Do not read in the dark, do not sit close to the TV, wear sunglasses, and then the vision will deteriorate! Remember all these admonitions of our mothers?

“Of all the human senses, the eye has always been recognized as the best gift and the most wonderful piece of creative power of nature,” wrote the German doctor Hermann Helmholtz. With age, we begin to appreciate this gift particularly strongly: the deterioration of vision, which often accompanies the course of years, makes us wonder whether we are doing everything correctly. Do we keep enough eyes? And here come to the fore numerous myths about vision.

Believe it or not? Should you follow the “good advice,” or question them? Generally accepted truths about vision are sometimes not completely accurate. And, at first glance, dubious recommendations are the most scientifically sound. Let’s see how fair the most common myths about vision.

Myth 1

If you sit close to the TV, your vision will deteriorate.

Eyes may get tired of sitting too close to the TV if the room is poorly lit or if the screen is not clear. This myth can be recognized only partially in one case: if you have an old cathode-ray television (with a kinescope) at your home.

The image on it flashes due to the peculiarities of image transmission, and this can really have a negative effect on the eyes, tiring them. LCD monitors are built on a different principle of image transmission, and there is no annoying flickering on them, but all LCD monitors, monitors of computers, laptops, smartphones and other digital devices are the source of artificial blue rays. Blue rays degrade the quality of vision, reducing visual acuity, increase the risk of macular dystrophy, leading to blindness.

This disease is incurable. With long-term work at the computer or with constant use throughout the day with digital devices, users develop a symptom of visual fatigue. Modern man almost continuously throughout the day is exposed to blue light.

During the day – working at a computer and using mobile digital devices, in the evening – sitting at the TV screen or again a computer, laptop, etc. Almost 70% of users experience symptoms of digital visual fatigue. Increasingly, people begin to complain of eyestrain, dry eyes, blurring, headaches, and other negative symptoms. Children and adolescents, many of whom spend 10 hours a day using various digital devices, are particularly affected by excessive exposure to blue rays of artificial origin.

The effect of blue rays on the retina has a cumulative effect, so it is believed that the constant irradiation of the eye during the life of high-energy blue rays can increase the risk of AMD in the elderly, the most common cause of vision loss in adulthood. Blue light suppresses melatonin secretion by the pineal gland (all visible light suppresses melatonin secretion, but high-energy blue rays more), and melatonin controls our circadian rhythms (changing sleep and wakefulness). Sleep disturbance has become a real problem for many millions of adults and even children.

Myth 2

Reading in the dark leads to myopia

Insufficient lighting, the presence of glare cause stress on the part of the eyes and blurred vision. Frequent eye fatigue and stress lead to the development of myopia. It’s true!

Myth 3

Constant wearing of glasses impairs vision

If the glasses are chosen correctly, they do not impair vision, but, on the contrary, can slow down the process of its weakening. This was shown by numerous studies in which children and adolescents took part. In adulthood, the illusion is created that wearing glasses leads to a weakening of visual acuity, but experts believe that this is due to a more rapid opacification, loss of lens transparency in the elderly as a whole.

Myth 4

Gymnastics for the eyes can restore visual acuity.

Unfortunately, with myopia and hyperopia gymnastics for the eyes does not help to improve the sharpness of vision. It is most effective if you have a so-called “false myopia” or accommodation spasm. At the same time, the work of the circular muscle of the eye, which changes the curvature of the lens, is disturbed, and visual acuity can really fall. Often accommodation spasm is observed in adolescents and young people. Performing special exercises for the eyes helps relieve spasm and actually improves visual acuity, but temporarily, you need to wear the right glasses with the necessary optical power.

Myth 5

Sunglasses provide one hundred percent eye protection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.

What is dangerous ultraviolet radiation of the sun for the eyes? If you do not take cases of being in a very bright sun (for example, in snowy mountains without sunglasses), when you can get a burn of the retina, cornea, solar radiation leads to a change in the transparency of the lens, the development of early age changes, can cause headaches. And this inevitably affects the vision. Protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation is given not only by glasses with a UV 400 mark, but also by contact lenses.

Myth 6

Eating plenty of carrots or blueberries helps improve vision.

Indeed, carrots contain a lot of vitamin A, and blueberries contain vitamins B, PP and C, which are good for the eyes. Partially true. But in order to maintain good vision, these products need to be eaten not much, but very much. For example, in order for a person to receive a daily rate of vitamin A, and together with a carrot, he must eat it at least 5-6 kg per day. And the retina requires not only vitamin A, which everyone knows about, but also substances such as lutein . Lutein reduces the effect of the aggressive, blue-violet part of the light spectrum on the retina and protects the eyes from the free radicals that form in the light.This protects the retina from destruction, both age and associated with the effects of external factors. The risk of damage to the retina decreases with increasing density of lutein in this organ. Eating them helps to ensure normal nutrition of the retina, but does not contribute to the improvement of vision, if its acuity is already reduced.

Myth 7

If your computer has an LCD monitor, eye fatigue does not threaten you

When using a computer, visual fatigue syndrome develops, which leads to visual impairment, as a result – to dry eyes due to rare blinking, pain in the spine, impaired posture, pain in the hand when forced unusual position of the hands, the development of blood circulation disorders and metabolic disorders in the body.

Myth 8

Schooling inevitably leads to the fact that the child’s eyesight deteriorates

Of course not. It all depends on compliance with the rules that ensure eye health. If you alternate periods of load and rest, then the vision can be saved even for excellent students!

Myth 9

If you do not wash makeup from the eyes at night, the vision will deteriorate

Flush cosmetics, of course, necessary. But not so that vision is not affected, but in order to preserve the youth of the eyelid skin for as long as possible and to avoid an allergic reaction to the components of cosmetics.

Myth 10

Age-related visual impairment is inevitable.

Age changes are inevitable. They are caused by age-related changes in the whole organism. And the neglect of a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, good sleep, frequent stress, passion for using digital devices leads to early aging of the body. By 2040, according to WHO forecasts, more than 200 million people suffering from macular dystrophy are expected, compared with 2013 an increase of 100 million.

The number of people suffering from serious vision problems is increasing by 45 thousand people a year.