Beyond the sunscreen, protective clothing and seeking shade, wearing sunglasses has just joined the list of sun safety essentials you need to protect yourself from damaging ultraviolet, UV, rays. With so much emphasis on protecting skin from the sun, you probably haven’t heard much about the damage UV rays can do to your eyes if they aren’t protected, damage that’s enough to rob you of your sight if you’re not careful.
Everyone’s heard of skin cancer, but few realize how much the eyes can suffer from ultraviolet exposure. Both short and long term exposure to UV rays can bring on vision problems and damage to the eye.
Even after short bits of time in the sun you can develop a sort of sunburn of the eye in the form of either photokeratitis (inflammation of the cornea) or photoconjunctivitis, an inflammation that affects the conjunctiva. Both can be quite painful, but once treated are fully cured.
Bright light from the sidewalk, aluminum, snow and other reflective surfaces can cause just as much trouble to the eye as direct sunlight.
You can protect your eyes with sunglasses rated to absorb 99 to 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation. You’ll need to look at labels, and remember that what you pay isn’t a guarantee of protection. UV protection is not price related… very expensive sunglasses can not be good ultraviolet absorbers; cheap ones can be surprisingly impressive in terms of protection. Wrap around styles are ideal, because some of the more fashion forward styles allow a good deal of UV radiation to reach the eye from the side.
There are a variety of conditions that can come from long term UV exposure over not just one summer but a lifetime of sunlight. This is why it’s important to start protecting kids’ eyes as soon as possible, as best as you can.
Experts tell us that the bulk of UV exposure happens in the first 18 years of life, so the more you can do early on, the better. The more damage you get, the more sensitive you are to later exposure.
Long term UV exposure can also bring some more serious eye conditions.
– Pterygium is an abnormal growth of the conjunctiva caused by sun damage that can get so big it can grow over and obstruct the cornea, partially blocking vision. Surgery may be required.
– Cataracts are a clouding of the eye’s lens. Ultraviolet rays are believed to play a part in this process.
– Macular degeneration is the result of UV rays that penetrate deep into the eyeball and damage the retina, the sheet of nerves along the back wall of the eye that perceive light. At the center of the retina, the macula, are what help us see fine details. The condition causes no pain.
– Cancer according to the World Health Organization skin cancer of the eye can come as a result of UV damage. The eye tends to develop melanoma, while the eyelids are typically inflicted with basal cell carcinomas. In both cases, surgery may be the best option.
Wearing sunglasses is a smart move to protect your eyes, as you do the rest of you, from over exposure to the sun. A wide brimmed hat along with those sunglasses wouldn’t hurt either to round off your sun safety essentials.
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