There are many articles written daily about eye health, and we have even spread some knowledge to the masses about what happens when someone sleeps in their contacts on our own blog!
But one recent article featured in The New York Times provided a great summary on some common True or False beliefs that we all grew up listening to and whether they are right or wrong according to various eye experts.
For the full article, click here and if you would like to schedule an eye exam or discuss any vision issues you or a loved one or friend are currently experiencing, please call us at 713-626-5544 or write us at info@visiontexas.com.
We are only going to cover a few that we hear about in our office day in and day out and some we think are really important for our current day patients to share some general eye health knowledge!
Can Reading in the Dark Make your Eyesight Worse?
This is actually a NO. That being said, if the lighting is so low that you need to hold your tablet or your book closer to your eyes, that may create the need to strain your eyes which may cause your eyes and temples to be sore, hence a possible headache but these are usually pretty temporary symptoms.
The more you are outside, the better it is for your eyes.
This is a big YES. According to this NY Times article, there is research that suggests that the time humans spend outside can actually lower the risk that we develop myopia (nearsightedness) and that bright sunlight may increase the likelihood that the retina would produce dopamine, which discourages eye lengthening (i.e. myopia causes). Note* A lot of this research has been conducted on pediatric patients and animals.
If you take a break from wearing glasses or contacts, it allows your eyesight to not get any worse.
This one is NOT true. Our experts say if you need glasses, you should WEAR them! Taking them off does not give your eyes a ‘needed break’ which is a common myth out there!
Stay tuned for a future blog to cover some of the other ‘myths or truths’ and take a look at the FULL ARTICLE which also covers eye straining, UV Light, and smoking.
