23 Myths that we are going to put to rest!

1. If I wear my glasses my eyes will get used to them and I’ll have to wear them all the time.(Answer)
   This is not true your prescription will not get any worse if you wear your glasses.
2. Reading in the dark/dim light will damage your eyes (Answer)
   This is not true, if you read in dark/dim light your eyes will get tired but it will not damage your vision.
3. Eating carrots can improve vision (Answer)
   No eating carrots will not improve your vision even though they are really good for you and contain lots of vitamins!
4. Can two blue-eyed parents can’t produce a child with brown eyes (Answer)
   Yes two blue-eyed parents can have a child with brown eyes, although it’s very rare. Likewise, two brown-eyed parents can have a child with blue eyes, although this is also uncommon.
5. The eye is full size at birth. (Answer)
   The eye is NOT full size at birth but continues to grow with your child. This growth partially accounts for refractive (glasses) changes that occur during childhood.
6. Children outgrow crossed or misaligned eyes. (Answer)
   Children do not outgrow crossed eyes. A child whose eyes are misaligned may develop poor vision in one eye because the brain will “turn off” or ignore the image from the misaligned or lazy eye. The unused or misaligned eye will not develop good vision unless it is forced to work, usually by patching the stronger eye.
7. A cataract must be ‘ripe’ before it is removed. (Answer)
   With older surgical techniques, it was thought to be safer to remove a cataract when it was “ripe.” With today’s modern surgical procedures, a cataract can be removed whenever it begins to interfere with a person’s lifestyle.
8. Eyes can be transplanted. (Answer)
   Medical science has no way to transplant whole eyes. Our eyes are connected to the brain by the optic nerve. Much like a fiber optic cable, the optic nerve is made up of more than one million tiny nerve fibers. This nerve cannot be reconnected once it has been severed. Because of this, the eye is never removed from its socket during surgery. The cornea, the clear front part of the eye, has been successfully transplanted for many years. Corneal transplant is sometimes confused with an eye transplant.
9. There is no need to have your vision checked before you turn 40. (Answer)
   You are reccomended to have a sight test once every two years. There are treatable eye diseases; glaucoma is one of them, which can show up before you turn 40.
10. Poorly fit contact lenses do not harm your eyes. (Answer)
    Poorly fit contact lenses can damage your cornea. If you use contact lenses, it is a requirement that you have your vision and health of your eye checked once a year.
11. Eye exercises will improve your vision. (Answer)
    Eye exercises will not improve your vision. This myth has made many people wealthy. Rolling your eyes around has no effect on your vision.
12. It is not harmful to look at the sun if you squint or use dark glasses.(Answer)
    The sun’s ultra-violet light will still get to your eyes, damaging the cornea, lens and retina. Never look directly at a solar eclipse. The direct light from the sun can blind a person.
13. You can cure a black eye by putting a raw steak on it. (Answer)
    Putting a steak on your eye will do nothing except expose your eye to any organisms living on the raw meat. Get immediate medical attention, a black can be a sign of serious eye injury.
14. Blind people live in a world of total darkness. (Answer)
    Only a small percentage of Legally Blind people see nothing at all. Darkness is the eye telling you that there is no light on. People who are (totally blind) do not have the ability to see light, or darkness. They see nothing at all.
15. Strong enough glasses will help anyone who is visually impaired. (Answer)
    Glasses cannot correct all visual impairments. Glasses cannot fix eye conditions that involve the retina, optic nerve, or brain.
16. A dog-guide knows how to get its master where he wants to go. (Answer)
    The blind person knows where they are going, and how to get there, not the dog. The dog’s trainer teaches it to respond to traffic, street travel, and the commands their master will give them. A blind person goes through a month long training program to learn how to use the dog.
17. Lenses with darker tints are more protective than lenses with a lighter tints. (Answer)
      The tint of the lens has nothing to do with the UV protection of the glasses A clear lens with no tint and 100% UV protection is better for your eyes than dark, heavily tinted sunglasses without UV protection.
18. Children don’t need sunglasses as much as adults. (Answer)
    Children often spend even more time in the sun than adults, and need proper UV protection just as much. It is also far more common to find cheap children’s sunglasses that do not provide adequate UV protection. Always have your children’s sunglasses tested for proper UV protection.
19. Older people who gain ‘second sight’ may be developing cataracts. (Answer)
    Older individuals who wear reading eyeglasses sometimes find themselves able to read without their eyeglasses and think their eyesight is improving. The truth is they are becoming short sighted, which can be a sign of early cataract development.
20. You don’t need sunglasses on a cloudy day. (Answer)
    UV rays are just as potent on a cloudy day as they are on a clear day, and proper eye and skin protection is always needed.
21. Sitting too close to the TV is bad for the eyes.(Answer)
    If you find yourself sitting close too the TV to see what’s on you may need to get glasses, but sitting close to it will not damage your eyes.
22. Only boys can be colour-blind. (Answer)
    It’s estimated that up to 8% of boys have some degree of colour blindness, whereas less than 1% of girls do.
23. Computer use can damage the eyes. (Answer)
    Experts believe modern living especially time spent in front of the XBox, Play Station or computer screen is damaging your eye sight in increasing numbers.

 12 interesting facts we bet you didn’t know

1. About 30.8 million people purchase new glasses each year and yet few know about their production, history and life cycle.
   
2. Over one billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses but cannot afford them.
   
3. 25 percent of the global population needs eyeglasses.
   
4. 50 percent of children in institutions for the blind in Africa would be able to read normal or large print if they had eyeglasses.
   
5. The price for glasses in many African countries can exceed three months’ average salary. Despite this need, over four million pairs of eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America. Send them to us.
   
6. The human eyeball weighs approximately one ounce which is the same weight as a lead pencil, a pen, a CD and one AAA battery
   
7. It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open!
   
8. Babies’ eyes do not produce tears until they are six to eight weeks old.
   
9. Your eye blinks over 10,000,000 times a year
   
10. Just fewer than two primary school children in every ten wear glasses and that three out of ten secondary school children wear glasses.
    
11. Lots of famous people wear glasses or contact lenses.
    
12. Some people have special coloured glasses that might help some kids with their reading if they have dyslexia.