It’s important to protect your eyes from the sun – wearing sunglasses is just as important as wearing sunscreen. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an invisible part of sunlight that is usually associated with sunburns and skin cancers, but it can also impact your eye health.
Because exposure to UV is cumulative, direct contact with sunlight for even short periods of time can cause several long-term eye health problems, many of which start symptom-free. If you work outside, it’s important to consider ways to protect your eyes.
What is UV radiation?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an invisible component of sunlight that is most commonly known to cause sunburns and skin cancers. While some UV is filtered by the ozone layer, increasing amounts are reaching the earth as the ozone layer steadily diminishes.
What kind of damage can result from exposure to UV radiation?
Exposure to its UVA and UVB rays, as well as man-made sources of UVC rays, can lead to long-term eye damage including:
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Cataracts
- Eyelid skin cancer
- Premature age spots around the eyes
- Tissue growths on the surface of the eye including pinguecula and pterygium, of which the latter can encroach on the corneal axis
While the symptoms listed above indicate eye damage caused by UV exposure, many long-term problems caused by UV exposure are symptom-free. To learn about the UV damage your eyes may already have, visit your doctor of optometry for a thorough eye examination.
What are some symptoms of UV eye damage?
See your doctor of optometry right away if you experience any of the following:
- immediate pain,
- inflammation of the cornea and
- an aversion to light.
UV burns are commonly known as welder’s flash, snow blindness, ground-glass eyeball, or flash burn, depending on the UV source.
How to help reduce UV radiation damage to your eyes
To help reduce UV radiation damage to your eyes, consider the following tips:
- Wear sunglasses with anti-UV coatings. Sunlight is by far the greatest source of UV radiation.
- Consider your prescriptive eyewear. If you use prescription glasses or contact lenses, ask for added UV-blocking protection. You can also use clip-on sunglass lenses that attach to your regular glasses, or large sunglasses that fit over your regular glasses, to block UV light.
- Wear a hat. In addition to UV-blocking lenses, wearing a wide brimmed hat or baseball cap also provides further protection for rays that get in between the gaps of your glasses.
- Beware of high sources of UV exposure in the workplace. The Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety indicates examples of workers at potential risk from exposure to UV radiation including outdoor workers, construction workers, paint and resin curers, plasma torch operators, welders, farmers, food and drink irradiators, hairdressers, laboratory workers, lighting technicians, lithographic and printing workers and police. Make sure your safety glasses include UV protection.
- Recognize sources of man-made ultraviolet radiation. Examples include various types of UV lamps, arc welding torches and mercury vapour lamps. In dental and medical practices, UV radiation can be used for killing bacteria, creating fluorescent effects, curing resins and phototherapy. Sun tanning booths also use UV radiation.
- Recognize symptoms of UV eye damage, including immediate pain, inflammation of the cornea and an aversion to light. If you experience these symptoms, see your doctor of optometry right away.
- Talk to your doctor of optometry. They can talk to you about how to protect your eyes, or complete an eye exam to check for eye problems early.