Can reading in dim light damage your eyes? Do glasses make eyesight weaker? Is kajal good for your eyes? I answer some of the most common eye health myths with clear, expert-backed explanations.
Eye care carries more inherited belief than almost any other part of health, passed down through families, culture, and habit long before anyone could test whether it was true. Some of these ideas are harmless. Others delay real treatment or cause real harm. Below, I’ve fact-checked the ones I hear most often in clinic, one at a time, with the actual evidence behind each.
Serious Risk, Worth Reading First
Can Eye Exercises or “Palming” Cure Glaucoma? No. Glaucoma damage is permanent and delaying treatment for exercises risks irreversible vision loss.
Does Sun-Gazing Strengthen the Eyes? No. Sun-gazing can cause serious, often permanent retinal damage, with no visual benefit.
Does a Cataract Have to “Ripen” Before It Can Be Operated On? No. Modern surgery doesn’t need a mature cataract, and waiting only adds risk and delay.
Does glaucoma always causes symptoms or only affects older adults? Many of the most common beliefs about glaucoma are wrong—and can delay diagnosis until vision loss has already occurred.
Do Children Outgrow Squint and Lazy Eye? Rarely. There’s a narrow treatment window in early childhood; waiting can mean permanent vision loss.
Light, Reading, and Screen Habits
Does Reading in Dim Light Damage Your Eyes? Causes temporary strain, not damage. What matters for children is near-work versus outdoor time.
Does Sitting Too Close to the TV Ruin Your Eyes? No harm to the eye. Often a sign of uncorrected myopia worth checking.
Is Using Your Phone in Bed in the Dark Uniquely Damaging to Your Eyes? Causes strain and can disrupt sleep, but doesn’t damage the eye or cause glaucoma.
Does Reading on a Moving Vehicle or Train Damage Your Eyes Permanently? The discomfort is motion sickness, not eye injury, and it’s fully temporary.
Glasses and Correction
Do Glasses Make Your Eyes Progressively Weaker? No. Increasing power reflects the eye condition progressing, not the glasses themselves.
Does Wearing Glasses Too Early Make Your Eyes “Lazy” and Dependent on Them? No. Delaying necessary glasses is the real risk to a child’s visual development.
Does Wearing Someone Else’s Glasses Damage Your Eyes? Brief use causes temporary discomfort only, not lasting harm.
Home Remedies and Traditional Practices
Can Walking Barefoot on Grass Remove Glasses Power? No effect on glasses power. Outdoor time itself is what genuinely helps.
Is Kajal Good for Children’s Eyes? No benefit, and real risk, including lead exposure and blocked tear ducts.
Does Homemade, Herbal, or Expensive Kajal Make It Safe? Safety depends on verified composition, not on origin, branding, or price.
Is Gulabjal or Rosewater Good for the Eyes? No proven benefit, and it isn’t sterile, so it carries real infection risk.
Does Washing Your Eyes Relieve Dryness? Water strips the natural tear film and often leaves eyes drier.
Do You Need to Splash Water in Your Eyes to Clean Them? Eyes are already self-cleaning through blinking. Splashing disrupts this.
Does Triphala Eyewash Improve Eyesight? No clinical evidence of benefit, plus real risk from non-sterile application.
Does Applying Breast Milk to a Baby’s Eyes Treat Infection? Not a reliable treatment, and it can introduce bacteria to a newborn’s eye.
Does Turmeric or Honey in the Eye Clear Infections? Neither treats infection when applied to the eye, and both carry real risk of irritation or injury.
Diet and Vision
Do Carrots Make Glasses Go Away? Vitamin A supports genuine eye health but cannot correct refractive error.
Do Almonds Improve Eyesight If Eaten Daily? Supports general eye health, but doesn’t change glasses power.
Can Eating Spinach or Amla Reverse Glasses Power? Real, narrow benefits for retinal health long-term, no effect on refractive error.
Eye Drops and Treatment
If Your Eye Drops Sting, Does That Mean They’re Working? Stinging reflects formulation, not effectiveness. Report it rather than assume.
Do All Eye Drops Need to Be Stored in the Fridge? Depends on the specific drop. Check the label, don’t assume a blanket rule.
Do Eyedrops Expire After Opening? Open eye drop bottles are safe for about one month, regardless of the printed expiry date, because the seal that kept them sterile is broken once opened.
A Common Thread
Most of these myths aren’t foolish. They usually contain a real fact at the centre, vitamin A does matter, outdoor time does help, tears do need care, stretched into a claim the fact never supported. My aim with each of these pieces is to keep the part that’s true and correct the part that isn’t, so you’re making decisions about your eyes, or your child’s, based on evidence rather than habit.
If you’re dealing with a specific concern from this list, or something not covered here, it’s worth getting it looked at directly rather than guessing.
Book a Consultation
Don’t let myths guide your eye care. Myths persist because symptoms can be subtle and damage can be silent, especially with conditions like glaucoma. If you have questions this page didn’t answer, or you’d simply like a professional opinion you can trust, schedule a consultation with Dr. Shibal Bhartiya.
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This article is a part of the Myths about Eyes Hub. Read on more to understand more about your eye health. Also read Do Almonds Improve Vision, Do Spinach and Amla Improve Vision, and Nutrients for Eye Health, Glaucoma Myths Debunked, Myths About Cataract. Please also read Complementary and Alternate Medication for Glaucoma, and Marijuana for Glaucoma.
About the Author
This article was written by Dr Shibal Bhartiya, fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist and Mayo Clinic Research Collaborator, Clinical Director at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Gurugram, known for ethical, patient-centred glaucoma care and independent glaucoma second opinions. She is also the Program Director for Community Outreach & Wellness; and for the Marengo Asia International Institute of Neuro and Spine.
She has published peer-reviewed research on glaucoma management, examining how treatment decisions should balance medical evidence, patient preferences, and long-term vision outcomes.
As Editor-in-Chief of Clinical and Experimental Vision and Eye Research and Executive Editor of the Journal of Current Glaucoma Practice (Pubmed Indexed, official journal of the International Society of Glaucoma Surgery), Dr Shibal Bhartiya brings editorial and research depth to every clinical decision. Her 200+ publications, including 90+ PubMed-indexed publications and 28 edited textbooks span glaucoma biology, surgical outcomes, health equity, and emerging diagnostics.
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