35 Eye Myths Debunked by a Laser Eye Surgeon

Whether it's an eye disease or something affecting your glasses prescription, eye myths are everywhere. You probably heard many of these when you were just a youngster. So, we thought we’d asked one of the UK's leading laser eye surgeons, David Allamby, which eye myths are true (if any!) and which should be dispatched to the dustbin.

Debunking Eye Myths With a Laser Eye Surgeon

Let’s hand it over to David to uncover the truth about common eye myths that have left us all wondering whether they are fact or fiction.

Vision Development & Genetics Myths

Myth: All babies are born with blue eyes.

Fact: "Many Caucasian babies are born with blue or grey eyes that may change colour as brown melanin pigment production increases. Babies from non-Caucasian backgrounds, such as those of African, Asian, or Hispanic descent, are more likely to be born with brown eyes. Eye colour typically stabilises by 6-12 months of age as melanin production in the iris develops."

Myth: Babies are born with their eyes fully grown.

Fact: "A newborn's eyes are about 16mm in diameter (about 2/3 adult size). We associate large eyes with cuteness because of this association with babies’ eyes. Eyes continue growing until adolescence, reaching approximately 24mm. This is one reason why children's vision changes as they develop."

Myth: Two brown-eyed parents can't have a blue-eyed child.

Fact: "While less common, two brown-eyed parents can absolutely have a blue-eyed child if both parents carry a recessive blue-eye gene. Variations in two genes found on chromosome 15 influence the inheritance of blue eyes. These genes play a crucial role in determining eye colour through their impact on melanin production in the iris. Overall, eye colour inheritance is complex and involves multiple genes, not just simple dominant/recessive patterns."

Myth: Only males can be colour-blind.

Fact: "While colour blindness affects about 1 in 12 men (8%), approximately 1 in 250 women (0.4%) also experience colour vision deficiencies. It's more common in males because the genes for the most common forms of colour blindness are carried on the X chromosome."

Myth: People who are colour-blind see in black and white.

Daily Eye Habits & Vision Care Myths

Myth: Failure to use proper glasses will hurt your eyes.

Fact: "Wearing incorrect prescription glasses might cause temporary discomfort, headaches, or eye strain, but it won't permanently damage your eyes. Your vision won't deteriorate faster just because you're not wearing your prescribed glasses."

Myth: Reading in dim light can damage your eyes.

Fact: "While reading in poor light may cause temporary eye strain or fatigue, it doesn't cause permanent damage. Low light means poor contrast of the words against the page, in effect, you’re reading grey on grey. This causes eye strain, potentially leading to headaches or discomfort, but your vision will return to normal with rest."

Myth: Watching television for too long or sitting too close to the TV can damage your eyes.

Fact: "OK, this one is true! Lack of outdoor time is associated with an increased risk of developing myopia (short-sightedness), particularly in children and adolescents. Spending more time outdoors is generally considered a protective factor against the onset of myopia. So, while the TV is not the problem, you’re watching it indoors and not outside. The protective effect of outdoor time is thought to be related to exposure to natural light, which may stimulate dopamine release in the retina, inhibiting myopic eye growth."

Myth: Reading fine print for too long will wear out or damage your eyes.

Fact: "Reading fine print won't damage your eyes, though it may cause temporary eye fatigue. Taking regular breaks using the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds) can help reduce eye strain."

Myth: Wearing contacts prevents nearsightedness from getting worse.

Fact: "Standard contact lenses don't slow myopia progression. Specific designs like orthokeratology lenses or certain soft multifocal contacts, e.g. MiSight and NaturalVue are being used successfully to manage myopia progression in children, but regular contacts don't have this effect."

Myth: You can improve your vision with eye exercises

Fact: "While exercises may help with certain specific conditions like eye strain or convergence insufficiency (how your eyes work together when looking at nearby objects), they cannot correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. These require optical correction through wearing eyeglasses, contacts, or laser eye surgery."

Myth: If you cross your eyes, they'll stay that way.

Fact: "Voluntarily crossing your eyes won't make them stay crossed. However, some people have strabismus (crossed eyes) due to muscle or nerve problems, a medical condition requiring treatment."

Myth: Using computers can damage your eyes.

Fact: "Yes and no! 

It’s true because screen use is linked to progression of short-sightedness (myopia). The more short-sighted you are, the greater the risk of associated eye diseases, incuding retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, a potentially blinding condition.

It;s also true because computer use can cause dry eyes. Once it’s established, it can continue by itself, even if you stop using screens as much. This can lead to permanent dry eye symptoms with damage to the eye’s surface and eyelids.

However, while computer screens also lead to digital eye strain, his won’t permanently damage your eyes (but can be pretty unpleasant). Symptoms include dryness, blurred vision, and headaches. Using proper lighting, taking breaks, doing simple eye exercises and maintaining good posture can help prevent discomfort. "

Myth: Wearing glasses or contacts will make your vision worse over time.

Fact: "Many people believe that wearing corrective lenses leads to lifetime dependency, Recent research in 2023 found the majority of people believed this: 75% for glasses and 60% for contact lenses. 

Corrective lenses don't weaken your eyes and the idea that lens wear deteriorates vision over time is not supported by scientific evidence. Changes in prescription typically reflect the natural progression of refractive errors or age-related changes that would occur regardless of whether you wear corrective lenses."

Myth: The wrong prescription will hurt your eyes.

Fact: While incorrect prescriptions may cause temporary discomfort, headaches, or eye strain, they won't permanently damage your eyes. Your eyes might work harder to compensate, but no structural damage occurs.

Myth: Squinting ruins your vision.

Fact: "Squinting is actually your eye's natural attempt to improve focus by temporarily making a narrow opening which has a pinhole effect. A small aperture limits the width of light beams entering an optical system, increasing the depth of focus and improving visual acuity. The trade off is a narrow field of view.

Squinting also reduces excess light, preventing dazzle or glare. While chronic squinting may indicate you need vision correction and can cause headaches, it doesn't harm your eyes."

Myth: Wearing cheap reading glasses will make your eyesight worse.

Nutrition & Vision Myths

Myth: Eating carrots will improve your vision.

Fact: "Carrots are often associated with improved vision due to their high content of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, which is essential for eye health and good vision. 

However, eating extra carrots won't improve vision beyond normal. In fact, in a study involving older women, higher carrot intake was paradoxically associated with reports of poor night vision, possibly due to individuals consuming more carrots in an attempt to address existing vision issues.

The carrots boosting vision myth originated from British propaganda during WWII to hide the fact that radar was helping pilots locate enemy aircraft at night."

Myth: Sun gazing - or, looking directly at the sun - can improve your health and well-being.

Medical Eye Care Myths

Myth: Cataracts can be removed with a laser.

Fact: "Lasers are used in some parts of cataract surgery, but not to remove the cataract. The cloudy lens (cataract) is actually removed using ultrasonic energy (phacoemulsification) and replaced with an artificial lens. Lasers may be used to make incisions during the surgery, but they don't remove the cataract itself."

Myth: Only people with bad eyesight should get regular eye exams.

Fact: "Eye exams check for more than just vision problems. They assess eye health and can detect systemic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, and even certain cancers before other symptoms appear. So getting eye tests can be great for your overall wellness and eye health."

Myth: There's nothing you can do to prevent vision loss.

Fact: "Many causes of vision loss are preventable or treatable. On fact, of the top 10 causes of vision loss, 8 are treatable or preventable. All but #3 and #10 are pretty treatable.

Top Causes of Vision Loss

1. Cataract: The leading cause of blindness globally, cataracts are responsible for a significant portion of vision impairment. They are largely treatable with surgery.

2. Uncorrected Refractive Error: This is the most common cause of moderate to severe vision impairment and is easily correctable with glasses or contact lenses.

3. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): A major cause of vision loss, particularly in high-income regions. While not entirely preventable, certain treatments can slow its progression.

4. Glaucoma: A significant cause of blindness, glaucoma can be managed with medication or surgery if detected early.

5. Diabetic Retinopathy: A leading cause of vision loss among patients with diabetes, it can be mitigated through regular screening and management.

6. Trachoma: A preventable infectious disease that can lead to blindness, primarily in low-income regions. It can be treated with antibiotics and improved sanitation.

7. Corneal Opacity: Often resulting from infections or injuries, it can be treated with corneal transplants in some cases.

8. Retinopathy of Prematurity: Affects premature infants and can be preventable with proper neonatal care.

9. Childhood Cataract: A treatable cause of vision loss in children, often requiring surgical intervention.

10. Optic Neuropathy: Can be caused by various factors, including stress, and may be managed with stress reduction techniques.

Wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, maintaining a healthy diet, not smoking, controlling blood pressure and diabetes and getting regular eye exams can all help preserve vision."

Myth: You don't need sunglasses on cloudy days.

Fact: "UV rays can penetrate clouds better than visible light with between 45% to 78% of passing through. Year-round UV protection is important to prevent cataracts, macular degeneration, and other UV-related eye conditions. Sunglasses and clear lenses (both plano and prescription) can effectively reduce UV transmittance. Combine UV-blocking glasses with other protective measures, such as hats or visors, to enhance protection, especially during high UV index periods."

Myth: Only older people get cataracts.

Fact: "Cataracts are more common with age but can occur at any age. The chance of getting an age-related cataract begins in the 40s but rises significantly after 60. Cataracts are more common in Asian populations and come on younger. Some children are born with congenital cataracts, and factors like eye injuries, certain medications, or diseases can cause cataracts in younger adults."

Myth: Rubbing your eyes is harmless.

Fact: "Frequent aggressive eye rubbing can potentially damage the cornea, inducing or worsening conditions like keratoconus, introducing infections, and even contributing to dark circles. It's best to gently dab at your eyes when needed."

Myth: If you have 20/20 vision, you'll never need glasses.

Fact: "20/20 vision only measures visual acuity at a distance. You may still develop presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing up close) around age 40-50, requiring reading glasses despite perfect distance vision."

Myth: 20/20 is perfect vision.

Fact: "20/20 has mistakenly become synonymous with perfect vision, perhaps because it sounds like 20 out of 20. However, 20/20 is the entry level of normal vision and was originally designed to be a screening level for “good enough”. 

The vision test chart has three more lines below the 20/20 letter line, showing increasingly better vision. These are typically called 20/16, 20/12 and 20/10, with the last one being the limit of the human eye. 

Less than 1% of people can attain 20/10 with or without glasses, although the recent ray-tracing guided LASIK can provide 20/10 in nearly 10% of eyes, taking vision beyond the best possible attained with the patient’s glasses."

Myth: Laser eye surgery is risky and can make you go blind.

Fact: "Modern laser eye procedures have extremely low complication rates - far less than 1% for serious complications. The risk of vision loss in one eye is extraordinarily rare, estimated at less than 1 in 5 million cases. Compare that to the risk of losing an eye through trauma or accident at 1 in 3,000 over 10 years. 

There are no known cases of bilateral full loss of vision after laser eye surgery. At Focus Clinics, we've maintained a 100% success rate of 20/20 vision in our patients following our treatments."

Myth: If you have an eye twitch, you have a serious health problem.

Fact: "Most eye twitches (myokymia) are benign and typically caused by stress, fatigue, caffeine, or dry eyes. It is generally self-limiting and resolves within hours to days, though chronic cases can persist for weeks or months. While persistent twitching should be evaluated, it rarely indicates a serious neurological condition such as multiple sclerosis or brain tumour."

Myth: All eye drops are safe to use regularly.

Fact: "Eye drops should only be used when recommended by a doctor. Over-the-counter redness-relieving drops can cause rebound redness with frequent use. Prescription drops containing steroids can increase eye pressure or accelerate cataract formation if used improperly. Always follow your eye doctor's recommendations.

If you benefit from artificial lubricating tear drops, always use ones that are preservative-free. The preservative in some drops can cause redness, irritation or an allergic reaction."

Myth: Pink eye (conjunctivitis) only happens to kids.

Fact: "Conjunctivitis affects people of all ages. While infectious conjunctivitis spreads easily in schools, adults also suffer from viral or bacterial conjunctivitis. Pink eye commonly refers to viral conjunctivitis that is easy to spread through touch or contaminated towels or facecloths."

Myth: If you have diabetes, you will definitely go blind.

Fact: "With proper management of blood sugar levels and regular eye examinations, most diabetic patients can preserve their vision. 

For the patient, this involves taking all medications as prescribed, making good dietary choices, and engaging in physical activity to prevent prolonged high blood sugar levels, which is the main cause of retinal damage. Early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy can reduce the risk of severe vision loss by 95%."

Myth: Astigmatism can be cured with eye exercises.

Fact: "Astigmatism is usually caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens which affects the way light rays hit your retina. This cannot be corrected with exercises. Astigmatism treatments require optical correction through glasses, contact lenses or procedures like laser refractive surgery."

Myth: Crying too much is bad for your eyes.

Fact: "Crying helps lubricate the surface of your eyes and can be beneficial for washing away irritants. So, crying can slightly improve eye health."

Myth: Makeup can't harm your eyes.

Let's wrap things up

So, there you have it. Some eye myths busted by one of the leading eye surgeons in the UK. Which shocked you the most?

If you're interested in learning more about laser eye surgery, including the breakthrough ray-tracing guided LASIK, and the many eye conditions it can treat, please explore Focus Clinics further. To finish this piece, a final quote from David:

"Remember, your eyes are irreplaceable - when in doubt about any eye condition or symptom, consult with an eye care professional rather than relying on internet advice!"

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