Myths About Eye
Through the ages, all of us might have heard a lot many myths about eye and would have wondered whether it’s true or not. Here is a detailed description of some of the common eye myths you might have encountered.
1. Too much screen time/ study time weakens your eyes
Extended periods of screen time will not reduce your vision. However, it will put a strain on your eye muscles and you can develop symptoms like headache or discomfort inside the eye.
During the period of concentration normal blinking of the eye is affected due to concentration or staring, which can lead to problems like dry eye and exhaustion of the ocular muscles.
However there lies no truth in the myth that reading too much will reduce your vision,
2. Wearing glasses all the time will reduce your eye sight
If you are wearing the prescribed glasses all the time, it will not reduce your vision. On the other hand, if you do not use glasses it will lead to a further reduction in vision specifically in children below the age of 8 years and a condition called amblyopia (the lazy eye) will develop.
Once the lazy eye develops it becomes almost impossible to return the vision. Many parents do not put stress on children on wearing glasses because of the myth reason or cosmetic purpose that eventually leads to an irreversible decrease in vision.
3. Rosewater make eyes clean and strong
There is no evidence in the context that rose water can benefit your eyes in any way. People using rose water for newborns or adults can develop toxicity that can further worsen the condition.
It can cause follicular conjunctivitis which is caused by excessive use of any type of eye drops.
4. Watering of eyes in neonates subsides with a shoulder massage
The tears in the eyes are produced by lacrimal glands and other accessory glands and is drained into the nose by the nasolacrimal duct system. There lies no link between the tear production or its drainage and the shoulder joint.
The watering can be relieved by regular massage of the nasolacrimal duct. The hydrostatic pressure developed during the massage will open the congenitally blocked duct. Hence the myth about shoulder joint is not true.
5. Washing inside of eyes with soap
Entry of any substance into the eye like perfumes, acids, bleach, or any type of foreign body needs urgent wash with clean water. Washing eyes with soap can be a source of further toxicity to the eye causing damage with the alkaline nature of soap.
The only solution to reduce the pH of any substance inside the eye is to neutralize with clean water.
6. Regular eye drops make vision strong
Excess of anything can lead to drastic conditions. For example, if steroids are used for prolong duration of time can cause a blinding condition called glaucoma.
The excess use of antibiotics will lead to resistance to certain organisms as well as toxic conditions such as folliculitis and toxic papillitis.
7. Babies have clean blue eyes
The bluish color of the baby’s eye is due to the thin sclera that gradually thickens with time and attains pale to a whitish color. There is no evidence that blue eyes are related to the cleanliness of eyes.
The persistent blue color of eyes should raise the suspicion of diseases such as collagen-related diseases, osteogenesis imperfecta, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, etc.
8. Can newborn babies see us
The newborn babies are not able to recognize faces until the age of 3 months. The human eyes need three months to reach their full development. The myth about babies, that they can see us is not true.
9. If you squint your eyes, you will develop squint.
Squint can be congenital or acquired. It can be caused by neurological problems of the nerves, direct trauma to the muscles or nerves of the eye, and fever can also cause squint.
There lies no truth in the statement that squinting your eyes will render your eyes in a squint state forever.
10. Eyes can be transplanted
There has been no development made that the whole human eye can be transplanted. The only structure that is involved during transplantation is the outer transparent structure called cornea.
Diseases involving the cornea can benefit with transplantation.
11. The one born blind can get vision in adult life
The normal development of human eye vision is completed around 8-10 years of age. During this period any damage to the structures of the eye can lead to blindness for example retinal damage, trauma to the transparent cornea, or the natural lens of the eye.
No improvement in vision can be made in adult life if damaged has occurred before 8 years of age.
12. Not everyone gets cataract
A cataract is the opacification of the natural crystalline lens of the eye. It is a natural process that can be accelerated or its onset becomes early in patients with trauma or those using medications like steroids.
It can also be caused at an early stage due to some inflammatory conditions of the eye. Eventually, all of us develops cataract with advancing age as it is an age-related phenomenon.
13. Regular checkup is not important
The regular checkup of the eye can lead to early detection of eye diseases that can be managed on time. Some diseases do not manifest itself all of a sudden to be observed by the patient in the form of reduced vision or ocular pain.
14. Eye witch means something bad will happen
You might have experienced a muscle twitch in your eye in upper or lower lid.
The cause lies behind the muscle fatigue or a foreign body might be stuck inside your
eye. the condition can be treated with muscle relaxant medications.
15. All eye doctors are same
All eye doctors are not the same. Some are specialized in calculating the refractive power of the eye and prescribing spectacles and contact lens, they are labeled as optometrists.
The consultant ophthalmologists are specialized in the field of optometry and also conduct various procedures like lasers and surgeries.
In a nutshell, before believing any statement about your eyes and applying home remedies,
you should get an advice from your health care provider in order to avoid mishap.
