12 Common Misconceptions About Eye Health
Maintaining
good vision throughout your entire life is possible if you make sure to
take proper care of your eyes. This includes protecting them from
damage, avoiding habits that harm your eyes,
and staying healthy overall. Still, when it comes to the right way to
maintain one’s eyesight, things can sometimes get confusing. For
example, many people think that squinting or watching TV from a close
distance is harmful, and also that rubbing your eyes and overwashing
them is fine.
All
four of those examples are common misconceptions about eye health -
misconceptions that we will clarify in this article. So, if you want to
educate yourself about eye health and 12 popular myths about eyes,
continue reading.
1. Rubbing your eyes isn’t harmful as long as it doesn’t hurt
If
you have the habit of rubbing your eyes when they get tired, or you rub
your eyes a lot due to allergies and think it's fine as long as your
eyes aren't particularly red or painful afterward, consider this:
Rubbing
your eyes frequently can cause thinning of the cornea, which, in turn,
may lead to a condition called keratoconus, a common cause of vision
loss. The cornea in people suffering from this condition becomes
distorted and bulges out in a cone-like shape, which is what causes
early symptoms like blurry and double vision, light sensitivity, and
nearsightedness.
2. Reading in dim light will affect your eyesight
Many
people think that reading in a dimly lit room can worsen your vision,
but there is no evidence of that. Doctors assure that the only symptom
of reading under poor light conditions is eye fatigue. With age, we do
tend to require more light in order to read because our retinas become
weaker, but those are age-related changes and not something brought
about by a darker than usual reading environment.
3. Carrots are the best food to eat for good eyesight
Beta
carotene is the component in carrots that helps maintain good eyesight
because it's converted into vitamin A in our body, which is crucial for
eyesight. Interestingly, beta carotene is also the chemical that makes
carrots orange. However, carrots are by far not the only vegetable that
contains a lot of this very useful antioxidant: spinach, kale, red,
orange, and yellow peppers, and even sweet potatoes also contain plenty
of beta carotene.
What's
more, any other food high in vitamin A, even animal-derived foods like
cheese, milk, egg yolks, and liver will have the same benefits for your
eyesight, too.
4. Rinsing eyes with water is the best way to relieve dry and itchy eyes
If
you're suffering from dry and itchy eyes, be it due to allergies, eye
strain, or any other reason, it's important not to resort to rinsing
your eyes with water to soothe the uncomfortable symptoms. This is
because tap water is full of bacteria and other potentially harmful
microorganisms that are typically killed by your digestive juices when
you ingest the water.
Unfortunately,
your eyes aren't equipped to deal with these germs, so you're risking
to introduce an eye infection by rinsing your eyes with lots of water
all the time. Instead, doctors recommend artificial tears, which are eye
drops specifically manufactured to lubricate dry eyes.
5. Reading a book from up close is easier on the eyes
Bringing
a book, laptop, or smartphone closer to see better and read easier is a
dire mistake. In fact, this kind of near work increases nearsightedness
(myopia), especially in kids. Myopia, in turn, is a known risk factor
for many other eye conditions, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, and
cataracts. So, instead of bringing that book or device closer, do the
opposite and keep them as far away from your eyes as possible.
6. Putting on eye makeup is safe for your eyes
Eye
makeup, such as mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow are all manufactured
with eye safety in mind, but even the best makeup product should be
washed off at the end of the day. The main issue with eye makeup is
that, no matter how much you try, it's bound to get into your eyes
eventually.
Sometimes,
makeup residue can build up in your eyes and clog up the meibomian
glands in your eyes, which are tiny oil glands that moisturize the eye
and present redness and dryness. So, always wash off your eye makeup as
soon as possible and have eye makeup free days from time to time.
7. Laser surgery can get rid of all eye problems
Laser
eye surgery is a very popular and effective way to correct one's
eyesight, but few people don't know that not everyone is eligible for
this procedure. Lasik surgery can correct conditions like myopia
(nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism, but
patients suffering from keratoconus, cataract, glaucoma, and macular
degeneration aren't suitable for the surgery.
8. Any dark glasses will protect eyesight from UV damage
UV exposure is just as dangerous, if not more, to your eyes than it is to your skin. The Sun's rays affect the macula, the cornea, and the lens, and sun damage can result in:
- Macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of vision loss
- Cataract
- Pterygium, a growth on the eye that may block vision
- Skin cancer around the eyes
- Photokeratitis, a painful corneal sunburn that causes temporary vision loss.
9. Eye exams are not necessary if you have no complaints
Vision
loss is by far not the only diagnosable condition your eye doctor is
trained to spot. During a comprehensive eye exam, a doctor will check
your overall eye health. As it is with most conditions, early diagnosis
is often the key to fast recovery. Apart from that, eyes are sometimes
the first organ to show signs of serious health conditions, such as
hypertension and diabetes. So, it's best to sign up for a yearly check.
10. Wearing glasses or contacts with the wrong prescription is not a big deal
Have
you ever worn another person's eyeglasses and, all of a sudden, your
head started to ache or you started to feel dizzy? Well, guess what? The
same feelings, although maybe less intense ones, can happen if you wear
the wrong glasses or contact lenses. The main symptoms of wearing the
wrong prescription glasses or contacts are increased eye strain,
headaches, dizziness, and nausea.
11. Frequent squinting affects your vision
Now,
this one is just not true. While frequent squinting to see better can
be a symptom of farsightedness or other eye condition, the habit itself
doesn't affect your vision in any way. In fact, the worst thing
squinting could possibly give you is crow's feet - those small wrinkles
around your eyes.
12. Watching TV from up close hurts your vision
Watching
a lot of TV, even from up close, is not considered harmful for your
eyesight and cannot cause permanent eye damage. Like computer work,
prolonged TV screen time can dry out your cornea if you forget to blink
and causes eye strain, so get in the habit of taking short breaks from
time to time when you're looking at any kind of screen.