Men 50 And Older: Are Your Eyeglasses Causing Your Headaches?

If you're 50 years of age or older, wear eyeglasses and experience headaches all the time, check the prescription strength and frame size of your eyeglasses. A number of things can affect how well your eyeglasses function and fit, including the changes you experience from aging, as well as gaining or losing weight. All of these issues can trigger headaches. To help you understand why you experience headaches, here are possible problems you may have and how you can correct them.

Your Eyeglass Prescription Is Too Outdated to Protect Your Eyes

If you haven't changed or updated your eyeglass prescription since you first received it, you probably need to do so now. As you get older, your body experiences many changes that require treatment to protect it from disease and illness, including your eyes. Eye disease is one problem your outdated eyeglasses can make worse.

Adults over 50 years of age can experience an increased reduction in their vision. Conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration can show up. If your current eyeglass prescription is too weak, the problems caused by glaucoma and other issues can become worse, including your headaches.

In many cases, you experience blurred vision and difficulty reading or seeing objects, even when you wear your glasses. Pressure builds up behind your eyes as you strain to see clearly. Eye strain and pressure can trigger other problems, such as wrinkling or creasing in your forehead. The tension in your forehead makes your headaches even worse.

Having your eyes checked now and every 2-4 years after your exam may improve your vision. The exams may also put a stop to the headaches you experience from disease and poor vision health.

However, it's a good idea to speak with your eye doctor to find out when you should have your vision checked. Depending on your overall vision and physical health, you may require eye exams more frequently than you would if you didn't have previous vision problems.

In addition, the exams give your eye doctor a chance to increase or decrease your eyeglass prescriptions, as well as examine the size of your eyeglasses to ensure that they fit properly.

Your Eyeglasses' Temples Don't Fit Right

If the temples attached to your eyeglasses don't fit right, order new ones fast. A number of things can damage or affect the temples, including bone loss and fluctuations in your weight.

Some men experience osteoporosis after 50, which means the bones of the body lose thickness or density. Taking medications to manage other health conditions, such as prostate cancer, may affect the thickness and health of your bones. Studies show that androgen deprivation therapy can create bone loss in men. The bones in your face and on the sides of your skull thin out or appear smaller. 

Even gaining or losing weight can make the temples of your eyeglasses feel too loose or tight. Tight temples press against the sides of your head and create pressure. Loose temples don't fit right at all. The temples can slip down and press against your ears or rub against your head and cause friction. 

If you experience any of the issues mentioned above, speak to your eye doctor about getting new eyeglasses. Keep in mind that if the temples don't fit properly, chances are the frame attached to them won't either. It's better to get a completely new pair of eyeglasses to avoid problems, such as a poor fit and headaches, now or in the future.

You don't have to live with headaches when you can do something about them. Schedule your vision exam soon to find out if your current eyeglasses are the causes of your headaches. Contact a company like Spectacle Shoppe, Inc. for more information.