Curious about wearing glasses without a prescription? Are these “fake glasses”--as they’re commonly referred-to--actually bad for your eye health? On the flipside, are there any real benefits to wearing them, aside from being trendy and relatively inexpensive?

All very good questions. In short, wearing glasses with non-prescription lenses can in some cases be an asset to your overall eye health, and they really don’t deserve the distrust that many people have for them. Here’s why..

Fake glasses: helpful or harmful to eye health?

Wearing glasses with non-prescription lenses, even long-term, actually poses no detriment to your eyes. It’s akin to gazing through a window, which most of us do quite often without negative any effects. Furthermore, some types of non-prescription lenses can provide added benefits. One such example is anti-blue light lenses--a special coating available at a low cost for non-prescription lenses--which are quite effective at alleviating some of digital eye strain. They’re certainly worth a try for anyone using electronic screens for prolonged times.

Now that we’ve cleared up that misconception, there is one important note: make sure not to wear prescription corrective lenses without consulting an optometrist. Using prescription lenses that are not custom-tailored to your vision needs can actually cause eye strain, which does hurt your eyes. So make sure that your fake glasses have no corrective (+ or -) prescription number.

Freedom to make fake glasses your new fashion statement

Now you know that there are no drawbacks (and perhaps some upsides) to wearing fake glasses, there’s nothing stopping you from sporting a trendy pair to express your style! They’re lightweight, versatile and affordable, and with non-prescription lenses, they’re perfectly fine for anyone to wear, those with perfect vision included.