Re: Why do people's eyes bulge out after wearing glasses for a while?

Hi Ali,

I am not aware of any conditions in which simply wearing glasses cause one's eyes to appear bulged out but I can offer some possible explanations.

Myopic individuals, especially those who have "high" prescriptions tend to have very steep corneas and longer eyeballs relative to those who have no need for correction. Thus the effective "power" of their visual system is essentially too strong for them to see without blurriness. So one might notice an appearance that the eyes are bulged but really it is just a matter of anatomy. The steepness of the cornea and longer length of eyeball itself can give this appearance.

Another explanation could be that one could be suffering from an eye disease or injury that is unrelated to wearing glasses, that physically causes a eyeball to protrude somewhat from the eye socket. Some diseases that cause what is known as proptosis or exophthalmos are: Grave's disease (related to hyperthyroidism), conjunctivitis (many forms), episcleritis, and mechanical injury to the eyelid.

I also believe that nutrition may cause an appearance of a bulged eye. People who intake a lot of caffeine for example tend to have what is called eyelid tonicity in which the muscles of the eyelid exert more than usual muscle tone thus retracting a bit away from the front of the eye. Of course, certain medications and the use of recreational drugs can cause the same appearance.

I hope my explanation helped answer your question. Good luck!

Kenton L. McWilliams, O.D.