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For teen girls, there are lots of daily activities that can impact vision and eye health. From smartphone and computer use to maintaining reading habits, exposing your eyes to digital screens, the sun’s UV rays and other objects can impact your sight in the long term if you don’t maintain your eye health.
In the US, studies have found that women are more likely to develop vision impairment or serious eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, thyroid eye disease, or chronic dry eye disease than men. This disparity in eye diseases is due to various factors, including biology and other social factors. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of research data, literature, and policy, as well as screening and treatment options to address eye health inequality.
One of the various tools used for treating different eye conditions is bifocal glasses, a type of eyeglasses that feature two different prescriptions in one lens. The top part of a bifocal lens is typically used for correcting distance vision, while a smaller portion towards the bottom of the lens is used for correcting near vision. The difference in lens types is easily visible through a line where the different viewing zones meet. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what bifocal glasses are, how to tell if you need one, and the benefits of wearing them at a younger age:
Why you may need bifocal glasses
Bifocal glasses are typically prescribed for people who have trouble seeing both near and faraway objects, and these tend to be older adults. However, bifocal lenses are also highly effective for supporting a child’s school work and helping alleviate eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, and fatigue. By wearing bifocal lenses, children with reduced focusing abilities for near vision get the support they need to enhance and maintain close vision without impacting their distance vision.
It’s important to note that bifocal glasses are to be worn for all close-distance work, especially for school, homework, or reading. Young girls may also not require bifocals for long-term use once they develop stronger control of their focusing system, so it’s best to consult with an eye doctor about when teen girls need to wear these glasses and for how long. Below are some of the benefits of wearing bifocal glasses for teen girls:
Shifting focus from nearby and faraway objects
For teen girls, this is especially useful in a classroom where they may need to look at a whiteboard and take down notes or read from a notebook. Wearing bifocal glasses helps due to the combined prescriptions. There are different styles of bifocal glasses available today. Some models, like the Peace Polarized bifocal reading glasses, include magnetic clip-ons for sunglasses so teen girls can benefit from the added sun protection.
Other ways wearing bifocals can help include other summer activities we highlighted in a previous post, such as reading and frequent visits to your local library to help stimulate the brain. Wearing bifocals can also help if you’re writing for long periods, whether a poem, short story, or a research project.
Slowing the progression of myopia
Finally, wearing bifocal glasses can also help slow down the progression of eye conditions such as myopia or short-sightedness. Studies have found that those who developed short-sightedness in childhood were also shown to become highly short-sighted and have other serious eye conditions in adulthood. Meanwhile, other studies found that women are more short-sighted on average, particularly at younger ages. Other studies also note that women have a 24% increased risk of developing myopia in childhood but are 12% less likely to develop myopia in adulthood.
As such, wearing bifocal glasses can be essential for helping teen girls’ development, education, and other hobbies. While they may not need bifocal glasses long-term, wearing them early on can help prevent the worsening of symptoms and shortsightedness later on.
