What should I do to keep my vision the same and good?

How old are you? What is scary about glasses? You probably just need much better light to read by, but if you are really scared, make an appointment with an ophthalmologist and get a retinal scan.

I’m 17 years old… glasses don’t look good on me, and I would literally cry if I needed to get them. I just don’t like glasses on myself.

There’s always contacts :-)

You just need to hear the ophthalmologist tell you not to worry. Make an appointment. It’s worth it.

There is no such thing as reading to much. There is a thing as reading to little though. The reading to much will make your eyes go bad, is a stupid urban myth. Maybe invented by people who has problems with ‘um words and stuff.

Eyes need to work and be used as any muscles in your body does. Fixating your eyes at one point of distance all the time is not overly good, but it will not affect your eye sight per se. It is good to take a break now and then if you read extensively, if not only to rest your brain as well.

Pol Pot claimed this myth in the Killing fields, claiming that people with glasses had been reading extensively and were therefore academics to be killed.

Bad eyesight is inherited from either or both of ones parents. It seems, mostly inherited from the mother for some reason.

Read on, as much as you can, and don’t worry. If you get bad sight, it’s not because of books.

yeah as @kheredia said, theres always contacts. Although i dont really know what you would do to “preserve” your eyesight.

There are some exercises that supposedly can help your eyes, and some foods that claim to be beneficial also. You will receive the best answer from your optometrist. He will be able to test your eyes, and give you some tips and ideas.

@oratio, well that’s relieving. I am glad to hear.

Anyways, thanks for all the input everyone!! I will continue reading without worry… and also resting in between. ;)

you MUST have enough light, preferably from the back of your head in a higher position than your head, otherwise you’ll tire your eyes. and also try not to look around too much while reading cuz focusing on something far away while already focusing on something close can tire your eyes too.

In my mother’s voice Don’t sit so close to the T.V. Ha.
@charliebrown, WTF (Welcome to Fluther)

@charliebrown, okay, but when I’m done reading, what do I do? Do I close my eyes for a bit before I can look around then?

@PrancingUrchin, my mother always said that too~!

I also heard that straining our eyes isn’t good either, like.. reading while laying sideways, or reading upside down or something like that.

maybe you should just rest your eyes for a few minutes. it helps me a lot when I have to multi-task that includes both reading something on the computer and something from a book at the same time.
@PrancingUrchin thank you :)

Not getting older would be an excellent start.

Eat your Veggie’s.

@curiouscat – After you read for a while, is your vision temporarily blurry when you look away but still clear when looking at the book? This may be due tonic accommodation. Google accommodation for more info on what your eyes are actually doing when you read.

@oratio – Where are you getting this information from? Although there is evidence for a genetic component to the refractive error of the eye (blurry vision), it isn’t “inherited” the way something like hair color is. So I do not understand how it would be “mostly inherited from the mother” It just increases your odds if one or both parents need correction. There is also evidence for enviromental factors causing refractive error.

I wouldn’t make it keep me from reading, but know that there is evidence that shows that there is at least a strong link between people who read a lot and near sighteness. [note this doesnt show cause-effect] Anecdotally, I knew plenty of people who came to college thinking they had perfect vision but eventually became (or realized) they were near sighted.

I agree with YARNLADY, go to your optometrist. Only someone who can actually examine you in person can diagnose what’s going on in your situation.

eat carrots.

Reading will make your eyes go bad is an old wives tale.

Look up Aldous Huxley’s sunning/palming techniques and develop a habit of giving yourself a break every hour or so. This can help keep your focal range healthy. These are similar considerations for computer screen overdose.

Contacts are great if you need ‘em. Glasses can be very attractive if they are comfortable for you.