Myths About Your Eyes and Vision

Medically Reviewed by Whitney Seltman, OD on February 13, 2024
3 min read

Fact: Carrots are high in vitamin A, a nutrient essential for good vision. Eating carrots will provide you with the small amount of vitamin A needed for good vision, but vitamin A isn't limited to rabbit food; it can also be found in milk, cheese, egg yolk, and liver. So eating more carrots won't help improve your vision if you are getting enough vitamin A in your diet.

Fiction: Sitting closer than necessary to the television may give you a headache, but it will not damage your vision. Children, especially if they're nearsighted, may do this to see the TV more clearly. They may, in fact, need glasses.

Fiction: As with sitting too close to the television, you may feel eyestrain or get a headache from reading in the dark, but it will not weaken your eyes.

Fiction: Your eyes will not grow weaker as a result of using corrective lenses. Your prescription may change over time due to aging or the presence of disease, but it is not because of your current prescription. You may find it easier to see with the glasses because your eyes do not have to work as hard when your vision is properly corrected, but it does not mean it is weakening your eyes or you are becoming dependent.

Fact: Children are not able to outgrow strabismus -- the medical term for crossed eyes -- on their own but, with help, it can be more easily corrected at a younger age and can help prevent "lazy eye" (amblyopia). That's why it is important for your child to have an eye exam early, first when your child is an infant and then again by age two.

Fiction: At the very first sign of symptoms, such as blurred vision, eye pain, flashes of light, or sudden onset of floaters in your vision, you should see your doctor. If detected early enough, depending on the cause, there are treatments that can correct, stop, or at least slow down the loss of vision.

Fiction: It has been thought that using a nightlight in your child's bedroom may contribute to nearsightedness, however there is not enough evidence to support this claim. Keeping a nightlight on in your baby's room may actually help them learn to focus and develop important eye coordination skills when they are awake.

Fact: Looking at the sun may not only cause a headache and distort your vision temporarily, but it can also cause permanent damage to your retina -- the back of your eye. Any exposure to sunlight adds to the cumulative effects of ultraviolet radiation on your eyes. UV exposure has been linked to eye disorders such as macular degeneration, solar retinitis, cataracts, pterygia, and corneal dystrophies. The most dangerous time for sun gazing is midday and during a solar eclipse. The brightness of the sun is hidden; but the dangerous invisible rays that permanently burn your eyes are not reduced.

Fact: If you use artificial sweeteners, like cyclamates, your eyes may be more sensitive to light. There are other factors that will make your eyes more sensitive to light as well. They include antibiotics, oral contraceptives, high blood pressure drugs, diuretics, and diabetic medications.