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UV Exposure And Your Eyes
In fact, smoking can increase your risk for developing many
types of eye diseases and disorders. Due to the thousands of
chemicals that act as irritants and carcinogens, smoking can
disrupt blood flow, causing serious damage to the eyes. Who’s at
risk? Heavy smokers and ex-smokers who have smoked for multiple
years are at risk of eye damage from these serious disorders.
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Eye Sunburns- Ouch!
Sunburn of the eye is called
photokeratitis, or “corneal flash burn.” This condition, like a sunburn
of the skin, can be painful and causes redness. Other symptoms of eye
sunburns include excess tearing, sensitivity to light, mild to severe
pain, blurry vision, and the sensation that a foreign object is in the
eye.
Suntanning Beds and Eye Damage
Long-term UV exposure can cause
serious problems with your eyes, including cataracts, macular
degeneration, and choroidal melanoma. Cataracts can cause blurred or
frosted vision. Cataracts may develop slowly and will not usually be
noticeable until they have advanced. Macular degeneration causes
problems with general eyesight for activities such as reading and occurs
gradually. Finally, choroidal melanoma is cancer of the eye, and is very
difficult to detect.
Protecting Your Eyes From UV Rays
According to Carlsbad
ophthalmologist Dr. Tracy, the best way to prevent the long-term damage
discussed above is to avoid harmful UV rays of both tanning beds and the
sun. However, if you continue to expose yourself to UV rays, always wear
proper protection. In tanning beds, never tan without goggles specially
designed for indoor tanning, and place additional protection over your
eyes to increase your protection. Simply closing your eyes or placing a
towel over your eyes will not be sufficient, because your eyelids are
too thin to protect you from the strong ultraviolet light, and the
harmful rays will penetrate a towel. Sunglasses will also not be
sufficient in a tanning bed because they do not protect your eyes from
the rays coming in both above and below the frames. You can usually
purchase disposable goggles at tanning salons if you do not have your
own.
In the sun, it is most important
to wear sunglasses that provide adequate protection from all sun
exposure. Your sunglasses should block 100% of UV rays and absorb HEV
rays. Larger styles, and those with close-fitting wraparound style,
provide the best protection because they limit the rays coming in from
the peripheral areas of the frames. Because children tend to spend more
time outside, it is especially important that they wear proper
sunglasses from a young age. Adults who spend a significant amount of
time outside due to work or hobbies may want to consider performance or
sport sunglasses.
Other Tips for Sunglasses
• Wear sunglasses even in the shade. Your eyes are still exposed
to UV rays in the shade due to reflections from buildings, windows,
cars, and other objects.
• Sunglasses may be more
important in the winter. Fresh snow can reflect 80% of UV rays, nearly
doubling your overall exposure. It is especially important to wear
proper goggles when skiing or snowboarding.
• Contact lenses are not enough. Even if your lenses block UV
rays, sunglasses will help protect the rest of the eye that is not
covered, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Sunglasses are important
no matter how dark your eyes or skin. The risks of eye damage are the
same for all eye and skin colors.
In addition to tanning beds and
direct sunlight exposure, there are other causes of sunburn to your
eyes:
• Lightning
• Photographer’s flood lamps
• Halogen lamps
•
Welding torches
• Reflection
of sunlight off of water or snow
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