Affect of Carrots and TVs on Eyesight are Myths

According to a leading ophthalmic specialist many of the health warnings we hear about our eyes could in fact be mythological. Speaking to the American news centre 5 News, Dr. Marguerite McDonald, Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine, specialist in cornea, refractive and anterior aspects of the eye, dismisses and agrees with several eye myths commonly heard of.

No doubt we’ve all heard the carrot myth; the one used by many persuasive mothers in their bid to encourage children to eat their carrots, but alas, Dr. McDonald dismisses this to be just what it is, a myth. Whilst Vitamin A, which is found in plentiful amounts in carrots, is a key player in natural vision, it is only needed in small amounts which can be achieved through a normal diet without excess consumption of the orange vegetable. In better news, she doesn’t wholly dismiss the myth of sitting too close to the TV being bad for your eyes but does suggest there is no clear-cut evidence supporting this myth.

Perhaps more importantly, Dr. McDonald also tries to spell the end of the myth that one should only visit their eye doctor when they feel something is wrong with their eyes. Backing up recent campaigns she emphasizes the necessity in people receiving regular eye examinations, even once a year, because many eye problems can go undetected for a considerable amount of time but will be picked up sooner by opticians giving patients a better chance of receiving effective treatment. Perhaps controversially she also goes on to add that “dry eye” syndrome is not actually classified as a real disease despite the fact that many medical experts regard the syndrome as being a progressive disease that can lead to impairment of the sufferers normal daily activities. Overall, Dr. McDonald’s recent addressing of eye myths should clear the air with regards to some of the more trivial of myths but could spark debate into the more significant of ones.

31st January 2010

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