Sunglasses

Should I wear sunglasses outdoors?

Rays from the sun, called ultraviolet light, can damage your eyes. Wearing the right kind of sunglasses outdoors may reduce your risk of eye damage from ultraviolet light.

What eye problems are related to exposure to sunlight?

Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun may help cause cataracts. A cataract is the gradual clouding of the eye's lens. This clouding can cause loss of vision. Your vision can then be restored only with surgery.

Some evidence suggests that UV light may also contribute to development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a disease that damages the back part of the eye and can cause a loss of central vision.

People who spend a lot of time outdoors in sunny climates tend to have growths on the outer coat of the eye called pterygium or pingueculum. It is thought that wearing sunglasses may reduce the risk of developing these growths.

Exposure to sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer, and the eyelids are a common place for skin cancers.

Intense sunlight can cause sunburn of the cornea (the clear outer layer on the front of the eye). This may also be called snow blindness.

What kinds of sunglasses reduce eye damage from sunlight?

Most modern sunglasses provide good protection against UV. The more ultraviolet rays are blocked, the more your eyes are protected.

If you are outdoors a lot, you may want to wear wrap-around glasses, which protect your eyes from the sides.

Polarized lenses reduce glare reflected from surfaces such as water or snow. However, they don't block UV light unless they are combined with a coating that blocks UV. Mirror coatings alone do not provide UV protection and should be combined with a UV-blocking coating.

Photochromic lenses change their degree of darkness in response to lighting conditions. They are almost clear in low light and become darkly tinted in bright light. If you are considering photochromic lenses, ask your eye care provider if they block UV light.

Who should wear sunglasses?

Some eye care providers recommend that anyone who is going to be out in the sun long enough to burn or tan should wear UV-blocking sunglasses. Some experts believe that wide-brimmed hats can keep about 50% of UV rays from reaching the eyes, but most agree that people should wear sunglasses also.

People who need to be sure they wear UV-coated sunglasses outdoors are people who:

• already have eye problems
• take certain medicines, such as tetracycline, allopurinol, phenothiazine, and psoralen
• work outdoors, such as farmers and construction workers
• are outdoors at high altitude or near the equator
• spend a lot of time on snow or water

Reviewed for medical accuracy by faculty at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. Web site: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/

Developed by RelayHealth.
Published by RelayHealth.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.