6 Myths About Eye Care You Should Know About

There’s no shortage of misinformation and old wives’ tales about how to care for our eyes. And some of these myths have been accepted as truths. As important and delicate as our eyes are, it’s all the more important to ensure you’re following healthy eye care habits. In this post, an Oxnard, CA optometrist lays out the most common myths about eye care and why they’re misleading. 

6 Eye Care Myths & Facts 

Myth #1 – Gradual vision loss is an inevitable part of aging.

• Fact – While certain eye problems, like cataracts and glaucoma, do happen as a result of aging, they’re all treatable, so vision loss is avoidable. With prompt diagnosis and treatment, you can slow and maybe even prevent loss altogether.

Myth #2 – If you have 20/20 vision, you have perfect vision.

• Fact – The term “20/20 vision” refers to an ability to see far-away and close-up objects clearly. However, other visual abilities, such as eye tracking, eye teaming, binocular vision, and color vision may still be lacking for someone who has 20/20 vision.

Myth #3 – Reading in poor light hurts your eyes.

• Fact – In the “olden days,” people only had gaslight and candlelight to read by, and eye problems were no more prevalent because of it. 

Myth #4 – You can damage your eyes by wearing eyeglasses that are too strong.

• Fact – Eyeglasses don’t alter or change the structure of your eyes. Rather, they help improve your vision by altering how light rays enter your eyes so no real damage can be done by a prescription that’s too strong. 

Myth #5 – Overusing your eyes will wear them down.

• Fact – This myth, in particular, is a doozy, since your nose, your ears, and your eyes work all day long. No matter how much you use your hearing or sense of smell, these abilities won’t wear out from overuse. The same goes for your eyes. 

Myth #6 – You only need to get an eye exam when you’re having vision problems.

• Fact – Your regular eye exams not only check for visual acuity or clearness but also help your optometrist spot early signs of eye disease and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

If you need more information about proper eye care or wish to schedule an eye exam, feel free to call our Oxnard, CA optometry office today.