India, Feb. 19 -- A ctor Hrithik Roshan, 52, recently set social media buzzing after claiming his eye prescription reduced significantly through what he described as an "eye workout". But eye specialists say the claim needs careful context. Sharing his decade-long journey on Instagram, Hrithik recalled that a doctor had once told him at age 42 that spectacle numbers are irreversible. According to him, the doctor had said the eye is not a muscle that can be trained. Unconvinced, the actor said he later travelled to Washington, DC, to train under optometrist Dr Bryce Appelbaum. "Cut to 10 years later, my search led me to Washington DC where I spent five days training the 'muscle' of the eyes for four hours a day and surprise, my number went down by half. I now have to buy new frames and get a new prescription," Hrithik wrote. While the post was meant to be motivational, it has triggered concern among medical professionals about possible misinformation around eye health. Experts believe Hrithik's improvement may be linked to age-related focusing issues rather than a permanent reduction in spectacle power. Dr Samita Moolani of Moolani's Eye Care Centre explains: "After 40, many people develop presbyopia, an age-related condition that affects near vision. In simple terms, reading becomes harder because it depends on the eye's focusing ability, which requires the lens and eye muscles to work together." She adds that some people in this age group may benefit from targeted exercises that improve focusing and eye coordination, which could be what the actor experienced. Doctors stress that most people wear glasses due to structural issues such as: Dr Samir Sud, co-founder of Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals, says these are anatomical conditions. "These are mainly optical problems, not muscle problems. Strengthening eye muscles cannot reshape the eye's structure," he explains. Dr Sujal Shah, director of ophthalmology at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, adds that spectacle power depends on the length of the eyeball and the curvature of the cornea. "These factors are not altered by external eye exercises, so such workouts cannot reduce true refractive error," he says. Doctors share there is one important nuance. Prolonged screen use or intense near work can strain the eye's focusing muscle, called the ciliary muscle. This can temporarily worsen vision, a condition sometimes called a pseudo-myopic shift. "When this strain reduces through rest, relaxation or certain exercises, a person may feel their vision has improved," explains Dr Shah. However, he emphasises that this is not the same as permanently correcting refractive error....