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111 Comments
- orangysb, on 10/11/2007, -9/+124Myth #1: “Sitting too close to the TV will damage your vision.”
There is no evidence that sitting close to the television will damage your eyes. So sit wherever you are most comfortable. Eyes may become tired from sitting too close for long periods, if the light in the room is too dim, or if the picture screen is out of focus.
Myth #2: “Reading in the dark will weaken your eyesight”
As with sitting too close to the television, reading in dim light can cause eye fatigue, but it is not harmful and cannot damage your vision.
Myth #3: “Some eye exercises can improve your vision.”
Being alive and looking around at your world is all that is necessary to keep your muscles “toned.” Any extra effort is a waste of time and has no benefit. This myth has made many people wealthy, but rolling your eyes around has no effect on your vision.
Myth #4: “You can wear your eyes out by using them too much.”
Eyes are not like light bulbs. So you cannot wear your eyes out by using them. In fact they can last your entire lifetime if they are healthy. Cutting down on reading or close work, will not help or harm your eyesight.
Myth #5: “”Vision improves in older people as they gain second sight.”
“Second sight” refers to the ability of a person to see better, usually up-close, as they age. The reason for this “improved” vision is that the lens power changes due to increasing cataract. So actually second sight is due to the cataract having advanced.
Myth #6: “Too much sex, especially masturbation, can make you go blind.”
No, there is no way that this ridiculous myth can be true. Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, if left untreated can lead to blindness, dementia and death. This is where this myth came from.
Myth #7: “Wearing poorly fit glasses damages your eyes.”
In fact what is required for good vision is the right eyeglass prescription. Poor fitting glasses do not damage your eyes.
Myth #8: “Blind people have a sixth sense or extra ordinary talents.”
Most People with (20/20) vision do not pay much attention to their other senses. Blind people have worked hard to develop their other senses to compensate for their vision loss. There is no sixth sense. Just hard work and practice.
Myth #9: “There is no need to have your vision checked before you turn 40.”
Everyone should follow a proper eye health program that includes a regular eye exam, whether or not they’re having any noticeable signs of problems. There are treatable eye diseases; glaucoma is one of them, which can show up before you turn 40.
Myth #10: “Doctors can transplant eyes.”
It is not possible to transplant a whole eye. The eye is connected to the brain by a small nerve called the optic nerve. If this nerve is cut it cannot be reconnected, making it impossible to remove the eye and replace it with another one. When doctors figure out how to transplant the brain, they will be able to transplant the eye.
Myth #11: “Scientists have created a Bionic Eye.”
Researchers 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.
Myth #12: “It is not harmful to look at the sun if you squint or use dark glasses.”
The sun’s ultra-violet light will still get to your eyes, damaging the cornea, lens and retina. So looking at the sun may not only cause headache and distort your vision temporarily, but it can also cause permanent eye damage. Never look directly at a solar eclipse. The direct light from the sun can blind a person in less then a minute.
Myth #13: “There is nothing you can do to prevent vision loss”
Regular eye exams and proper safety eyewear can save your sight. Also at the very first signs of vision loss, such as blurred vision or flashes of light, you should see your doctor. If detected early enough, depending on the cause, there are treatments that can correct, stop, or slow down the loss of vision.
Myth #14: “Although eyeglasses makes you see better, they make vision get worse over time.”
Wearing eyeglasses will never make your eyes worse. Before you start wearing glasses, you are accustomed to seeing a blurry world around you. Since this is all you have ever seen, you accept it as normal. When your vision is corrected with eyeglasses you start seeing a clear world. Now when you remove your eyeglasses after wearing them for several months, you are presented with the same blurry world as before. You feel you were able to get around without wearing glasses before but now when you remove glasses you see all blurry and cannot get around. In reality it’s your perception that has changed.
Myth #15: “Eating carrots will improve your vision.”
While it is true that carrots are high in Vitamin A, which is an essential vitamin for sight, only a small amount is necessary for good vision. In fact, eating large amounts of Vitamin A or other vitamins can be very harmful.
Feel smarter? Just remember that you don’t want to be an April fool - or any kind of fool - when it comes to your health. - RCcola159, on 10/11/2007, -7/+114Myth #6: “Too much sex, especially masturbation, can make you go blind.”
I think every digger just had a collective sigh of relief :P - quami16, on 10/11/2007, -2/+87Myth #12: “It is not harmful to look at the sun if you squint or use dark glasses.” --- Who the hell would think that?
- BJ_Blaskowitz, on 10/11/2007, -1/+44Myth #1: “Sitting too close to the TV [or computer monitor] will damage your vision.”
Why oh why didn't someone tell this to my parents - I wouldn't have had to put up with their constant nagging for all those years. :'( - markl3ster, on 10/11/2007, -3/+41"Myth #8: “Blind people have a sixth sense or extra ordinary talents.”
Most People with (20/20) vision do not pay much attention to their other senses. Blind people have worked hard to develop their other senses to compensate for their vision loss. There is no sixth sense. Just hard work and practice."
Sixth Sense? Shouldn't it be a fifth? - Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -7/+44Yes but is God still killing kittens in anger?
- Murdats, on 10/11/2007, -0/+32I think the OP meant that if they are blind, they dont have the sense of sight, so it an extra sense would be their fifth one (because they only have 4)
get it now, hahaha?
and no balance has nothing to do with hearing
hearing and balance have something to do with your hears, but that does not make balance and hearing related, you cant make me fall over by talking to me - KyleGoetz, on 10/11/2007, -1/+32@foamator
I ask for a source on that statement. I've asked several optometrists, and they've all told me the exact opposite of what you said. - jono10, on 10/11/2007, -1/+31from http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1392430.htm
In the Battle of Britain, in 1940, the British fighter pilot, John Cunningham, became the first person to shoot down an enemy plane with the help of radar. In fact, in WW II, he was the RAF's top-scoring night fighter pilot, with a total of 20 kills. Some pilots were better flying in daylight, while others, like Cunningham, were better at night. His nickname was "Cats' Eyes". The RAF put out the story in the British newspapers that he, and his fellow night pilots, owed their exceptional night vision to carrots. People believed this to the extent that they started growing and eating more carrots, so that they could better navigate at night during the blackouts that were compulsory during WW II.
But this story was a myth invented by the RAF to hide their use of radar, which was what really located the Luftwaffe bombers at night - not human carrot-assisted super-vision. - resplence, on 10/11/2007, -1/+27@kamill85:
You mean the Blind Shaolin Monks of Singapore? - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -6/+30morons, that's who.
- retral, on 10/11/2007, -1/+20"You cant make me fall over by talking to me"
..I probably could if I used an amplifier to amplify the volume of my voice 500x. - GMorgan, on 10/11/2007, -3/+19It could easily be a placebo. More often than not it is confidence that improves performance in everything. Now you know how it works your game will suffer ;).
- Ktzero3, on 10/11/2007, -2/+17Maybe it's just your squash game that's improved..?
- TheLD, on 10/11/2007, -0/+14Myth #11: “Scientists have created a Bionic Eye.”
That is in fact wrong, there was a BBC article about it this year. it's only 72 by 72 pixels but it's a start - mdigirol, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7i'm pretty sure you mean "fap fap fap"
- captinherb, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7@darkciti
They mean that once they figure out how to connect a severed nerve they could transplant a brain or an eye. It's reconnecting the nerve that is the hold up on both of those. - tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6OK, so what we really need to do is get radar.
- priegog, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6That's media hype for you. The link you gave is actually of a cornea transplant.
- spoonyinc, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7Several eye doctors that I've been through over the course of my life have told me that, in general, when the average person gets blurry vision it's simply because the eyeball has become just a tad bit elongated, even by nanometers. The farther it takes for light to bounce around in your eyeball, the more blurry it will be when it reaches it's destination. You could liken it to a projector that has moved back from the wall or screen far enough to make the image blurry.
That's just in general, though. There are more serious conditions, but that is the "general bad eye sight" reason. - priegog, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Nope, myopia is a deformity of the eye (it's not a perfect sphere), whereas damage caused by ultraviolet light can consist in either deterioration of the cornea, the lens (cataracts), or the retina (by actually killing or rendering unusable the cones and/or rods)
- SJKat, on 10/11/2007, -6/+11Actually there are a lot more senses than those. Add balance, for instance.
- cogitocogito, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5While the blind don't have any extra senses, there is mounting neurological evidence that there are some tangible advantages some of them have in the other senses, especially hearing.
Those who are born blind, or become blind in childhood, but have healthy visual cortexes, are often able to recruit the visual cortex to process sound information. This is a huge advantage, given the prominence of the visual cortex in the human brain.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to apply to adults who become blind, nor to those whose blindness stems from a malfunctioning visual cortex. - 10scott10, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5well foamater, you have a crap eye doctor.
glasses don't make your eyes worse. old age does. - GMorgan, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7Carrots are good for your sight generally comes from RAF propaganda that stated the ability to find the Luftwaffe consistently was due to putting their pilots on a diet of carrots when the reality was we had an effective radar system. It worked since the Germans didn't properly attack the radar during the Battle of Britain leading to our victory there.
There has never been any scientific evidence that carrots improve your vision. Even the vitamin A arguments are mute given the amounts in question. - Pathius, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6@GMorgan
Moot. The arguments are moot. - scroobyrooberoo, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Many of these are not myths. They are in fact true or grounded in truth. I was going to go to optometry school before I decided to go to dental school. However my wife's a 3rd year optometrist so I get earfuls of this kind of stuff all the time. ex's:
Myth #1: “Sitting too close to the TV will damage your vision.”
There is no evidence that sitting close to the television will damage your eyes. So sit wherever you are most comfortable. Eyes may become tired from sitting too close for long periods, if the light in the room is too dim, or if the picture screen is out of focus.
No. This is based on the fact that sitting close to a decently sized (say 24” diag) TV at factory brightness will definitely affect your vision. Trying to focus on a large, bright image too close to you causes eye fatigue for various reasons. Permanent damage can and does occur because of this. This is also why you should not read in excessively bright light; ask any professional musician who reads off sheet music why they do not want bright white paper and strong overhead lights. Besides focus problems, overly bright light causes cataracts. Always wear those sunglasses!
Myth #2: “Reading in the dark will weaken your eyesight”
As with sitting too close to the television, reading in dim light can cause eye fatigue, but it is not harmful and cannot damage your vision.
Chronic eye fatigue is definitely not good, unless you find eyesoreness pleasurable. It works both ways.
Myth #3: “Some eye exercises can improve your vision.”
Being alive and looking around at your world is all that is necessary to keep your muscles “toned.” Any extra effort is a waste of time and has no benefit. This myth has made many people wealthy, but rolling your eyes around has no effect on your vision.
Absolutely. These are prescribed for a number of reasons that I won’t bother getting into. Ask your optometrist. If you wonder why people who play tennis have less focusing problems later in life, generally, you’ll find one good example.
Myth #4: “You can wear your eyes out by using them too much.”
Eyes are not like light bulbs. So you cannot wear your eyes out by using them. In fact they can last your entire lifetime if they are healthy. Cutting down on reading or close work, will not help or harm your eyesight.
Yes. Again chronic eye strain is a common problem. There are many others. A better myth might be “Using them doing this particular activity too much doesn’t cause many problems,” or “doing eye exercises can actually be beneficial.” Haha.
Myth #5: “”Vision improves in older people as they gain second sight.”
“Second sight” refers to the ability of a person to see better, usually up-close, as they age. The reason for this “improved” vision is that the lens power changes due to increasing cataract. So actually second sight is due to the cataract having advanced.
Yes and no. This has to do with whether you are a myop (near-sighted) or a hyperop (far-sighted), and whether you are latent. Anyway, some things get “better” because they don’t degenerate as fast. Some things like accommodation can get better. Other stuff gets worse. It’s not a blanket kind of thing at all. Calling it “second sight” is a little near-sighted. Lol.
Myth #6: “Too much sex, especially masturbation, can make you go blind.”
No, there is no way that this ridiculous myth can be true. Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, if left untreated can lead to blindness, dementia and death. This is where this myth came from.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, crabs, herpes, etc. can and do all find their way to the eyes. My wife can home the other day crying because a guy came to the ghetto-clinic she’s interning at with a nasty case of Chlamydia, yes, in his eyes. You can guess how it possibly gets there. The general rate of infection in the U.S. population with some kind of STD is well over 50%. Some, but not all, of these diseases can cause blindness.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ophthalmia-neonatorum
Just one example ^^
Myth #7: “Wearing poorly fit glasses damages your eyes.”
In fact what is required for good vision is the right eyeglass prescription. Poor fitting glasses do not damage your eyes.
This “myth” is correct. Maybe you have both heard and experienced that wearing another persons glasses can cause problems. This is a fact. Different refractive indexes are just one reason. Cyl, correction for astigmatism, is another, among many. Get and try to keep your glasses properly fitted.
Myth #8: “Blind people have a sixth sense or extra ordinary talents.”
Most People with (20/20) vision do not pay much attention to their other senses. Blind people have worked hard to develop their other senses to compensate for their vision loss. There is no sixth sense. Just hard work and practice.
This “myth” is true as well. Several studies have been performed showing that neurons from adjacent areas of the brain invade unused or underutilized areas in people with a variety of sensorial problems.
Myth #9: “There is no need to have your vision checked before you turn 40.”
Everyone should follow a proper eye health program that includes a regular eye exam, whether or not they’re having any noticeable signs of problems. There are treatable eye diseases; glaucoma is one of them, which can show up before you turn 40.
Definitely a myth. You should have a child’s eyes checked several times within the first few years in fact. There are numerous reasons.
Myth #10: “Doctors can transplant eyes.”
It is not possible to transplant a whole eye. The eye is connected to the brain by a small nerve called the optic nerve. If this nerve is cut it cannot be reconnected, making it impossible to remove the eye and replace it with another one. When doctors figure out how to transplant the brain, they will be able to transplant the eye.
Myth is false.
Myth #11: “Scientists have created a Bionic Eye.”
Researchers 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.
Myth is true. There have been a lot of wonderful advances in this field and it’s a great hope to help many people reclaim vision, even if it is only 64x64 b/w. It’s a hell of a lot better than not seeing anything.
Myth #12: “It is not harmful to look at the sun if you squint or use dark glasses.”
The sun’s ultra-violet light will still get to your eyes, damaging the cornea, lens and retina. So looking at the sun may not only cause headache and distort your vision temporarily, but it can also cause permanent eye damage. Never look directly at a solar eclipse. The direct light from the sun can blind a person in less then a minute.
This is kinda sorta. What are dark glasses? There are specific types of vision protection equipment that can make this ok. Incidentally, if you got the route of arguing that the UV rays still affect the eye, you need to go to a physics or materials class 101. Glass (of a reasonable thickness) stops all UV naturally. It’s the intense amount/# of photons/radiation.
Myth #13: “There is nothing you can do to prevent vision loss”
Regular eye exams and proper safety eyewear can save your sight. Also at the very first signs of vision loss, such as blurred vision or flashes of light, you should see your doctor. If detected early enough, depending on the cause, there are treatments that can correct, stop, or slow down the loss of vision.
Myth is true. Macular degeneration will get all of us eventually, and currently there’s nothing that will cure it.
Myth #14: “Although eyeglasses makes you see better, they make vision get worse over time.”
Wearing eyeglasses will never make your eyes worse. Before you start wearing glasses, you are accustomed to seeing a blurry world around you. Since this is all you have ever seen, you accept it as normal. When your vision is corrected with eyeglasses you start seeing a clear world. Now when you remove your eyeglasses after wearing them for several months, you are presented with the same blurry world as before. You feel you were able to get around without wearing glasses before but now when you remove glasses you see all blurry and cannot get around. In reality it’s your perception that has changed.
Depends. Overprescribed power can makes your vision “get worse” for sure. This is why you are stepped back to 20/20 instead of 20/15, which, although sharper, is bad. There can be other reasons as well, but this is the most common.
Myth #15: “Eating carrots will improve your vision.”
If you have a crap diet to start with, it will help. Otherwise, not so much.
Hopefully I used all correct terms. Forgive me if you are an eyecare professional and I made a mistake. Anyway, to believe all these myths are false is a bad idea.
scrooby - shinigami2057, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4They only transplanted part of the eye with that procedure. No one has yet been able to transplant a WHOLE eye. Which was clarified in the article.
- frozenyoghurt, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Myth #4: “You can wear your eyes out by using them too much.”
I'm glad that one isn't true. I have very poor vision and have to wear either really thick glasses or contact lenses. Whenever I see my optometrist they always tell me to stop using the computer so much, or my eyes will get worse.
But now after reading that this is false, I can continue using the computer as much as I want! - Murdats, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6I have been given eye excercises by an optomitrest but thats because I have weak eye muscles, I think the point is that for normal people it will do nothing
- EztliNahua, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7Carrots "ARE GOOD" for you, but they aren't "PROACTIVELY HELPFUL". Sitting "TOO CLOSE" to the TV "WILL NOT" damage your eyes, just "CAUSE" eye fatigue. Eye fatigue "IS ONLY" temporary.
- captinherb, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5@ tymme
>>" Legally blind is vision of 20/200 or less. I'm legally blind but have sight in my left eye; I simply can't see things far away or read small text without >>Correction/assistance."
Legally blind is 20/200 WITH the best possible correction, If you can see far away with correction you aren't legally blind - Duositex, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5There are no sources provided in this document. Why?? Because its a BLOG ENTRY: that twilight zone of literature where the rules go out the window. Its not a news article. It doesn't even have an author listed for Christ's sake. Why should I believe ANY of this??
They completely lost me when they started to beat the "you need to see a doctor regularly" drum. *****. You don't need to see a doctor regularly for anything. I'm not going to live scared of my own body and I'm tired of every damn medical industry telling me I should be. This STINKS like propaganda from the Ophthalmologists Association of America in my opinion.
I half expected to see, "Just sign your name here and for $49.95 you too can...." - revenge7, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5I am so relieved. I haven't been having sex because of this reason alone.
- daft89, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4If your dead set on being able to look at the sun, use a welder's helmet. It blocks all of the UV rays and makes the sun look like a bright moon :)
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7Well, the article certainly was useless.
- 10scott10, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3yep, that has to do with the lens and you retina going out from where the image that the lens in the eye projects. so as the changes shape, the image is not at where the retina is. glasses adjust the light coming into the eye so it slightly focuses or defocuses the light so that the lens of the eye places a sharp image on the retina even if the proper image isn't on it. it is all about the physics o light and lenses
- EtherGnat, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Doctors aren't superhuman. Even they are subject to believing in the occasional myth.
- tektalk, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Fact: If you want to keep your night vision when looking at bright light sources, simply cover one eye so when the light source is off, you can recover the night vision much more quickly.
Myth: Pirates wear eyepatches, not because they're blind, but to preserve their night vision in the event of a night raid. - Wootery, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3@proliance
"You could say they wear out from use."
No, they wear out with time. Not using your eyes won't make them last longer. - EdwardsNH, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3"Myth #8: “Blind people have a sixth sense or extra ordinary talents.”
Most People with (20/20) vision do not pay much attention to their other senses. Blind people have worked hard to develop their other senses to compensate for their vision loss. There is no sixth sense. Just hard work and practice."
...actually, the nerves in the brain used for vision usually wind up being used to highlight other senses. Take the case of the blind person who received an injury (might have been cancer), to a section of the brain used for eyesight. He lost his ability to read braile.
I read this in a medical journal a long time ago, so I forget the exact details, but it was a legit source, not a forwarded email - scottious, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Citations? These sorts of articles come up all of the time and they don't really justify themselves. Not that I don't agree, it'd just be nice to see some sources.
- SuperCUBE, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Why should I believe any of this? Who is this person?
- scroobyrooberoo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@proliance
welcome to presbyopia - Brutusfly, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Entry 14 is inaccurate in regards to children.
Myth #14: “Although eyeglasses makes you see better, they make vision get worse over time.”
Actually, I read about several studies years ago that showed children's eyesight more likely to improve and less likely to worsen if their prescription lenses weren't doing all the work. I can't remember all the details, but an optometrist told me adults will not get better or worse either way. - tymme, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Blind != no sight. Legally blind is vision of 20/200 or less. I'm legally blind but have sight in my left eye; I simply can't see things far away or read small text without correction/assistance.
I do, however, 'hear' waalls- a difference in the acoustics when standing next to walls. Part of training when using a cane for the blind includes listening to everything around you, as well as feeling differences in textures, etc. through your cane. If you don't pay attention to those sorts of things, I guess it could seem superhuman. - liberty821, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I would like to know some sources... was a doctor interviewed with these questions? or did some highly opinionated and arrogant writer decide to show everyone what's what.
Or maybe it was in the article and I just couldn't see it... - wspnut, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Myth #3: “Some eye exercises can improve your vision.”
I am skeptical as to whether that is a myth. While I have no doubt that "rolling your eyes around" is useless in changing your eyesight, my brother had vision that was too poor to be used as an air force pilot, but by doing some exercises daily (involving using off-prescription glasses and reading small fonts at longer distances... as prescribed by our optometrist) he was able to achieve nearly 20/20 vision in under a year.
I don't know the science behind it; I just know it worked for one person I know. - SJKat, on 10/11/2007, -6/+8"Balance is related to hearing" gets dug up!? WTF?
In the same news, your heart is related to your spleen, because it, too, is an internal organ. - jingool, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4dumb me, i used to think that when i was younger
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