giving it two or three weeks as our body parts get accustomed to them and perfectly adjust. There are many reasons to believe why glasses cause headaches, ranging from ill-fitted, wrong prescription to lack of advanced coating. The reason could be anything, even the use of wrong medication can lead to serious headaches. Some people experience pain when they do not wear glasses, while others feel a headache when they put on eyeglasses. That sounds weird, but the major cause of headache is eye strain which can even lead to migraine. Here is a list of common reasons behind regular headaches that occur due to eyeglasses along with the solution to overcome such issues.
Ill-fitted glasses frame
Can ill-fitting glasses cause headaches? Yes, it is true that ill-fitting Glasses can cause a severe headache. The reason being, such glasses are either too loose or too tight on the face. On one hand, if the glasses are loose they tend to fall from the nose as the nose pads will not adjust over the nose. Besides, the temples may also be hanging loose and will not fit properly behind the ears. Since the loose-fitting eyeglasses fall off repeatedly from the nose, the focal point of the glasses tends to shift now and then. Thus, the eyes feel strained and definitely it is going to cause severe headaches.
On the other hand, in case the eyeglasses are too tight, then surely you are going to feel pain on the areas where eyeglasses are places i.e. the nose and behind the ears. This is going to cause a headache as the temple area will be pressed tightly continuously.
How to fix it?
If issues of ill-fitting eyeglasses, be it loose or tight is painful, let the trouble go by getting it fixed from an expert. Of course, you need to either visit the optical store or call the technician to correct the ill-fitting glasses. However, in case the frame size is not right, for instance, the glasses frame is either oversized or too small to fit correctly on your face. Then there is no possibility of adjusting the eyeglasses by a technician. Unfortunately, you need to buy a new frame. Although, you may ask the Optometrist to re-use the old lenses if the optical store provides such services.
Eyeglasses with wrong prescription lenses
If you wear prescription eyeglasses to correct any eyesight disorder like nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia, astigmatism or Diplopia, then it is very important to wear the glasses following the right prescription. The reason being a wrong prescription lens in your eyeglasses not only causes a problem in focusing on the object but also leads to a headache. You must be thinking as to how can wrong glasses cause headaches, can too strong glasses cause headaches or can weak glasses cause headaches?
The answer is YES. Wearing wrong prescription eyeglasses lead to an inability of the eyes to focus on the object. If the power strength is weaker or stronger than that mentioned in the prescription, let us say that you wear eyeglasses with power strength of -3 dioptres to correct nearsightedness and the wrong prescription glasses carry power strength of -4 dioptres. Do you think this will help you in providing clear vision? A big NO. Because, in the first place, the wrong prescription eyeglasses will not help your eyes in focusing on the object. Secondly, due to regular use of such wrong prescription lenses, the eyeglasses will be strained as they try hard to focus on the object. Third, as the eyeglasses are highly stressed, the muscles and nerves inside the eyes feel tired and this leads to an unwanted headache.
How to fix it?
Well, there are two options to fix this issue. There is no doubt that the solution lies in fixing the lens. Now, you may either change the entire frame to get the new lenses having correct prescription lenses. The other option is to reglaze glasses, wherein the technician at the optical store replaces the wrong prescription lenses with the right one. Thereby, the glasses frame remains the same previous one which you were using, only the lenses are replaced with fresh ones having correct power strength in them.
Replacement of prescription lenses will not only provide a clear vision to you but will keep the unbearable headache away.
Dirty and scratched glasses lenses
Dirt and dust get easily settled on the lenses. Touching glasses with fingers or not keeping them in cover/box may attract dust on the lenses. Cleaning eyeglasses with just any clothing such as a handkerchief, corners of outfits, scarf etc. gives an invitation to scratches on the lenses. Besides, due to little negligence and carelessness, the glasses get scratched easily. With scratched and dirty glasses, the visibility gets low and objects appear to blur. Moreover, with stained, dirty and scratched lenses, the surface of bright objects or sources of light appear with a ‘halo’ around them. The question that arises here is - Can scratched glasses cause headaches? Can dirty glasses cause headaches?
The answer is affirmative. Scratched glasses reduce the clarity of the eyeglasses and the user finds it difficult to focus on the objects. Not only scratches, but dirt, dust, moisture, water and fingerprints cause the glasses to appear a little hazy and unclear. As a result, the eyes are put into more pressure to see the objects. The stressed eyes are the cause of tension and strain in the muscles as well as the nerves. Automatically there are chances of occurrence of pain in the head.
How to fix it?
Well, to avoid dirt and dust on settling the surface of the glasses lenses, always clean glasses by using a lint-free soft cotton cloth which can be sourced from the optical store. Do not forget to store eyeglasses in the box / eyeglasses-case when not in use after wrapping safely in the lint-free soft cloth. Do not put the eyeglasses on your head, in the pockets of your dresses, handbag etc. as it will lead to scratches on the glasses lens. Also, avoid hanging eyeglasses on the neckline of your outfits. Avoid touching lenses with fingers, as the fingerprints hinder the visibility. While cleaning eyeglasses, it is better to use a cleaning solution such as Lensguard or follow suitable remedies to clean lenses.
Besides, to be on a safer side, always insist on buying eyeglasses with anti-scratch lenses and shock resistance properties. These advanced features prevent scratches and the glasses do not break due to an accidental fall.
Worn away and old eyeglasses
Many people have the habit of wearing eyeglasses for ages, they do not change the glasses even after 10 years of usage. They probably think that glasses once bought are meant to be used forever. But this is not the right practice to follow. It is not wrong to say, can old glasses cause headaches? Naturally, the worn-out glasses become a house to an infinite number of criss-cross scratches. These old glasses do not provide clear vision. Therefore, the eyes become stressed while focusing on the object. Obviously, it is going to cause a headache as the eye muscles are tensed and tired.
How to fix it?
One should regularly undergo comprehensive eye examination done, not less than once in every year. As such, this habit must be maintained for healthy eyes as well. A regular eye test makes you familiar with the current condition of the eyes. Nowadays, eye test at optical stores located at Bury and Walkden are absolutely free. So make the most of free services and avail the facility to get your eyes tested by an experienced optometrist.
After the eye test, get your glasses also examined by the Optometrist. He is the right person to inform you whether your existing glasses are fine or need to be changed. If there is any change in the prescription or the eyeglasses lenses are old and worn out, The Optometrist will advise you to get rid of the old lenses. In this scenario, change either the entire glasses frame or chose to select reglaze glasses for replacement of lenses only.
Adjusting to new eyeglasses
Can new glasses cause headaches? Indeed, a brand new pair of glasses is equally responsible for causing a headache. Since your eyes and brain are habitual of wearing old prescription eyeglasses or not wearing eyeglasses at all, a change in the prescription may cause headaches for many people. This occurs because the brain becomes wired to view the objects according to the old prescription. Whereas, the first pair of prescription eyeglasses or an alteration in the existing prescription brings changes in the degree of the focal point. As such, the eyes take some time to adjust which may lead to a headache.
The harsh situations are faced by people who wear bifocals or varifocal eyeglasses for the first time or there is any change in their prescription. Since these glasses consist of more than one power in a single lens, the first time user may take some time to get used to them initially. The bifocal user who has never worn eyeglasses or used to wear glasses with single vision lens earlier will find a major difficulty when adjusting to the upper and lower portions of the glasses to view the objects placed at a distance and nearby. Same is the case with varifocal glasses, the user takes a couple of days to a couple of months to get acquainted with their first-ever varifocal glasses. This is because varifocal glasses have three different zones for making the objects appear clear kept at a distance, nearby and at an intermediate level without any visible partition in the lens. Adjusting to a new pair of varifocal or bifocal glasses does cause the headache for the initial few days of usage.
How to fix it?
For getting used to new glasses, including varifocal or bifocal glasses, the key solution is to keep wearing them as much as possible. Therefore, do not keep them closed in the drawer and stop wearing old glasses every now and then. This will neither help nor will it do any good to you. Escaping from a new pair of single vision, varifocal or bifocal eyeglasses is not the right solution. In fact, these glasses are meant to clear distorted refractive index of the eyes. Therefore, stick to them for the maximum number of hours. Wear them from morning to night or till the time you do not require them such as at the time of sleeping or bathing. The only option to prevent a headache is to get habitual with the new pair of eyeglasses by using them on a daily basis. Moreover, never use the old eyeglasses, as it will only enhance the degree of the headache rather than doing any good.
Glasses without digitally advanced coating
In this digital era, everything has gone digital including eyeglasses. Earlier people were not aware of the benefits of digitally enhanced eyeglasses. Previously crafted glasses were lacking the ability to safeguard the eyes from glares, ultraviolet rays, blue light and reflections. We know that most of us spend 10 or more hours working on computers and laptops at work, that too without taking any break. Forget about the 20-20 break rule, people tend to check out their smartphones while at the break time. Keeping eyes glued to digital devices, causes blue light to pierce through the natural lens of the eyes and harm the retina. It is imperative to mention that a huge portion of the society is suffering from digital migraine i.e. headache caused due to the use of digital devices. Simultaneously, these digital screen devices bring a lot of glare with them. The harmful blue light and strong glares from these devices cause tiredness of the eyes, resulting in a severe headache. In fact, there are other sources of glares too. Such as strong sunlight, reflection from the wqSbright flat surface, beaming lights of the vehicle on road, sparkling water bodies, shining roads, and so on. Working in the presence of strong glares or staring at these reflections causes even eyes to blink. The stress caused to eyes obviously causes headache. Apart from blue light and glares, one of the major causes of headache is the UV rays. Since the UV rays are present in the sunlight, you cannot escape them. They not only harm the retina, like the glares, they are also the cause of the headache and may lead to migraine.
How to fix it?
To protect eyes against the harmful UV rays, glares and blue light rays, always buy eyeglasses that provide a digitally advanced coating on the lenses and possess anti-UV, anti-glare and blue light block properties. This will prevent eyes from unnecessary strain and the harmful effects. The UV rays, glares and blue light may also cause grievous medical conditions such as macular damage, cataract, retinal damage and migraine. To protect eyes, hide them behind the shield of advance coating glasses.
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