2023-08-14 13:54:22
You’ve probably heard all kinds of advice to avoid damaging your vision: don’t read in the dark, don’t read too closely, eat carrots, but which ones are correct?
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The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of visual impairment can be prevented or cured with treatment.
In the United States, 40% of adults are prone to vision regression. In Canada, these data are similar.
According to Statistics Canada, 70% of young people between the ages of 6 and 19 have vision considered normal, while just under half of adults between the ages of 40 and 64 have so-called normal vision.
1. Reading a book or looking at a screen very closely can harm your eyes
TRUE. According to Dr. Xiaoying Zhu, Associate Clinical Professor of Optometry and Senior Myopia Researcher at the SUNY College of Optometry in New York, the eyes are not designed to continuously focus on an object near the face.
This habit can cause the elongation of the eyeball, and thus induce myopia.
2. Reading in the dark harms your vision
Faux. Reading in the dark would not damage vision, Dr. Zhu told The New York Times. However, be sure to hold the book or e-reader at a reasonable distance.
3. Spending more time outdoors is good for your eye health
TRUE. A study conducted mostly with children suggests that spending time outdoors can reduce the risk of developing myopia. However, experts are uncertain as to the reasons behind this phenomenon.
4. Looking at the sun directly is harmful to the eyes.
TRUE. Looking directly at the sun can be harmful to your eyes due to exposure to ultraviolet A and B rays and can even cause irreversible damage.
These can also increase the risk of developing cancer.
5. Take your glasses off occasionally
Faux. Safal Khanal, an assistant professor of optometry and vision science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, tells the New York Times that “if you need glasses, you should wear them.”
6. A long period of exposure to screens is harmful to eye health
Faux. Although some studies tend to show a certain correlation between blue light from screens and vision regression, no concrete evidence confirms this hypothesis, according to Dr. Ehrlich.
There is also no evidence that wearing blue light blocking glasses can actually have a positive impact on eye health.
Dr. Zhu, however, emits the following nuance: “When we look at a screen, we do not blink our eyes as often as we should”.
7. Smoking is bad for your eyes
TRUE. If you weren’t already convinced that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health, this habit is also bad for the health of your eyes.
Indeed, a 2011 study demonstrates a close link between chemicals in cigarettes and degenerative eye diseases such as cataracts.
These chemicals damage tissue.
8. Eating carrots is good for the eyes
TRUE. Although carrots have positive effects on eye health, they will not give you perfect vision.
According to a clinical study, antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins C and E might slow down the aging process.
9. Age rhymes with poor vision
Faux. The majority of causes of vision loss, including cataracts and glaucoma, are preventable and treatable, Dr. Ehrlich told The New York Times.
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