Misconceptions about Eyes - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 50) | Mental Floss

Hi guys, I'm Elliot and this is Mental Floss Video. Today I'm going to talk about some misconceptions about your eyes

Okay? Right here. Stay with me. Misconception number one, reading in the dark is bad for your eyes

Optometry experts don't tend to take issue with this practice. The eye fatigue might give you a headache, but there's no scientific evidence proving that reading in the dark is bad for your eyes

Although it's worth mentioning that there haven't been any long-term studies about this specific phenomenon

Many studies about eye ability have determined that it's primarily genetic, though environment probably has a role too

And one study conducted in Australia found that children who spend a lot of time indoors were more likely to develop short-sightedness than children who played outdoors more often

So daylight may be good for your eyes, but experts don't think that reading in the dark is bad for them

Misconception number two, sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes. No guys, you can get as close as you want

Okay, just like reading in the dark, the most this will probably do is give you a headache. This used to be true because the first televisions actually emitted x that might have caused eye problems But modern flat panel TVs physically cannot produce x And older CRT monitors have so many protections built in they safe as well

There is something known as computer vision syndrome. This is when you look at your computer, tablet, or cell phone for too long

It can cause blurred vision and other eye strain. In most cases, CVS is temporary, but sometimes it can develop and become an ongoing problem

And sometimes you've got to go to CVS because you ran out of contact solution. Misconception number three, carrots can improve your eyesight

This is a very simplified version of the truth. Basically, carrots contain beta carotene, which your body uses to make vitamin A

And good eyesight is dependent on vitamin A, but you only need to consume a very little amount of it

You can also get it from other foods like cheese or milk. It's a total myth that eating carrots will give you better vision

Misconception number four, wearing contacts or glasses makes your eyesight worse. If you wear contacts or glasses, you might wonder why you consistently need a stronger and stronger prescription

and you might blame that on your vision becoming worse because you wear corrective lenses. Not true

It's probably just because you're aging. Misconception number five if you cross your eyes too much they get stuck that way Not true mom As it turns out the muscles that you use to cross your eyes are the same muscles that you use to move your eyes from right to left So if we needed to worry about them getting stuck crossed then we need to be worried about them getting stuck when looking in any

direction. That'd be terrifying. Misconception number six, it's possible to outgrow strabismus. Strabismus is the medical term for what most people call a

lazy eye or crossed eyes. According to the American Optometric Association this

is a condition in which both eyes do not look at the same place at the same time

It occurs when an eye turns in, out, up, or down and is usually caused by poor eye

muscle control or a high amount of farsightedness. A lot of parents are told that their children

will outgrowst her business, but after the age of four months it's a condition that needs to be treated

or it could get worse. Misconception number seven, surgery cures glaucoma. Glaucoma is a damaged optic nerve

and there are a lot of effective treatments for it, including medications and surgery. Those can help protect the vision that a person still has

but neither medications nor surgery will be able to restore the parts of the optic nerve

that have already been damaged. Misconception number eight, a contact lens can get caught behind your eye

This, thank goodness, is physically impossible. Your eye has something known as the conjunctiva

which is the lining of the whites of your eyes and your eyelids And that means that those two things connect so a contact can sneak behind your eye If you feel like a contact is back there it probably stuck to your eyelid or you going crazy Misconception number nine cataracts can be fixed with lasers This is kind of a misconception

based on the misconception. Some people think cataracts grow on the outside of the eye so they

can be removed with the laser. Cataracts are actually clouding within the lens of the eye

So there is a new laser technology that can soften the cataract, but in order to remove them, a surgeon

actually needs to go into the eye's lens with a tool, not a laser. Then an artificial lens replaces

is the old one. Misconception number 10, eye transplants exist. At this point in time, only cornea transplants are possible

but scientists are working on whole eye transplants. The reason this is such a difficult procedure

is largely due to the nerve generation required to make it possible. Experts in the field are working on it

but an eye transplant won't be attempted anytime soon. Guys, thank you for watching

the misconceptions and mental flaws video. If you have a topic for an upcoming misconceptions episode

that you would like to see, leave it in the comments below and I will see it

And I will see you next week