Myths and misunderstandings about eye health have been around for years, and sometimes it’s difficult to tell which bits of “knowledge” are derived from up-to-date research and which are assumptions that, over time, have been repeated often enough to seem like truth. Here, optometrist Gabriel Hulewsky of the John A. Moran Eye Center clears up the confusion surrounding some of the most common assumptions about vision. 

• Reading in dim light can hurt your eyes. Truth: Reading in dim light won’t hurt your eyes, but more light may make reading easier and more comfortable. 
• It’s safe to look directly at the sun if you’re squinting or wearing sunglasses. Truth: You should never look directly at the sun, even when squinting or wearing sunglasses. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can do irreparable damage to your eye’s cornea, lens, and retina. Avoid looking directly at a solar eclipse, as well, as that can also cause blindness.
• Using a computer or other electronic display screen can hurt your eyes. Truth: Staring for long periods of time at computer screens or other electronic device displays have been associated with eye strain, but the displays themselves do not harm your eyes. 

You can avoid eye strain by:

• Reducing glare off your screen and adjusting the brightness 
• Viewing the screen from an appropriate distance (about arm’s length) 
• Wearing your prescribed eyeglasses or contacts 
• Wearing glasses with blue-light-blocking filters 
• Looking away from the screen, into the distance, about every 20-30 minutes
• Using lubricating eye drops to prevent your eyes from drying out

• If you use your eyes too much, you’ll wear them out. Truth: While eyes can become strained, as mentioned above, your eyes are designed to last as long as the rest of your body. You can’t technically “wear them out.”
• If you continually cross your eyes, at some point they’ll stay that way. Truth: Crossing your eyes will not cause them to stay stuck that way.
• The fit of your contact lenses doesn’t matter. Truth: The fit of your contact lenses matters a lot. Poorly fitting contacts can damage the front part of your eye. 
• Wearing eyeglasses makes your eyes dependent on them. Truth: Seeing through corrective lenses may be necessary for safety and comfort, but wearing eyeglasses does not change your eyes or create a chemical or mechanical dependency on the glasses. 
• Safety goggles are more annoying than helpful. Truth: Safety goggles are absolutely helpful and prevent many injuries that could potentially cause blindness.
• It’s ok to wear soft contact lenses while swimming. Truth: Swimming while wearing contact lenses can result in serious eye infections. To be safe, remove your contact lenses before swimming or entering a hot tub.  
• A cataract can’t be removed until it’s advanced. Truth: Cataracts can be removed when they start affecting your daily activities.

*Hulewsky, G. (2021, Nov. 8). Top 10 Eye Health Myths Debunked. University of Utah Health.  https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2021/11/reading-in-low-light.php