Ever since you were little, you’ve been hearing lots of hearsay about your eyes and how to keep them healthy. Are carrots really good for your eyes, and will they help you see in the dark? Will reading fine print at night make your eyesight go bad? While many of these are based in fact, they aren’t entirely true. Let’s try to sort the fact from the fiction.
Damage Versus Fatigue
Many of these eye myths involve the threat of damage to your eyes. You may have heard that reading in dim light,
staring too long at a computer screen, wearing the wrong glasses, or sitting too close to the TV can damage your eyes and make your eyesight worse. This is not true. However, straining your eyes in these situations and other similar ones can make your eyes tired. While your vision will still function properly, you might start to get headaches thanks to the fatigue.
Carrots Galore!
If your grandmother told you to eat your carrots to improve your vision, she wasn’t wrong, but she also wasn’t right. It’s not sure how carrots became the end-all source of good eyesight, but it’s only partially true. While carrots are a good source of vitamin A (a nutrient that is essential for good vision), there are many other foods which are also rich in vitamin A—even more so than carrots.
Myths That Affect Your Health
Again, many of these myths are partially based in truth but have been skewed throughout the years. For example, due to old surgery tactics, many people think that cataracts must be “ripe” and have run their course before they are removed. While doctors used to think this was the case, new technology has proven otherwise. Similarly, you may have heard that you can receive an eye transplant. This is simply not true. The cornea can be transplanted, but the eye itself is connected to the brain. Once that connection is severed, it cannot come back.
Now that you know a little more about your eyes and what helps and hurts them, come on to see Dr. Gregg Kokame and the Retina Consultants of Hawaii. We can help you keep your eyes in tip-top condition.