Seeing Your Way Clear of Four Myths About Vision
It's easy to see that myths about vision are far too common, but what to do, what to do? Check out this article, and we'll tell you the truth about a few.
Why are myths about vision so common? Fear, mostly. Despite the fact that all of us are born into and occupy a magnificent organic machine our entire lives, despite hundreds of years of medical knowledge, many of us don't have a clue how our senses work -- and this leads to a fear that they'll stop working.
For most of us, eyesight is our most important natural sense. Nobody raised in a world of sight really wants to have their vision forever shuttered, because it's so limiting if you're not born to it. This leads to a lot of myths that we shouldn't have to worry about. Here are four.
Myth 1: Sitting to close to the TV or reading in the dark is bad for your eyes.
Eh...not really. The TV version of this myth about vision probably originated from the idea that televisions emit harmful radiation, which they don't. Modern TVs are perfectly safe, and so are computer screens, especially if kept at arm's length. Similarly, it's not going to permanently affect you if you read in the dark.
All that'll happen is that you'll almost certainly suffer some eye strain, which may lead to a headache, but that's about it. Reading tiny print won't hurt you any either, and you certainly won't worsen your vision with any of these activities, even if you already have poor eyesight.
Myth 2: If you see little floaty things in your vision, there's definitely something wrong!
This is a common myth about vision, but it's not true. Almost all of us see floating specks or "cobwebs" in our vision at one time or another. What are they? Well... they're little bits of gel or loose cells that have detached from the interior of the eye and are floating around in the vitreous humor, as the liquid in there is called.
Gross, yes; dangerous, no. What you're seeing is the shadow of these little guys on the retina at the back of your eye. They may be annoying and distracting, but don't worry -- they're harmless, and will eventually fade away.
Myth 3: Eating carrots will improve your vision.
Not if you're eating a normal, healthy diet, which is the case for most of us in the modern world -- despite our dependence on burgers, fries, and chocolate. But in the developing world, this myth about vision has some truth to it. It all comes down to something called beta carotene.
Carrots are full of beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body uses to make Vitamin A, which helps maintain vision. Without sufficient Vitamin A, you can easily go blind. In some parts of the world where people don't get enough Vitamin A in their diets, then, eating a lot of carrots really is a good idea.
Myth 4: Eyeglasses will eventually cause your vision to deteriorate.
We all know that specs will make your vision better in the short run, but most of us accept it as normal that they'll also make our vision deteriorate over time; and so as the years go by, we'll end up having to get more and more powerful prescriptions. But this is a myth about vision you shouldn't subscribe to.
Sure, your eyesight may get worse as time goes by -- but think on that a bit. As the years pass, you're getting older, right?
Usually your vision's going to deteriorate over time anyway, no matter what you do. So don't let this myth about vision prevent you from getting the vision correction you need right now!
