Our eyes, together with our nose, ears, tongue and skin, are among our sensory organs. Thanks to our sense organs, we can perceive external stimuli. These are converted by the sense organ into electrical impulses and transmitted to our brain. Our eyes enable us to perceive light stimuli. But what is good for the eyes and what harms them? We have compiled for you the most well-known truths and misconceptions about our eyes.
Reading at dusk damages the eyes
For our eyes, bad light is tiring and it makes them get tired faster when reading because of it: Over time, the view becomes blurry and the letters are sometimes difficult to see. It is also possible that reading in poor light can cause headaches.
Your own bed can provide a remedy. This is because our eyes can recover during sleep. Although reading at dusk can have a short-term negative effect on our eyes, permanent damage from reading in dim light has not yet been proven.
Wearing glasses makes eyes worse
Eyes do not deteriorate just because you wear glasses. However, especially for people who wear glasses for the first time, putting them on can cause their own vision to be perceived as worse without glasses compared to before.
The reason for this lies in the previously missing possibility of comparison. Before buying the glasses, the intensity of vision represented the maximum of vision for the person concerned. However, by wearing the glasses, the maximum vision has been redefined. When the visual aid is removed, the maximum visual acuity also decreases. Thus, the affected person becomes aware of the difference between the optimal visual acuity and his or her natural visual acuity.
Carrots are good for the eyes
“Carrots are good for the eyes”, with this sentence parents try to make carrots palatable to their children. But is this claim really true? It is certain that carrots contain beta-carotene – a precursor of vitamin A. When the body is supplied with fat, it can form vitamin A from beta-carotene, which is why beta-carotene is also known as provitamin A. This is essential for the eyes, mainly for seeing in the dark.
Besides carrots, other fruits and vegetables also contain beta carotene. These include apricots, honeydew melons, mangoes, broccoli, tomatoes or spinach. So if you eat a healthy, varied diet, you don’t risk vitamin A deficiency. Additional vitamin A supplements are superfluous, because they do not further increase vision.
Sitting close to the television is bad for the eyes
Sitting too close to the television has no long-term negative consequences for vision. However, sitting too close to the TV can cause temporary eye burning or tired eyes.
To prevent too much strain on the eyes, the brightness in the room should be adjusted to the screen. By the way: If children tend to sit very close to the TV, a defective vision may be the cause. You should make an appointment with your child to see an eye doctor and have their visual acuity checked.
The eyes may stop when squinting
Parents often admonish their children not to squint – supposedly, otherwise their eyes might stop. However, to date, it has not been proven that this case could actually occur. But since squinting can have a negative effect on the development of spatial vision, for example, you should – if your child squints more often – consult an ophthalmologist.
