| 1. |
Reading in dim light is
harmful to your eyes. |
| 2. |
It is not harmful to watch
a welder or look at the sun if you squint, or look through
narrowed eyelids. |
| 3. |
Using a computer, or video
display terminal (VDT), is harmful to the eyes. |
| 4. |
If you use your eyes too much, you wear them out. |
| 5. |
Wearing poorly fit glasses
damages your eyes. |
| 6. |
Wearing poorly fit contacts
does not harm your eyes. |
| 7. |
You do not need to have
your eyes checked until you are in your 40s and 50s. |
| 8. |
Safety goggles are more
trouble than they’re worth. |
| 9. |
It’s okay to swim while
wearing soft contact lenses. |
| 10. |
Children outgrow crossed
eyes. |
| 11. |
A cataract must be ripe
before it can be removed. |
| 12. |
Cataracts can be removed
with lasers. |
| 13. |
Eyes can be transplanted. |
| 14. |
All eye care providers
are the same. |
| 1. |
Although reading in dim
light can make your eyes feel tired, it is not harmful. |
| 2. |
Even if you squint, ultra-violet
light still gets to your eyes damaging the cornea, lens, and
retina. Never
watch welding without wearing the proper protection.
Never look directly at an eclipse. |
| 3. |
Although using a VDT is
associated with eyestrain or fatigue, it is not harmful to
the eyes. |
| 4. |
You can use your eyes
as much as you wish – they do not wear out. |
| 5. |
Although a good glasses
fit is required for good vision, a poor fit does not damage
your eyes. |
| 6. |
Poorly fit contact lenses
can be harmful to your cornea (the window at the front of
your eye). Make
certain your eyes are checked regularly by your ophthalmologist
if you wear contact lenses. |
| 7. |
There are several asymptomatic,
yet treatable, eye diseases (most notably glaucoma) that can
begin prior to your 40s. |
| 8. |
Safety goggles prevent
many potentially blinding injuries every year.
Keep goggles handy and use them! |
| 9. |
Potentially blinding eye infections can result from
swimming or using a hot tub while wearing contact lenses. |
| 10. |
Children do not outgrow truly crossed eyes.
A child whose eyes are misaligned has strabismus and
can develop poor vision in one eye (a condition known as amblyopia)
because the brain turns off the misaligned or “lazy” eye.
The sooner crossed or misaligned eyes are treated,
the less likely the child will have permanently impaired vision. |
| 11. |
With modern cataract surgery,
a cataract does not have to ripen before it is removed.
When a cataract keeps you from doing the things you
like or need to do, consider having it removed. |
| 12. |
Cataracts cannot be removed
with a laser. The
cloudy lens must be removed through a surgical incision.
However, after cataract surgery, a membrane within
the eye may become cloudy.
This membrane can be opened with laser surgery. |
| 13. |
The eye cannot be transplanted. It is connected to the brain by the optic nerve, which cannot
be reconnected once it has been severed.
The cornea – the clear front part of the eye – can
be transplanted. Surgeons
often use plastic intraocular lens implants (IOLs) to replace
natural lenses removed during cataract surgery. |
| 14. |
An ophthalmologist is
a medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.), uniquely
trained to diagnose and treat all disorders of the eye.
An ophthalmologist is qualified to perform surgery,
prescribe and adjust eyeglasses and contact lenses, and prescribe
medication. An
optometrist (O.D.) is not a medical doctor, but is specially
trained to diagnose eye abnormalities and prescribe, supply,
and adjust eyeglasses and contact lenses.
In most states, optometrists can use drugs to treat
certain eye disorders.
An optician fits, supplies, and adjusts eyeglasses
and contact lenses.
An optician cannot examine the eyes or prescribe eyeglasses
or medication. |
