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How Sun Rays Can Damage Eyes!

The sun produces many different types of light. The types that can harm the eyes are:

ultraviolet radiation which is invisible
blue light
very intense or bright light

Different parts of the eye absorb different kinds of rays of the sun. The front part of the eyes may be damaged when over exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation). If visible light is too intense or bright then the retina can be damaged.

What Eye Problems Can UV Radiation Cause?

Over a long period of time, exposure to UV radiation can cause problems such as:

macular degeneration - damage to macular that affects vision loss for older people
cataract - gradual clouding of the eye lens
pterygium - growth on the white of the eye
skin cancer - cancer around the eyelids
photokeratitis - corneal sunburn due to long hours of exposure at the beach or skiing-

Sensitivity to UV radiation varies from one person to another. That is why do not gamble make eye protection from sun a habit.

Who is at Risk from UV rays?

Everyone including children is at risk from eye damage due to exposure to UV radiation. If you work or play in the sun for long periods of time then you are at highest risk and eye protection from sun becomes more important.

The hazards of sun related eye problems is greater for people with the following risk factors:

spend long hours in the sun without eye protection
have cataract surgery before - unless the artificial lens used absorbed UV rays
on certain medication such as tetracycline, sulfa drugs, birth control pills, diuretics and tranquilizers. Consult your doctor as these drugs may increase the sensitivity of the eyes to light.

What is the Best Eye Protection from Sun Rays?

Proper eye protection using hats can block UV rays. Take note that UV rays comes from different directions. They radiate directly from the sun, reflect from the ground, water , snow or sand surface and other bright surfaces.

Use suitable eyewear such as sunglasses and wear a wide-brimmed hat. It can block about half of the UV rays as it can limit rays that hit the eyes from above and also around sunglasses. A combination is the ideal method for eye protection from sun.

How to Select Sunglasses?

You have to understand that sunglasses help in two vital ways:

decrease visible light (bright and blue light) and reduces glare to a comfortable level
protect your eyes from the invisible and harmful UV rays
Ensure that the lens are dark enough to keep your eyes comfortable but not too dark such that they reduce your vision. Be aware that if you spend a lot of time at the beach or skiing, you should wear sunglasses with a darker tint to block more light as UV rays bounce off snow or water surface.

Fisherman and farmers or anyone who spend many hours in the sun should take more precaution.

Take note that sunglasses manufacturer do not always attach a tag or label to state the amount of UV radiation that sunglasses block.

Colour is a personal choice and does not affect how well the lenses protect your eyes from UV radiation. Grey and brown distort colours the least.

For best eye protection from sun choose wrap around sunglasses to reduce the amount of UV rays entering from the sides.

What are the Types of Lenses Used for Sunglasses?

Lens material

glass - glass lenses are the most optically stable and scratch resistant
plastic - plastic lenses are the lightest weight material and some are coated to increase scratch resistance
polycarbonate - this plastic lens is the most impact resistant
laminated - combination of glass and plastic to achieve a specific performance

Lens performance

photochromic lenses - this lens appear lighter indoor and darken in the sunlight to soothe the eye according to the brightness of the environment
polarizing lenses - light reflected from surface like flat road or water is generally horizontally polarized and is blocked by the vertically oriented polarizers in the lens to improve visibility
contrast enhancing lenses - provides better visibility through contrast enhancement under certain conditions
infra red attenuating lenses - reduces the sunlight heat rays from passing through to the eyes for comfort

Lens treatment

solid tinted - they are evenly tinted across the entire lens to reduce glare. Tints vary from light, medium, dark and to very dark.
gradient tinted - darker tint at the top and lighter at the bottom to cut overhead glare and provide clearer vision straight ahead and when looking down
double gradient tinted - darker at the top and bottom to cut overhead and reflected glare from the ground. Lighter in the center to provide clearer vision straight ahead.
flash or mirror coated - reflect a wide spectrum of light

Here’s information on the newest sun technology called CHEMISTRIE!

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