Myths About Vision Loss

Myth: Safety goggles are more trouble than they are worth.
Fact: There are 500,000 eye injuries every year in the USA. 50% of these accidents occur at home. The leading cause of blindness in children is eye injury. 90% of injuries can be avoided by using proper eye protection.

Myth: There is no need to have your vision checked before you turn 40.
Fact: There are treatable eye diseases; glaucoma is one of them, which can show up before you turn 40.

Myth: Wearing poorly fit glasses damages your eyes.
Fact: The right eyeglass prescription is required for good vision. Poor fitting glasses do not damage your eyes.

Myth: Poorly fit contacts do not harm your eyes.
Fact: Poorly fit contact lenses can damage your cornea. If you use contact lenses, have them checked regularly.

Myth: Eating carrots will improve your vision.
Fact: Carrots are high in Vitamin A, which is important for a balanced diet. Eating carrots or other foods high in Vitamin A will not improve your vision. Taking large amounts of Vitamin A can be very harmful. People that do not eat a balanced diet can develop vision problems along with other problems as they age.

Myth: Sitting close to the television will harm your eyes.
Fact: There is no evidence that sitting close to the television will damage your eyes. If this were true, office workers that sit 8 hours a day 17 inches from their computer screens, would all be blind. Sit wherever you are most comfortable when watching TV.

Myth: Doctors can transplant eyes.
Fact: Doctors can transplant the cornea, but not the eye its self. The retina and optic nerve are part of the brain. When doctors figure out how to transplant the brain, they will be able to transplant the eye.

Myth: Scientists have created a Bionic Eye.
Fact: Scientists have been working on a microchip to replace damaged retina cells in a person's central vision. Other scientists have been trying to figure out a way to connect a camera directly to the brain. The eye and the brain do not work the same way a camera and computer do. Even after someone figures out how to make a bionic eye, they still have to figure out how to connect it to the neural circuitry of the brain. What they have created so far is a crude form of vision consisting of several dots of light.