The secrets your eye doctor won't tell you

Core Tip: Do you only wear sunglasses when the sun is shining? That's like saying "I only smoke sometimes." Wear sunglasses that are large enough to shield your eyes and the skin above and below your eyes from the sun; they should also have thick rims. Eyes, are there many misunderstandings in our consciousness that are unknown to others?

1. Never use tissue or toilet paper to clean your glasses

Tissue paper is made of wood and will scratch your lenses. I like to use my tie because it is made of silk and is quite smooth.

—Robert Noecker, MD

2. Polarized sunglasses can effectively reduce strong light

But they can make it hard to see your phone's display, or the navigation system. Wearing polarized sunglasses makes it harder to see the ATM screen.

— Janice Jurkus, optometrist

3. After the pupil dilation test, vision can return to normal immediately

But actually doing things that require focused vision requires two or three hours later.

Sometimes people get frustrated because they can't read a 12-page document.

—Paul Harris, associate professor and optometrist at Southern College of Optometry, Memphis

4. Many people think that UV rays can damage the skin, but they don’t realize that they can also damage the eyes.

Do you only wear sunglasses when the sun is shining? That's like saying "I only smoke sometimes."

Wear sunglasses that are large enough to shield your eyes and the skin above and below your eyes from the sun; they should also have thick rims. If you wear contact lenses, they need to have UV protection.

-- Stephen Cohen, former president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and optometrist in Arizona

5. Carrots are not the best food for your eyes

That honor should go to spinach, kale, and other dark leafy greens.

6. Eye drops (any kind) will reduce the burning sensation if kept in the refrigerator

— Janice Jurkus, optometrist

7. Some doctors put pressure on patients to get cataract surgery right away, but if it will cause financial problems for you, it usually won’t hurt to wait.

Cataracts rarely harm you - they just make it hard to see, like through a dirty window.

—Robert Noecker, MD

8. Reading in low light will not hurt your eyes

The worst thing might be a headache.

—Eric Donnenfeld, MD

9. Remove contact lenses before going to bed

If you sleep with contact lenses on, your chances of infection increase 10 to 15 times.

—Brian Bonanni, MD

10. When new eye problems arise, don’t just take a bottle of eye drops from your medicine cabinet.

If you already have an infection, steroid eye drops may relieve the redness, but the infection may become more serious. I have had to remove patients' eyes because of incidents like this.