Top 3 reasons to protect your eyes from UV light – words Al Woods
Top 3 reasons to protect your eyes from UV light The dangers of UV light are becoming more recognised, but there are many of you who still aren’t completely sure of the effects UV light can have on your eyes and vision. Just as UV light is dangerous for your skin, your eyes can also be damaged by overexposure.
UV light comes primarily from the sun, which means during the summer seasons you can be at higher risk. This is because UV levels are naturally higher, especially if you go abroad. UV light is split into 3 types; UVB rays will cause a sun tan, or sunburn. UVA rays are the kind that have a detrimental effect on your eyes. UVC rays are the most dangerous, but they aren’t able to penetrate our atmosphere.
UV light can also be found in some artificial lighting sources, including sun beds. Overexposure to UV light can have a number of effects on your health; not only does it increase your risk of developing skin cancer, but it can lead to a number of health problems with your eyes. Here we take a look at some of the top reasons to protect your eyes from UV light.
1. Reduce risk of eye disease
Overexposure to UV light can result in a number of eye problems, including increasing your risk of developing an eye disease. In particular, it has been suggested that cataracts appear to be enhanced by exposure to UV.
Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness across the world. It usually occurs due to age, but UV light can also play a role in its development.
Similarly, age-related macular degeneration has been linked to overexposure to UV light. If you have been exposed to a lot of sunlight over your lifetime, you may be at higher risk of developing AMD.
By protecting your vision from UV light, you can reduce your risk of developing eye disease later in life. It is easy to protect your eyes, especially with technology such as photochromic lenses.
2. Protect from photokeratitis
Photokeratitis is essentially sun burn of the eye, and is caused by insufficient protection from UV light. It occurs by an inflammation of the cornea and usually appear a few hours after exposure. It can be very painful, but is often reversible and doesn’t leave any long-term damage to your eye or vision.
Another form of photokeratitis is caused by snow blindness, where you may experience extreme UV levels due to the reflective nature of snow. In cases like this, vision is impaired and usually comes back within a few days, once the outer cells of your eye have grown back.
3. Enhance visual comfort
If you go outside without appropriate protection from UV light, you will no doubt experience some discomfort. After all, bright light conditions will cause you to squint and this could eventually lead to eye strain and neck or shoulder pain.
By wearing photochromic lenses, you can experience better visual comfort while also protecting your eyes from potential damage. Photochromic lenses are hassle free so you can move from indoors to outdoors without experiencing any discomfort from glare.
