Millions of Americans are diagnosed with dry eye every day. In simple words, dry eye is a chronic condition that results from lack of tears, improper lubrication, or tears draining too quickly. Consequently, damage may occur to the exposed eye surface which causes eye discomfort.

In today’s day and age, our lives revolve around digital screens. We are constantly streaming, scrolling, swiping and typing. Studies have shown most adults now spend over two hours each day looking at a digital screen.  Prolonged near work, such as computer use, reading, using hand-held electronic devices, or even doing homework will stress our eyes’ focusing system. 

 When it comes to the amount of health information online, on TV, and even from friends and family, we all become overwhelmed. Unfortunately, along with the good, a lot of things you have learned or heard may turn out to be inaccurate.  Here are five common eye health myths and misconceptions that have no basis in science.

Long-range ultraviolet A (UVA) and short-range ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are the most dangerous forms of sunlight produced by the sun. Since these powerful rays have wavelengths shorter than visible light, they are invisible to the eye. Without realizing it, all of us are susceptible to damages from the sun. 

Myopia is a commonly diagnosed vision disorder where objects far away appear blurry while nearby things are clear, hence myopia is commonly called nearsightedness. If you struggle to recognize the details of what’s on the movie screen or television, but see well enough to read what’s on your smartphone, then you may be nearsighted.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can deteriorate the eye’s optic nerve resulting in vision loss and blindness. It is the second-leading cause of blindness in the U.S. Usually, glaucoma occurs when the fluid inside the eyes are abnormally high. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye rises to a level that is damaging to the optic nerve.

Sight, the most precious sense of all, allows us to appreciate life and help us navigate the world around us. In a single glance, lasting a fraction of a second, our eyes transmit electro-chemical impulses to the brain to give us information on the size, shape, color, and texture of an object. With our eyes, we are able to walk on the forest floor,  gaze at the lushness of the trees, and recognize the color-infused flowers.

Most people think of 20/20 vision as great eye sight, but do you really know what it means? It’s the result of a test your optometrist performs to evaluate your visual acuity – how well you see with each eye, based on the smallest letter that you are able to distinguish on a chart measured at a distance of 20 feet...