Fact or fiction? Your eye care questions answered

Published September 2025 | 5 min read
Expert contributor: Whitney Lam, Optometry Manager, HCF Eyecare
Words by Trudie McConnochie

Looking after your eyesight is simple, but there are plenty of common myths about eye care. We ask an optometrist for the facts.

Heard that eating carrots will help you see in the dark? Or that wearing prescription glasses will make your vision worse? Many of these ideas don’t have any scientific basis and fuel misinformation about eye health. To help you protect your vision, we called on an optometrist to sort fact from fiction.

Do glasses make your eyesight worse?

When Whitney Lam, Optometry Manager at HCF Eyecare, prescribes glasses for people with presbyopia – which occurs when eyes lose the ability to focus up close and usually shows up in your 40s – she lets them know right away that glasses will not make their eyes lazy.

“Because this is an age-related process, the eyes will get worse regardless of whether or not you’re wearing the glasses,” explains Whitney.

“If you can’t read up close and you’re working your eyes very hard, you can also get symptoms like tired eyes and headaches. Wearing glasses will not make your eyesight worse but will simply help to make your eyes more comfortable for daily function.”

Time to upgrade your eyewear? You can claim 100% of the cost of frames, lenses and contact lenses up to your annual optical limit each calendar year at any registered optical provider in our More for Eyes network^*. Plus, our network of HCF Eyecare Centres gives members in Sydney easy access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.

Can carrots help you see in the dark?

In bad news for well-meaning grandparents everywhere, there’s no truth to the idea that carrots can boost your ability to see in the dark. While carrots do contain vitamin A, which may play a part in supporting your vision, if you want to eat well for your eye health, there are better ways to do it.

“Instead of carrots, we recommend lots of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and two or three serves of fish a week, which can help protect against macular degeneration,” Whitney says.

For people with diabetes, nutrition plays a key role in protecting eye health, she adds. Diabetes increases the risk of eye problems like cataracts, macular oedema and glaucoma, partly because high glucose levels can contribute to changes in the eye. Eating low-GI (glycaemic index) foods like fruit, grainy bread, oats, lentils and beans can help people with type 2 diabetes keep their blood glucose levels in a healthy range.

Need support meeting your nutritional needs? Eligible members can access healthy recipes and other tools through the evidence-based CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet^{^}.

Do you only need to wear sunglasses when it’s sunny?

Sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement, they’re essential for protecting your eyes from UV rays that can cause eye irritation, as well as longer term problems including photokeratitis (a type of cornea sunburn). UV exposure also increases your risk of developing serious conditions like cataracts and skin cancers (of the eyelids and skin around the eyes).

UV radiation can still be high on a cloudy day, which means your skin and eyes are at risk of damage even if it doesn’t feel hot or sunny. No matter the weather, protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses outdoors when the UV level is 3 or above. You can download the free SunSmart app for accurate UV readings for your location.

For UV-protective sunglasses, the Cancer Council recommends looking for a pair that meets Australian Standard AS/NZS 1067.1:2016 and has a lens category of two, three or four. So check the label before you buy.

Are polarised sunglasses better for your eyes?

Loved by anglers, boaties and skiers, polarised sunglasses are great for reducing glare from horizontal surfaces like the ocean, but they don't offer greater UV protection than regular sunglasses, according to Whitney. If your sunglasses meet Australian safety standards (see above), she says your needs are covered, regardless of whether the lenses are polarised.

Can bright screens damage your eyes?

Myopia (short-sightedness) among children is rising at alarming levels, with researchers predicting it will affect 40% of children by 2050. The exact causes are unknown, but it’s believed excessive screen time and not spending enough time outdoors are factors behind this childhood myopia epidemic.

“The recommendation for kids is at least two hours of outdoor time a day and less than two hours of screen time after school,” Whitney says.

For adults, she says excessive screen time won’t ruin your eyesight, but it could cause problems like dry eye and headaches.

“With people who are working on computers all the time, we recommend for every 20 minutes of screen time to look away for 20 seconds, look 20 feet [6m] into the distance, and also take 20 big blinks – because we blink about 30% less when we’re on the screen and it can dry out the eyes.”

At work, position your screen so you’re not looking upwards.

“If where you’re looking on the screen is slightly below eye level, the upper eyelid can protect the upper portion of your eye a bit more, whereas if you’re looking up, your eyes are more open and more prone to dry eye,” Whitney explains.

Do blue-light glasses work?

Despite what social media influencers might tell you, a review found there’s no solid evidence blue-light glasses reduce eye strain associated with digital device use, or improve vision or sleep quality.

“Most studies arguing either for or against have been small in scale, anecdotal or limited in duration,” Whitney says.

If you’re considering getting blue-light glasses, Whitney recommends chatting to your optometrist and trying them out before you buy them. And if you’re worried about screen time affecting your ability to fall asleep at night, a proven strategy is to stay away from digital devices one to two hours before bedtime.

Should you only see an optometrist if there’s a problem?

In general, adults over 40 without chronic eye problems should see an optometrist every two to three years to detect any eye problems earlier on. But some people need to come more often, Whitney says. These include people who:

• have diabetes
• have high blood pressure
• have a family history of eye disease, like glaucoma
• wear contact lenses – especially overnight
• notice vision changes or symptoms of eye conditions
• are aged over 65.

Children who might be at risk of short-sightedness should be added to the list of people who might need to visit an optometrist, too. “If their mum or dad has short-sightedness or they prefer indoor, screen-based activities over time outdoors, we typically recommend children should see an optometrist at least once a year,” says Whitney. “And if we’ve identified that they’re already on that short-sightedness path, we might bump that up to once every six months.”

Claim more on optical

Get a free retinal image, as well as 100% back^* on a range of contact lenses or prescription glasses, plus discounts on designer eyewear, frames and lens options, through HCF More for Eyes providers. Our network of HCF Eyecare Centres gives members in Sydney easy access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.