If only a dime was thrown into a well every time there was a new myth about poor eyesight…for one thing, you wouldn’t find water in that well anymore. Blame it on the church or the ever-too-worried parents; eyesight has always been a subject of abject tunnel vision.

People across demographics are usually worried whether that particular habit of theirs or their loved ones would lead to poor eyesight or not. In most cases, the worry rather is that it certainly will. But trust us on this, some of the biggest healthy-vision-poor-vision facts you may know are not facts, but mere myths, half-truths, and lies. Want to see them in close range?

Things that Don’t Cause Permanent Poor Vision

1.    Screen Time & Habits

Cell phone, TV, laptop, or whatever. Don’t worry; none of those lead to any permanent damage to your vision. So, you can enjoy them up close and personal, in the dark, or whichever way you like; it won’t harm your visual prowess.

Remember, however, to take frequent breaks in between so that your eyes don’t get strained, causing headaches, or dry up and be blurry.

2.    Wearing Glasses

Who is even making this stuff up? No, wearing your glasses does not weaken your eyesight! Why, then, is your vision not good when you take your glasses off? Well, because while wearing glasses, your eyes, or their lenses rather, did not have to work too hard to make you see clearly. Off the glasses, though, they do, and that takes some time to return to normal.

3.    Not Wearing Glasses

Again, the short answer is no. But to get it out of your head, you must understand how glasses work. Irrespective of whether you suffer from near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or astigmatism (a condition where distance and near vision are both blurry), your glasses only help you see better. Nothing more, nothing less.

Not wearing them does not harm the sight, and wearing them does not improve it permanently. At least no conclusive evidence yet suggests so. Therefore, say if you are near-sighted and working on something in a range where you can clearly see without the glasses, there’s no need to wear them. Unless of course, you like wearing them.

4.    Squinting

Yet another popular myth, but no, squinting is not bad for vision. But, doing it too much can cause headaches.

5.    Masturbation

Thank you, clergy, for this one, but truth be told, masturbation neither leads to poor eyesight nor blindless like the original claim was. The myth was a product of a concerted effort to repress sexuality back in the day and has no credible scientific study to back it up.

Masturbation may, however, cause temporary blurriness, but that’s about it.

6.    Wearing Someone Else’s Glasses

Yet again, nothing to support the claim except for hearsay. However, wearing someone else’s prescription glasses may give you eye strain and fatigue and resultant headache.

Causes of Poor Eyesight

Now that we have busted some of the popular myths about poor vision, here is a list of factors that do actually affect your ability to see adversely and permanently:

1. Ageing
2. Genes
3. Smoking
4. Poor Diet
5. Extended Sun Exposure for Eyes
6. Low Water Intake
7. Rubbing Eyes (yes, that one’s true. Because too hard a rub too often can damage the lens or the cornea permanently)

The list is easily extendable because many conditions may not be directly linked with eye problems, but can have a reach there. Diabetes and strokes, for instance, can eventually have an impact on your eye health too.

The bottom line is that while many of the listed myths are just that, mere myths, temperance is the key. Being cautious and not being too adventurous about your eye health can help save your vision from a lot that remains unknown. So be moderate, follow good practices, and get your eye exam done at least once a year.

If you suffer from poor vision due to any reason out there and need help navigating your day-to-day life, remember Annie’s Place provides home health and personal support services.