231-737-9378

eyecare_header
Eye Care Information
Considering how important your eyesight is, caring for your eyes should be a part of your daily routine. However, the first step in caring for your eyes is knowing the difference between the facts and myths of eye care. Test your knowledge below, and do not hesitate to contact West Michigan Eye & Laser with any of your questions or concerns.

True or False? 

Eating lots of carrots will improve your eyesight? 

False: Carrots are loaded with important vitamins, essential for sight. Beta-carotene in particular is beneficial for maintaining healthy eyes. However, there are other vegetables that have high levels of beta-carotene including sweet potatoes and spinach. Wild salmon and sardines are also healthy options for your eyes because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the tiny blood vessels in your eyes. A well-balance diet, with or without carrots, provides all the vitamin A necessary for good vision.

Children do not outgrow crossed or misaligned eyes…

True: Children do not outgrow crossed eyes. A child whose eyes are misaligned may develop poor vision in one eye because the brain will “turn off” or ignore the image from the misaligned or lazy eye. The unused or misaligned eye will not develop good vision unless it is forced to work, usually by patching the stronger eye. Children who appear to have misaligned eyes should be examined by an ophthalmologist. In general, the earlier misaligned eyes are treated, the better. Treatment may include patching, eyeglasses, eyedrops, surgery, or a combination of these methods.

You shouldn’t wear contacts for more than 12 hours at a time…  

True: You should avoid wearing contact lenses for more than 12 hours. Wearing contacts for long periods of time can cause permanent damage to your sight, as well as extreme discomfort to your eyes.

Learning disabilities are caused by eye problems… 

False: Difficulties with reading, mathematics, and other learning problems in children are often referred to as learning disabilities. There is no strong evidence that vision problems cause learning disabilities or that eye exercises cure learning problems. Children with learning difficulties often need help from teachers and people with special training. Before such treatment begins, it is important for the child to have a complete medical eye examination to make certain he or she is seeing as well as possible.

Sitting close to the television can damage children’s eyes… 

False: Children can focus at close distance without experiencing the same eyestrain many adult feel. Many children will develop a habit of holding reading materials close to their eyes or sit close to the television, however there is no evidence that this damages the eyes. The habit generally diminishes as children grow older. Note: Children with nearsightedness (myopia) sometimes sit close to the television in order to see images more clearly.  

You should use allergen-reducing eye drops sparingly…  

True: Using an allergen-reducing eye drop during allergy season may help with alleviating redness and itchiness on a limited basis, but chronic daily use of drops can actually make symptoms worse.

Wearing eyeglasses will cause you to become dependent on them…

False: Eyeglasses are used to correct blurred vision. Since clear vision with eyeglasses is preferable to uncorrected vision, you may find that you want to wear your eyeglasses more often. While it may feel as if you are becoming dependent on your eyeglasses, you are actually just getting used to seeing more clearly.

Reading in dim light is harmful to your eyes… 

False: Using your eyes in dim light does not damage them. For centuries, all nighttime reading and sewing was done by candlelight or with gas or kerosene lamps. However, good lighting does make reading easier and can prevent eye fatigue.

Older people who gain “second sight” may be developing cataracts… 

True: Older individuals who wear reading eyeglasses sometimes find themselves able to read without their eyeglasses and think their eyesight is improving. The truth is that they are becoming more nearsighted, which is a sign of early cataract development.

Wearing the wrong kind of eyeglasses damages your eyes…

False: Eyeglasses are devices used to sharpen your vision. While correct eyeglasses or contacts help you see clearly, wearing a pair with the wrong lenses, or not wearing glasses at all, will not physically damage your eyes. However, children less than eight years old who need eyeglasses should wear their own prescription to prevent the possibility of developing amblyopia or “lazy eye.”

A cataract must be “ripe” before it is removed?

False: With older surgical techniques, some thought it was safer to remove a cataract when it was “ripe.” With today’s modern and advanced medical procedures, cataracts can be removed as soon as it begins interfering with a person’s vision and lifestyle. If you are struggling to see clearly and it is preventing you from performing necessary tasks, you should consider cataract surgery. Surgery is the only way to remove a cataract.

Eyes cannot be transplanted… 

True: Medical science has no way to transplant whole eyes. Our eyes are connected to the brain by the optic nerve. Much like a fiber optic cable, the optic nerve is made up of more than one million tiny nerve fibers. The nerve cannot be reconnected once it has been severed. Because of this, the eye is never removed from its socket during surgery. However, the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, has been successfully transplanted for many years. Corneal transplant is sometimes confused with an eye transplant.

Contact lenses can prevent nearsightedness from getting worse…

False: Some individuals are misinformed that using contact lenses will permanently correct nearsightedness so that eventually they won’t need either contacts or eyeglasses. However, there is no existing proof that contact lenses can permanently improve vision or prevent nearsightedness from getting worse.

Note: Eye Care Facts and Myths are provided by The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.