Healthy Living Newsletter
Sunglasses: Learn to Love Your Eyes!
 Beat generation types wore “shades” in the 1950s to look cool. Celebrities wear them to mask their identity in public...or to conceal bloodshot eyes. One major league baseball manager wears sunglasses during night games so the opposing manager cannot read the strategy in his eyes.
When you choose sunglasses for yourself, appearance and style may be foremost in your mind. And that’s okay, but don’t forget about the health of your eyes. That’s what sunglasses are really all about — to protect your eyes not only from bright glare but also the damaging rays of the sun.
The damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation on the skin is well documented: burning, wrinkling, premature aging and an increased risk of skin cancer. The effect of UV rays on the eyes is not as well known, but there is little question that prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause both short- and long-term damage to the eyes.
One survey found that while 79 percent of subjects understood the importance of applying sunscreen to protect their skin, only 6 percent were fully aware that eyes are also vulnerable.
Eyelids and other skin around the eyes can become sunburned, of course, and you don’t want to apply sunscreen too close to the eyes. The eyeball itself can become sunburned as well by exposure to ultraviolet B rays. Radiation keratitis, or snow blindness, can occur at the beach or a tanning bed as well as the ski slopes. Symptoms, which can occur 6 to 12 hours later, include pain, headache, a gritty feeling in the eyes, halos around lights, hazy vision or even temporary blindness.
Snow blindness is a temporary condition, but looking too long into bright sunlight can permanently scar the retina, the lining at the back of the eye that is crucial to vision.
Studies have also found that intense or long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation damages and accelerates aging of tissues of the eyes, particularly the retina. Age-related macular degeneration, involving damage to the central part of the retina, is a major cause of blindness.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that Americans protect their eyes both winter and summer by wearing sunglasses designed to block at least 99 percent of ultraviolet A and B rays.
You don’t have to spend big money to get high quality sunglasses. A study some years ago concluded that “expensive brands and polarizing sunglasses do not guarantee optimal UVA protection.”
The U.S. standard is that sunglasses offer either 99 or 100 percent protection against both UVA and UVB.
UV protection can be built into contact lenses, but contacts only cover the lens, leaving the rest of the eye vulnerable.
The best advice is to pay respect to the sun by keeping a hat on, and your sunglasses — be they generic or designer models — in place.
To find out more, talk to your doctor today. If you need a doctor, contact the Mercy Hospital toll-free physician referral access number at 1- (888) MERCYME. |
