I’m sure you have heard the vision myths while you were growing up. Your mom telling you “you’ll hurt your eyes if you sit too close to the tv” or my favorite “eat your carrots for better vision”. Well, I think it’s time to get to the bottom of all these vision myths and get some vision facts once and for all!
Myth: If you sit too close to the tv you’ll hurt your eyes.
Fact: The truth is if you need to sit close to the tv to clearly see what is going on you may already have vision problems. Sitting close to any object to see it better is a symptom of nearsightedness and you should talk with your doctor. However, there is no scientific proof that sitting to close to a tv will cause any damage to your eye site.
Myth: If you eat carrots they will improve your vision.
Fact: While it is true that carrots carry beta-carotene and a source of vitamin A, which are both essential nutrients, eating carrots will not improve your eye site regardless how many you eat. They are however an essential part to a healthy diet.
Myth: Reading in the dark can damage your eyes.
Fact: We have all read in the dark once or twice in our lives I’m sure. Lucky for us, the only thing this will cause is eye fatigue. You may get a slight headache and your eyes will become tired a bit quicker causing words to seem blurry but this is only temporary and no permanent damage has been done to your vision.
Myth: Wearing someone’s glasses will hurt your eyes more then it will help.
Fact: There is a slight truth to this one. While you are wearing someone else’s glasses your eyes will not be working as they normally would. This however is only temporary and as soon as you take the glasses off your eyes will automatically adjust back to normal.
Myth: Vision loss happens and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
Fact: There is some truth to this, while as we age our vision will naturally deteriorate and won’t be as sharp. But, you can slow this down with a healthy diet, wearing protective eye gear such as goggles or sunglasses, and having regular eye exams.
Myth: Starring at the computer all day will ruin your eyes.
Fact: When you stare at anything for an extended period of time you tend to blink less causing dryness and eye strain but will not affect your vision. It is recommended for you to take regular breaks and frequently glance away from the computer when working for an extended amount of time.
Myth: Staring directly at the sun is okay if you squint or are wearing sunglasses.
Fact: It is never recommended to stare at the sun. The sun produces ultra-violet rays which can cause damage to your cornea, lens, and retina. Even the best sunglasses can’t block UV rays 100%. It should also be noted that staring directly at a solar eclipse can cause blindness.
Myth: Crossing your eyes will make them stay like that.
Fact: When you cross your eyes for humor or amusement it may cause a few laughs but it will not cause permanent damage to your eyes and once you are done your eyes will return to normal placement. Our eyes naturally come together when we look at something closely so when you purposefully cross your eyes you are just exaggerating your eyes natural response.
Myth: Children with crossed-eyes or misaligned eyes will grow out of it as they get older.
Fact: Crossed-eyes, a condition called strabismus, and misaligned eyes, a condition calls amblyopia, will not correct themselves over time. The eye must be forced to correct this by using patching, glasses, eye drops, or surgical procedures. The best results are achieved when the corrections are started as soon as possible.
Myth: You don’t have to have regular eye exams and only need to have your eyes checks when you are experiencing problems.
Fact: It is very important and highly recommended to have regular eye exams. Regular eye exams can prevent eye disease, help find other health problems, and correct eye problems at an early stage helping to prevent more damage.
There are many more vision myths out there that we didn’t touch on in this article but these are some of the common ones. If you are in doubt that what your hearing about vision is a myth or fact talk with your eye professional to get the truth.