Health & Wellness

Some Common Misconceptions About Your Eyes
by Dr. Mark A. Sibley

Did Benjamin Franklin really discover electricity by flying a kite in an electrical storm? Did he really invent bifocals in order to read the Declaration of Independence?

My grandparents told me those stories. If you are like me, you have heard many stories like these that have been retold for so long that they are generally accepted as absolute truth. Myths about Benjamin Franklin or any other legendary hero are innocent, but myths and misconceptions regarding your eyes have more serious consequences. If your beliefs are wrong, your eyes, or those of a loved one, might be damaged or blinded.

Why don’t you test yourself with the following true or false statements and see how much you know about your eyes and vision?

Q: Laser specialists use a light treatment that can restore vision and prevent blindness. True or false?

A: True! The new miracle is that this treatment can prevent blindness and restore sight in many eye patients with scar tissue, diabetes, glaucoma or macular degeneration. The newest method, called LASIK, removes nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism so that many who receive this treatment can throw away their glasses.

Q: A cataract must be “ripe” before it can be removed. True or false?

A: False. A cataract, a cloudy lens that obscures the vision, does not have to be “ripe” before it is removed. It is ready to be removed when a patient’s vision is blurry or when the cloudiness blurs the doctor’s view inside the eye and hides any problems.

Q: Cataracts can be removed with a laser. True or false?

A: False. I must hear this 500 times a year. Cataracts are removed only by surgery, not by lasers. Nearly 100 percent of patients on whom this surgery is performed get an artificial lens replacement called a “lens implant,” which almost always restores excellent vision. Cataract surgery is now very simple, safe and successful.

Q: Contact lenses can prevent nearsightedness from getting worse. True or false?

A: False. Wearing contact lenses does not prevent nearsightedness from getting worse, nor is there evidence that wearing contact lenses can produce a permanent improvement in vision. Contact lenses can be very beneficial, but, like glasses, they improve vision only while you wear them.

Q: Eyes can be transplanted. True or false?

A: False. What can be successfully transplanted, however, is the cornea, the clear front window of the eye. Corneal transplants are the number one successfully-performed transplant in the world, and they are sometimes misidentified as eye transplants. Actually, this is understandable, since we ask members of the public to be “eye donors” and read stories about grieving parents who donate “the eyes” of their deceased child so that others may see again with the corneal transplants.

If you have any eye questions, you should get them answered during a professional eye exam. So many eye problems that can cause blindness have no symptoms — no pain, no pus, or poor vision — until it is too late. To detect these diseases, you need an eye exam from your doctor or eye specialist. The good news is that almost anything can be treated and cured if caught in time.

About the Author

Dr. Sibley has over 20 years of experience in the ever-evolving field of ophthalmology. He is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellow of the American College of Surgeons, highly trained to perform the advanced operations offered by the Florida Eye Center. He is medical advisor to the Society to Prevent Blindness and to the American Diabetes Association, and team ophthalmologist for the Tampa Bay Rays. Send Dr. Sibley an email at DrSibley@FloridaEyeCenter.com. To make an appointment, call the Florida Eye Center at (727) 895-2020. Florida Eye Center offers Lasik Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma Surgery, and much more.

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