To mark World Sight Day on Thursday, 8 October, Specsavers Waterford is lifting the lid on some of the internet’s most searched and surprising eye care myths, separating fact from fiction and encouraging people across Ireland to put their eye health first with regular eye tests.
From viral social media theories asking whether you can sneeze a contact lens out, to age-old advice about eating carrots to see in the dark, public misconceptions surrounding eye health remain widespread.
Kerril Hickey, Specsavers Ireland Chairperson, said: “The internet is full of weird and wonderful questions about vision. While some of these misconceptions are harmless fun, others can lead to risky habits like wearing cheap dark sunglasses without proper UV protection or skipping routine eye exams because your vision seems fine. World Sight Day is the perfect opportunity to set the record straight and remind everyone in Ireland that looking after your eyes is an important part of your overall health.”
Six common eye health myths – and the facts:
Myth 1: “You can sneeze a contact lens out of your eye.”
The facts: Modern contact lenses are contoured to fit the curvature of your cornea snugly. The physical force of a sneeze itself cannot blow a lens out of your eye, nor can a lens travel “behind” your eye into your head or nose. A continuous, sealed membrane called the conjunctiva covers the white part of your eye and lines your inner eyelids, making it impossible for a contact lens to get lost behind the eyeball.
However, because people instinctively squeeze their eyelids tightly shut when sneezing, a dry or ill-fitting lens might occasionally fold and pop out due to eyelid pressure – not the sneeze itself.
Myth 2: “Eating carrots gives you super night vision.”
The facts: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts into Vitamin A, a vital nutrient for eye health and retinal function. However, eating extra carrots will not give you superhuman vision in the dark if you already have normal Vitamin A levels. The myth originated during WWII as British military propaganda to conceal the invention of airborne radar technology.
Myth 3: “Darker sunglasses give better UV protection.”
The facts: The tint of a sunglass lens only controls how much light reaches your eyes; it has no correlation with UV protection. In fact, wearing dark sunglasses that lack proper UV protection is worse than wearing none. The dark tint causes your pupils to dilate, allowing even higher levels of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation into the eye and increasing the long-term risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Always ensure your sunglasses carry certified UV protection – look for the CE mark stamped inside the frame arm or a certified UV400 rating, which guarantees 100% protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays.
Myth 4: “Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV will permanently ruin your eyes.”
The facts: While reading in low light or sitting close to a screen can cause temporary eyestrain, fatigue, dry eyes and headaches, it does not cause permanent structural damage to adult eyes. Rest, good lighting and following the 20-20-20 rule (looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes) will ease discomfort.
Myth 5: “Wearing someone else’s glasses, or wearing yours too much, will make your eyes weaker.”
The facts: Corrective lenses do not alter the physical structure of your eye, nor do they make your eyes “lazy”. Glasses simply bend light, so it focuses properly on your retina. Wearing incorrect prescription glasses may cause a temporary headache or eye strain, but it will not cause permanent damage or weaken your eyesight.
Myth 6: “You only need an eye test if you notice a change in your vision.”
The facts: An eye examination is more than just a vision test; it is an important health check. Conditions like glaucoma often develop slowly without any pain or early warning symptoms. Advanced technology used at Specsavers, such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans, allows optometrists to see beneath the surface of the retina and detect sight-threatening conditions up to four years earlier than standard tests.
Eye tests can also spot signs of broader health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Anyone with concerns about their eye health, or who is due an eye test, can call into their nearest Specsavers store or visit www.specsavers.ie/stores.
