Many people who start experiencing presbyopia after age 40 put off wearing reading glasses because they fear it will make their vision worse and make them dependent on wearing glasses.
So instead, they hold reading material farther from their eyes and squint to see fine print more clearly. And for a while, it may work.
But presbyopia is a progressive condition. So eventually, reading glasses or another form of vision correction may be needed to read small print as this normal age-related condition advances.
People sometimes think wearing reading glasses makes their vision worse. This is because, after seeing how much clearer small print is when wearing "readers," the same print may seem much fuzzier than it did before the reading glasses were removed. You now have something to compare that blurry vision to, which can make your vision without reading glasses seem worse.
The bottom line: reading glasses don't damage your eyes — they just improve how well you see while you're wearing them. And because presbyopia progresses with age, your near vision without corrective lenses will gradually decline whether or not you wear reading glasses.
