Your Eyes are more vulnerable than your skin
The effects of sun damage to the eyes is cumulative — so while the cells can heal, lasting damage can slowly build up.
This means that years of seemingly harmless episodes of UV exposure such as visits to the beach without the right protection could lead to serious problems long term, such as cataracts (where the lens becomes cloudy), age-related macular degeneration (damage to the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye), climatic droplet keratopathy (where the cornea becomes cloudy), pterygium (pink, fleshy growths on the eye white that can alter the eye curvature and distort vision) and could, more rarely, contribute to eye cancer.
Sunrise and sunset most dangerous for eyes
But this natural protection is limited if rays are coming from in front of the eyes — which makes sunrise and sunset bad news.
The standard advice for protecting the skin is to avoid the sun when it’s at its highest point in the sky, around noon
However, the eyes are naturally shaded by the brow ridge at noon. It’s actually when the sun is rising and setting that it poses the highest risk to eyes, says Russell Peake, as this is when the sun is lined up perfectly for its rays go straight into the eyes.
And don’t presume that if you are looking away from the sun that your eyes are safe. Even if you are reading on a device or using your phone – any screen would reflect sunlight, potentially back into your eyes, says Russell Peake
Children and blue eyes most at risk
As you get older, the lens becomes more yellow and so naturally absorbs more UV which protects the retina. ‘This is why it’s important to encourage children to wear sunglasses,’ explains Nigel Best, an optometrist. ‘Because the effects of UV are cumulative, exposure when young can result in eye problems in later life.’
By the time you hit later in life damage can already have occurred, says Mr Anderson. People with blue eyes are more at risk as they have less protective melanin pigment in their iris.This makes them slightly more susceptible to damage.
Eye Contact Opticians stocks the latest ranges of sports (Bolle, Oakley, Serengeti) as well as designer ranges. To find out more, visit us in the practice in the Arcade, on Liverpool Street.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3662658/Wear-sunglasses-s-s-cloudy-reveal-ultimate-s-don-ts-comes-protecting-eyes.html#ixzz4FPgCxt28