Glasses for myopia (nearsightedness)—what are your options?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common eye condition affecting people of all ages, causing blurry vision when looking at faraway objects. Glasses have been a simple way to correct nearsightedness for a long time, but the type of glasses that your eye doctor may recommend may change depending on how old you are.

Medically reviewed on October 27, 2025

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Published on February 17, 2026

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5 minute read

Standard single-vision glasses to correct nearsightedness

Many people with myopia wear standard single-vision glasses to see clearly at a distance. These glasses are simple and effective at correcting blurry vision caused by myopia. The prescription your eye doctor provides is tailored to your eyes to help focus light properly on the retina (the part of your eye that helps turn light into what you see). For nearsightedness, the prescription numbers are negative, with low negative numbers like -1.0D (diopters) indicating low levels of myopia and higher numbers (like -4.0D) indicating higher levels of myopia. They are easy to wear and come in many styles, from basic to fashionable.

How they work

When you have myopia, your eye focuses light in front of your retina, rather than on it, making vision blurry at a distance. Eyeglasses for myopia are concave, helping the light entering your eye focus where it’s supposed to—on your retina.

Glasses made to help manage childhood myopia

Myopia is more than just the nearsightedness that people know it for. It’s actually a progressive disease where the eye grows too long. It can start at a young age, and the earlier the child develops myopia, the more severe it may get due to myopia progression during their growing years. The problem is, the lengthening of the eye doesn’t just cause blurry vision, it can increase the risk of other more severe eye health conditions later in life. That’s why doctors have been looking for ways to slow or prevent myopia in children.

Lenses that may help slow progression of myopia

Myopia management glasses work by changing how light enters the eye. One approach for this is called peripheral light defocus. To do this, the eyeglass makers include tiny lenslets around the central lens to help keep peripheral light from focusing in the eye.

Managing childhood myopia

Glasses for myopia as you age

Depending on your degree of myopia, your eye doctor may recommend a few options if your vision starts to change with age.

Your myopia prescription and reading glasses

This can be a bit of a hassle if you wear glasses to correct myopia, because you’ll need to juggle two pairs of glasses, but some people prefer this approach.

Bifocal glasses

These glasses have two zones of focus—one for distance and one for near vision. They usually have a line in between the two zones, with near vision being on the bottom and distance vision on the top.

Progressive glasses

These lenses have a smooth, gradual change in strength from the top to the bottom of the lens. This means you can see clearly at all distances—far away, intermediate (like computer work), and up close—without switching glasses. The top part of the lens helps you see distant objects, the middle part is for looking at things like a computer screen, and the bottom part helps with reading or close tasks.

Questions? Talk to your eye doctor

If you have questions about glasses for myopia, it’s important to reach out to your eye doctor. They can assess you or your child's eyes, discuss treatment options, and recommend the right glasses or other management strategies.

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What are myopia glasses?

Myopia glasses are eyeglasses designed to correct nearsightedness by focusing light properly onto the retina, helping you see distant objects clearly.

Can myopia glasses slow down myopia progression?

Some specially designed myopia management glasses may help slow down the progression of myopia in children.

Are high myopia glasses different?

High myopia glasses are made for people with very strong prescriptions. Since they tend to be thicker than glasses for people with a weaker prescription, they may have feature—like a high-index material—that make them more wearable.

What are spectacles for myopia?

“Spectacles” is just another word for glasses, so spectacles for myopia are just eyeglasses made to help correct myopia.

Are glasses for myopia safe?

Yes, when fitted properly and worn as recommended, glasses are a safe and effective way to correct and manage myopia.