✗ The myth everyone repeats
Kids were warned not to cross their eyes, as one day they might get stuck permanently in that crossed position.
✓ What is actually true
Your eye muscles can't stay crossed indefinitely, they'd fatigue and relax back to normal position within seconds or minutes. However, very rarely, extreme childhood strabismus (persistent eye misalignment) can develop from repeated eye strain, though this is not from casually crossing your eyes. Parents used this myth to discourage silly faces, not because of legitimate medical danger.
Reception
The receipts 3 sources
- Snopes: Crossed Eyes StuckPRIMARY
- American Academy of Ophthalmology: Eye MythsREFERENCE
- Wikipedia: StrabismusREFERENCE