A lot of myths regarding what does or does not affect the proper working of the eye have popped up on the internet over the previous decades. In this article, certain myths regarding eyesight have been debunked.
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The human eye is one of the most important sense organs required for our effective functioning and productivity. As such, care should be taken when it comes to the affairs of vision. Here are a few internet myths about eyesight that need to be addressed.
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“Only people with bad eyesight need eye exams.”
That is definitely a myth. There are all sorts of conditions that you can still have including Retinal holes, retinal tears and retinal detachments. That’s why it is still recommended that you take exams once a year.
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“You won’t get glaucoma if you have perfect vision.”
Actually, Glaucoma is an asymptomatic condition. You can have perfect 20-20 vision and have the absolute worst end-stage glaucoma. Glaucoma is typically high pressure inside the eye, which causes damage to the optic nerve of the eye.
The only way that we can detect glaucoma is to come in for your annual eye examination. And in case you get glaucoma early, then experts can start treatments earlier in order to prevent future
damage from happening.
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“It’s OK to go swimming or take a shower in contact lenses.”
Most people do this, however, this is not something they should do at all. One can actually develop blinding infections from tap water as well as from water that’s in hot tubs. No matter what body of water is being discussed, they all contain some bacteria in them.
Pathogens like the pseudomonas are small enough that they can embed themselves in the pores, in the matrix of the contact lens. Once it gets on your eye, and it sits there, it makes efforts to walk into the eye through any opening it can get through. This bug is very disturbing and is very resistant to antibiotics.
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“Stress causes eye floaters.”
No way! There is no scientific proof of this. Age and trauma cause eye floaters but not stress. A floater is just a vitreous detachment that floats all around in your field of vision.
Floaters are actually inside your eye and are not bugs moving around. So you can relax and not try to swat it away like ants.
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“LASIK surgery is not safe.”
Surprisingly for those who are not aware, LASIK surgery is definitely safe. This LASIK surgery has been around for at least three decades now.
Although there were definitely instances where there were cases of blindness, further advancements in technology have been made to make this a completely worthy process. LASIK surgery is perfectly safe. That said, there is no surgery for any body part that doesn’t come with a risk of complications. Hence, it is necessary to use the services of any body part that’s doing the procedure on a weekly basis.
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“Styes are contagious.”
In case you don’t know this already, Styes are red painful lumps near the edge of the eyelid. However, they are not contagious and are not gotten from pools, public pools or from rubbing your eyes, doorknobs and kissing others.
Styes are like a pimple. The contents in the oil gland can be different consistencies, so if you tend to have that heavier, thicker oil inside the gland itself, then you are likely to get them. However, a lot of heat is going to help it drain.
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“Pink eye is contagious”
What most people think of as pink eye is viral conjunctivitis but sometimes it can be
bacterial conjunctivitis. Viral conjunctivitis is really contagious.
The takeaway from this article is that people should endeavour to get their annual eye exams, take their contact lenses out when they sleep and shower, and follow the 20-20-20 rule.