You’ll have heard so many myths about your eyes in years gone by. Well today, we’re going to look at 6 common myths to simply put your mind at rest. Some will make you laugh, some will make you think.
Myth 1: Having 6/6 (we’re British, 20/20 is American) vision means your eyes are perfectly healthy
Having 6/6 vision is important, but your eye health could tell a different story. Eye diseases such as glaucoma, age related macular degeneration or diabetes can slowly affect your vision over time. This is why we stress the important of having regular eye tests to monitor any changes to your vision. Remember that saying, prevention is better than cure!
Myth 2: You’ll get square eyes if you sit too close to the TV
We’ve all heard this one before, while sitting too close to the TV won’t actually and physically change the shape of your eyes, it can indicate that your vision has changed. It could mean that you’ve become a little more short-sighted, so booking yourself an eye test will determine if you need glasses for the TV/distance.
Myth 3: Eating carrots will make you see in the dark
Thank you dad for this one, being told this at the dinner table definately made me finish all my food aged 8. In truthfulness, this is false. However, carrots do provide a great source of vitamin A which is great for protecting the cornea. Did you know that an American study claims that a vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of of preventable blindness in children worldwide?
Myth 4: Wearing glasses more will make your eyes worse
Wrong! Having your eyes corrected with glasses simply makes your life easier. It gives you the clearest and most comfortable vision but will not weaken your eyes. In fact, wearing glasses relaxes your eyes instead of straining them. Glasses are prescribed to correct refractive errors such as astigmatism, presbyopia, myopia and hyperopia.
Myth 5: Looking at the sun won’t damage my eyes
Please do not do this! Looking at the sun without fully protected UV sunglasses can damage your eyes in numerous ways. It can affect the macula at the back of your eye which can do long lasting damage in the years to come. Having prescription sunglasses that are tinted and UV400 or polarised lenses will filter out 99% of UV light from the sun. Meaning this will give you maximum eye protection all year round. So if in doubt, wear MASSIVE sunglasses! (See our monthly blog post by Michael, our Dispensing Optician Store Manager)
Myth 6: If you cross your eyes, they can stay that way
Blame your parents again. This is probably something you were told as a child. Crossing your eyes does not permanetly occur to someone who has a healthy ocular system. It just makes you look silly! However, if you do notice your child with a crossed eye when watching the TV or reading, this could indicate a muscle weakness. Book them in for a sight test to have this checked.
So there you have it, just a few common myths that we’ve just busted! If you have any questions about your eyes, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and one of our friendly members of the team will answer your question.
Hawley Optical – Vision Redefined