5 signs you might need glasses

There are those little warning signs that tell us our eyes might need a check-up. Your phone may be getting ever closer to your face as you read it. Or maybe you have to get a little closer to that road sign to see what it says. And since it happens gradually, it’s not always obvious at first.

But not wearing glasses when you need them reduces your quality of life. Here are some common clues that might mean you have vision problems.

1. Nagging headaches

Getting headaches more often? It can be a painful sign that our eyes are struggling to focus.

Bupa optometrist Karen Makin tells us that these “vision headaches” can occur at the front of your head or around your temples. If this is happening, make an appointment with an optometrist to check it out.

2. Squinting to see

If you catch yourself squinting your eyes to make out what’s on the TV, you’re more than likely in need of glasses. Makin says this “can be a sign of short-sightedness.”

If you notice that you’re tightening those muscles around your eyes, it’s worth getting your eyes checked.

3. Feeling eye strain

Your eyes automatically adjust to focus on where you’re looking. But when you’re having trouble with your vision, your eyes have to work much harder to try and focus.

If you're reading, driving, or looking at a computer screen and your eyes feel sore or tired afterwards, that’s eye strain.

Makin says eye strain can happen while looking in the distance or focusing on something up close. It’s worth having a chat with your optometrist to see what they can do.

4. Blurry vision

Blurry vision can come in different forms. You might notice only part of your field of vision seems blurry—or it could be everything in sight. If things seem more blurry than they used to be, that’s a sign it’s time to get your eyes checked.

5. Blurry vision... at night

You might feel pretty good about your sight during the day, but then at night things seem a little off. This could be a sign of vision impairment.

It’s often about light. So if you notice that things start to get a bit more difficult at night, for your comfort and safety, it’s a good thing to check out.