A Focus on Eye Myths: What Really Affects Your Vision?

Uncover the truth about common eye myths and learn what really Affects your vision and eye health everyday.

A Focus on Eye Myths: What Really Affects Your Vision?

Misinformation about health is common, as we all know, and when it comes to your eyes the flow of (often well-meaning) falsehood is just as long as with any other aspect of health. From urban myths to well-intentioned but medically-inaccurate cliches, vision myths persist and they aren’t always as harmless as we might imagine. To start with, let’s be clear that the best way to ensure long-term eye health is to listen to experts and attend regular check-ups. As you get older, these become all the more important. But for now, let’s look at what some of the myths are, and why they aren’t accurate.

Eating carrots will fix your vision

As the old joke goes, have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses? Indeed, as with many old myths, this one is born out of a genuine truth: carrots are rich in vitamin A, which does help maintain good eye health. This is a very different matter from improving your eyesight, which carrots cannot do. If your eyes are already healthy, carrots won’t make them better. If they aren’t healthy, you’ll still need to make an appointment with a local optometrist to help with the issue you’re experiencing.

The belief that eating carrots will improve your vision has an interesting source. During World War II, British pilots showed an incredible ability to locate and shoot down enemy aircraft. This was actually a result of newly-developed onboard radar systems that the Allies didn’t want Germany to know about. To keep the truth under wraps, British propaganda experts developed the explanation it was all down to carrots. Rumours are that German squadron leaders responded by upping the amount of carrots eaten by their own pilots. So, carrots won’t cure eyesight issues, but they’re still good.

Screens will permanently damage your eyes

Again, staring at screens for inordinate periods of time isn’t a good idea, but the harms of screens are somewhat overplayed. There is simply no good medical evidence to show that screens will cause permanent damage to your eyes. Of course there are still plenty of reasons not to spend all day looking at your phone, tablet, laptop or TV, but it won’t leave damage that you’re still dealing with ten years from now.

So what is the reality? Well, digital eye strain is a thing; some people call it computer vision syndrome, and it can lead to dry eyes, headaches and temporary blurred vision. These should ease within hours of moving away from a screen, but it is beneficial to follow the 20-20-20 rule. What this means is: every 20 minutes, you should look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. And that thing should not be a screen! Wherever you tend to work or watch content, pick out a spot 20 feet away and set something there that is pleasing to the eye; if you work by a window, maybe plant some pretty flowers out there.

Sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyes

Did you know that early TV sets emitted small amounts of radiation? That seems like something that should be more widely known, and it was the real reason that – in the early days of TV – it was recommended that kids not sit too close. This hasn’t been the case for several decades, and modern screens pose no such risk no matter how close you sit. It’s still not a great idea from a point of view of overstimulation, but it won’t do anything to your eyes and it definitely won’t irradiate you.

However, if you do find yourself often sitting too close to the screen when watching TV, or holding a book too close to your face, it might actually be a sign of eye issues such as nearsightedness. So while being in close proximity to what you’re looking at won’t cause eye problems, it might highlight ones you already have. It’s worth making an appointment if this sounds like something you do.

There’s no need to have an eye exam unless you have vision problems

It’s tempting to think that you only have a problem once you know you have a problem. Tempting and wrong. The entire point of having a checkup is that it alerts you to health issues before they become symptomatic. While eye problems are less terrifying than other health issues, early detection remains one of the most effective defenses against chronic problems. It massively increases your range of options for treatment and multiplies the possibility of success. 

By attending regular eye exams, you can be confident that there will be early detection of conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. All of these conditions can cause blindness if they are left to progress. Even if they are reported the first time they show symptoms, they have already progressed further than would be ideal. And be honest with yourself; how many times have you responded to an issue somewhere in your body with “It’s probably nothing. I’ll see someone if it gets worse.”? In short, having an eye exam on a regular basis will give you a huge head-start in treating any issue.

Wearing glasses makes your eyes weaker

This one is surprisingly widely believed, as though your eyes, left to fend for themselves, will somehow show some can-do spirit and overcome the laws of physics. Okay, so the logic makes sense in a really basic way – exercise makes things stronger, so assistance prevents them from getting a needed workout. But this line is wildly and categorically untrue. Glasses do not alter the structure of your eyes, they merely correct for existing errors. If you have trouble seeing things, it’s due to near- or far-sightedness, or astigmatism. None of these will be cured by berating your eyes to work harder.

Indeed, by not wearing your prescribed glasses, you open yourself to eye strain, headaches and difficulty with focusing. The increased workload you place on your eyes and brain by going it alone will lead to exhaustion, stress and greater struggles with vision. And if you believe that your prescription changing over time shows that your glasses have negatively impacted your eyes, that’s also wrong. Everyone’s eyes change over time, primarily due to aging but also as a result of progression in a condition.

Eye exercises can cure bad vision

This is the flip side of the above point. Again, the logic makes sense in a certain way, and eye exercises can improve muscle endurance and co-ordination. They can help with some specific issues, such as convergence insufficiency, where the eyes have difficulty turning inwards to focus on close objects. So, let’s be clear, if you’re doing eye exercises, don’t stop. They can do you some good as long as you know what you’re doing. And if you’re waiting for the “but”, here it comes.

The suggestion that someone who has been prescribed glasses will no longer need them if they do eye exercises has no scientific support. You may experience some benefits from doing eye exercises; you’ll experience even better benefits if you keep doing them and wear the glasses your optometrist recommends. This cannot be stressed enough: your eyes are not experiencing difficulties because they’re weak. Corrective lenses are not substituting for hard work. They’re correcting for structural unsoundness that won’t be affected – not even a little – by eye exercises.

Rubbing your eyes is harmless

We all experience irritation and itchiness in our eyes from time to time, and rubbing the eyes to relieve this can feel great. The trouble is, it can also be harmful. For one thing, it’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut – excessive eye rubbing can break small blood vessels in your eyes, which are important for their continued function. Additionally, rubbing your eyes can transfer bacteria from your hands. Your hands can deal with most bacteria, but eyes are a much more sensitive system, and bacteria can cause conditions such as blepharitis, an eye infection which causes swelling and more itchiness.

Eye-rubbing can also aggravate conditions such as keratoconus, which weakens the cornea and can lead to vision loss. If you are experiencing eye irritation, it is much better to use lubricating drops or, if you have an issue with putting drops in your eyes (and it’s hard to blame you for that), at least a cold compress. Gel eye masks that have been placed in the freezer for a short time can provide incredible relief, or even a couple of slices of cucumber will make a big difference.

It’s understandable that we tend to take vision myths in good faith, as we tend to for health issues elsewhere in the body. They persist because they seem logical, or because we are told them by people we trust – and they heard them the same way. However, the reality is that your eyes are extremely complex, delicate features that need to be treated with care, and this is best provided by actual experts. It’s not stupid to believe the myths, but it’s definitely a smart move to seek genuine help.