THE FACTS ABOUT EYE MYTHS (PART 4!)

In case you missed our earlier blog posts, we compiled things we hear that are just not true and cleared up the facts. Be sure to check out that post here for Myths #1-4, here for Myths #5-9 and here for Myths #10-14. But back by popular demand, we have more myths to clear up for you! It’s all too often that we hear these things either out and about or from our patients, and we’re happy to set the records straight and clear up those misunderstandings. So without further adieu, on to the myths!

MYTH #15: Babies are born with eyes fully grown.

Fact #15: babies are born with eyes about two-thirds the size of adult eyes.

We have heard some patients reference that your eyes stay the same size from birth, but this is simply not true! Not only do they change throughout your life, but actually the length of your eye is a factor in your prescription size. We can monitor children’s axial length, or the length of their eyeball, to determine about how high their prescription will be as well.

MYTH #16: You can improve your vision with eye exercises.

Fact #16: You can improve your eye muscles with eye exercises.

Eye exercises do not improve, preserve, or reduce the need for your glasses. Your glasses prescription can be altered by lots of different factors, but eye exercises or vision therapy are not the cause of this. We do refer patients for vision therapy where they will learn different eye exercises to help with eye muscle misalignment or what we call convergence insufficiency, a condition that causes the eyes to not work together properly when focused on a near object.

MYTH #17: staring at the sun will improve your eyes and well-being.

Fact #17: staring at the sun for too long can cause permanent damage to the retina.

We have had a few patients mention to us that they read that going outside with no sunscreen and no sunglasses for a few minutes a day will be helpful to your overall health. While we are not medical doctors or dermatologists here, we can’t be certain about the skin and health benefits. But we do know that staring at the sun without eye protection, even for short periods, can cause permanent damage to the retina called solar retinopathy, pingueculas or extra growth of tissue on the conjunctiva from UV exposure, premature cataracts, and in some cases even blindness. Always be sure to have sun protection in the way of sunglasses any time you go outside!

MYTH #18: Learning disabilities are caused by eye problems.

Fact #18: Learning disabilities are caused by how the brain processes what it sees or hears.

While trouble learning to read can often be mistaken as a learning disability, it can actually be a vision problem or eye muscle issue that we can diagnose and help with by simply being seen for an annual eye exam. This is why we recommend children getting early eye exams to monitor any problems with vision and function, but also to be sure to get tested by both an eye doctor and a learning specialist if you are concerned with your child struggling in school.

MYTH #19: losing vision is just part of aging.

Fact #19: Many vision problems are more prevalent with age but can be treated.

The common vision concerns that occur with age are presbyopia, cataracts, and diabetic eye disease. All of which can be treated to significantly improve vision to 20/20 or near that, depending on the condition and when it is diagnosed. Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration are other permanent threats to vision, but there have been huge developments in eye drop therapies, injections, and surgeries to maintain vision. The key is early diagnosis and treatment. We also see patients with worsening dry eye as they age, which is another common condition to cause changes to vision and comfort of the eyes. Luckily, we have an in-office dry eye procedure that can help! Be sure to check out our dry eye page here to learn more about this option.

Well, there you have it, we hope we cleared up some more myths for you and helped you to see the facts! We love hearing from you some of the things you’ve heard and always wondered if they were true. Comment below or use the contact us page to message us with those burning questions! Maybe, just maybe, there will be a Part 5 of The Facts About Eye Myths to come!