Myths about the eye debunked

So, is it true that using medicated glasses can make someone’s eyes to push inwards? Dr. Ajani Magdalene, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at the State House Medical Centre Asokoro responds.  “They said that to my father 35 years ago and still my eyes have not gone in. I started wearing glasses at the age of ten. […]

So, is it true that using medicated glasses can make someone’s eyes to push inwards? Dr. Ajani Magdalene, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at the State House Medical Centre Asokoro responds.  “They said that to my father 35 years ago and still my eyes have not gone in. I started wearing glasses at the age of ten. It is a fallacy, because there is no way the glasses is going to move your eyes inwards. The glasses is just to aid you to see what you see, it does not have any scientific relation of pushing back the eye.”

Just as this fallacy is not true, there are some other fallacies about the eyes that have been debunked by the specialist.

Myth: Eating garri causes eye problem

According to Dr. Ajani, “Eating  garri has no relationship with allergy conjunctivitis and most of the eye diseases. What people are worried about is  garri that is not fully processed. When it is not fully processed, it means it has high level of sihanite. And sihanite in the body can cause a lot of problems and it is not just the eye. The commonest thing it can do is to damage that nerve of vision. But it is garri that is not fully processed that can do that.”

Myth: Use sugar solution and urine to treat appollo

Ajani explains “To dissolve sugar in water and put in the eye or put the urine of cow or that of the human being in the eye does not cure appollo. Our people do these practices. When you do this, you are giving the organism food to eat. So what happens? It is going to multiply. And it is going to get worse. For the urine, you are putting into the eyes that acid. That will lead to chemical conjunctivitis instead of the viral conjunctivitis that will go on its own naturally.”

Myth: Appollo can cause blindness

Dr. Ajani explains again that, “with conjunctivitis (appollo), vision is not affected, because the conjunctiva is not part of the segment of the eye that contributes to vision. It has is just that discomfort and the redness. It does not affect vision. You will still see 100 per cent, if you do not have any problem that is related to the blurring of vision. Except when the secondary infection is introduced, then it can affect the cornea, but the classical conjunctivitis does not affect vision.” Ajani says

Myth: There’s nothing you can do about preventing sight loss.

Health experts say regular eye exams and proper safety eyewear can save your sight.

Myth: Reading in dim light can damage your eyes.

The  specialist said reading in dim light can cause eye fatigue, but it will not hurt your eyes.

Myth: An eye exam is only necessary if you are having problems

Everyone should follow a proper eye health program that includes a regular eye exam, whether or not they are having any noticeable signs of problems.

Dr. Ajani says “For normal adults who don’t have eye problem, we suggest that you have a eye checkup, once every two years. When you are around 40 years old, you will need a pair of glasses to be able to read. And if you don’t have any eye problem, every two or three years you need to replace your lense power, because it keeps going higher until you are 60 when it stabilizes, but if you are at a risk of getting glaucoma, you check your eyes once in a year,”Ajani said.