Vision myths debunked: The eyes are the most priced organ, only after the brain and heart. The eye is the sense organ that helps us to see this world, literally! Seeing helps us to perceive our surroundings and check for danger if any. Seeing is considered one of the best gifts one can ever receive. But there are many vision myths that have been passed from generation to generation. Many of them have been debunked due to our increased knowledge about the functioning of eyes and also how sight works. Some of the popular preventive healthcare myths that have been debunked are:-
1. Reading in the dark or in dim light will hurt your eyes and make you blind.
It is not true. While reading in dark or dim light can make it harder for you to see things that can make your eyes feel tired, yet, it is not known for causing any kind of long-term side effects.
2. Don’t sit too close to television or computer screens, it will damage your eyes
This is the one that we all grew up listening to. Viewing screens doesn’t damage your eyes, but it tiers your eyes. Staring at screens or in fact anything for a longer period of time can dry out your eyes, therefore, blinking at regular intervals can help you to prevent this.
3. You become farsighted as you grow older
As we grow older, it becomes hard for us to see things, close-up. But this is not similar to farsightedness. Farsightedness means you have a good sight at viewing things at a distance than focusing on near view objects. This condition is present throughout one’s lifetime. But what older people face is presbyopia, which is a shortening in the size of the eye lens, thereby making it difficult to see near objects.
4. Beta-carotene improves vision
Beta-carotene is present in carrots and green leafy vegetables don’t correct blurry vision. It is useful preventive healthcare if you have a Vitamin A deficiency, which ultimately helps with night sightedness. But once your vision becomes blurry, there is no use in taking any kinds of such supplements.
5. When you go blind, your other sense organs improve to make up for the loss
Loss of sight doesn’t heighten other senses. It just helps your brain to process the information from the other organs better, because mostly sight is a distraction. It is for the same reason that we often close our eyes during concentration.
6. Dark sunglasses provide the best protection against UV rays
Tinted glasses make your eyes comfortable but are not of any specific use to UV rays. Check for glasses with UV rays protection to save your eyes from damage.
7. Squinting will cause your eyes to stick that way
The muscles which help to make your eyes move left and right also help you to converge them in the middle. So if squinting cause your eyes to stay stuck, then it must also happen when you move them left or right. This is clearly a hoax.
8. Colour blindness is only found among males
Colour blindness is basically when a person can’t differentiate between reds and greens, sometimes blues too. Although it’s mostly found among males it can also be found among females.
9. Wearing corrective lenses will make your vision worse
This is quite an absurd myth to believe in. The main reason for people to think this is, that if your eyes are already bad enough to use glasses or contact lenses, it doesn’t matter if you use them or not as your eyes are already on the path to getting worse. This belief is backed by the fact that after various intervals, we have to, again and again, visit the doctor to know the correct power of the lens. But in fact, if you don’t wear corrective lenses for preventive healthcare, it will only damage your eyes further.
10. Poor eye health or vision loss is genetic
Although some types of glaucoma and cataract can be inherited, there is no clear proof that you won’t suffer from it, if your family doesn’t have a history of it.
Vision myths still persist in this era, where knowledge is just a click away. Most people believe these kinds of myths because of their popularity or they have grown up with these kinds of beliefs. Many vision preventive healthcare myths have been debunked but some are not. Soon, they too will be guided by facts rather than fiction. Check out our website/ blog for more info regarding similar topics and even more.
What is the perfect vision number?
20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance.
Does eye power increase after 18?
Your eye doctor is partly right that eye power does not change much between 18-40 years but slight changes are happening all the time, not only in the eyes but all over the body and everything around us in the world.
Is milk good for the eyes?
Dairy products such as milk and yogurt can be good for the eyes. They contain vitamin A as well as the mineral zinc. Vitamin A protects the cornea while zinc helps bring that vitamin to the eyes from the liver.
Is garlic good for the eyes?
The eyes also benefit from garlic. Not only does it help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but it can help prevent cataract development and promote proper lens focusing. That’s because it contains sulphur and quercetin. One clove of garlic per day can provide a lot of protection for the eyes.
Can eyesight be restored?
Recent scientific advances have meant that eyesight can be partially restored to those who previously would have been blind for life. However, scientists have discovered that the rewiring of the senses that occurs in the brains of the long-term blind means that visual restoration may never be complete