Common myths when it comes to eyesight

I must be careful not to use my eyes too much especially reading, watching TV or using computers.

For adults this is not the case. Young children may induce short-sightedness with prolonged near visual behaviour, but in adults you can’t wear your eyes out by seeing! Children should be encouraged to play outdoors often and avoid prolonged near tasks taking regular breaks.

I must change my glasses every year, otherwise my eyesight will get worse.

Not true. Changes in the eyes’ focus do occur over time but these are usually small. You might want to change your glasses if you can no longer see as well. On a vision chart a significant change means a reduced ability to read down one or more lines of the chart.

Over-the-counter cheap reading glasses are bad for my eyes.

Not true. As long as you can read through your cheap glasses, usually +2.50 to +3.00, you are fine and no harm will occur in adults. After modern cataract surgery this is often all you need as more than 85% of people have above driving-standard vision.

If one eye is no longer seeing well, because of cataract or age-related macular change, for example, the other eye is doing all the work and will be damaged.

Not true. Many people only ever develop good vision in one eye and live their whole life without any wearing out of their good eye.

My eyes have to have the same focus or power.

Not true. Many people have a difference in the focus between their eyes. This may be very useful as it can give more depth of field or the ability to keep distance and near vision when you are older. After cataract or laser surgery many patients who don’t want to wear glasses have their eyes treated to give distance clarity in one eye and near-vision clarity in the other. The brain then still uses both images to see even more clearly for both distance and near with both eyes open and used together. Some call this monovision, which is a poor description of how the brain uses both eyes together. A better term is blended vision or just simply spectacle-free binocular vision.

Carrots will make my eyes stronger and see better in the dark.

Not True. While carrots do contain vitamin A, which is important for health and a well-functioning retina, eating lots of carrots won’t make your retina or sight stronger or better. This claim is said to have been used to help keep radar secret in WW2. Not eating a healthy varied and balanced diet can, however, be harmful to your health including your eyesight.

Exercising my eyes will make them stronger.

Not true. The eye has six muscles around it for gazing in different directions and two inside controlling the iris to change pupil size. These are all highly specialised muscles that clearly cannot respond like the muscles in your body by getting bigger and stronger the more you use them.  Thyroid eye disease can make the eye muscles swell because of inflammation and this can cause problems. The control of eye movements is a complicated process controlled by several parts of the brain. Some people do benefit from training the near to distance convergence reflex if this is weak.