subject: Sun Damage To The Eyes Is Easily Preventable [print this page] Interestingly, many physicians identify radiation damage as one of the common types of athletic eye injuries. This is because in sports like downhill skiing, water skiing, and surfing, the extreme glare causes extra exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV light is responsible for most of the sun exposure damage that occurs in the eye and on the skin, as it kills cells, leading to sunburn on the skin and inflammation of the cornea, often referred to as "sunburn of the eye." Fortunately, sun damage to the eyes is easy to prevent with simple things like hats and buying women's and men's glasses online, to decrease the amount of sunlight and UV that reaches the eye.
To be clear, the reason for everyone's emphasis on UV radiation is that it is the source of the vast majority of harm suffered because of the sun. When it comes to the eye, there are risks from both short and long-term exposure. Short-term damage usually causes photokeratitis. The eye feels irritated or gritty, tears a lot, and can become red, swollen, and puffy. It's uncomfortable and the person tends to experience extreme sensitivity to brightness for a number of hours or even a day, but the problem usually goes away on its own as the eye naturally heals.
Long-term exposure to UV radiation can cause much more serious sun damage to the eyes. Even at low exposure amounts, when experienced repeatedly for years, the cumulative effect of the minor damage each exposure causes can lead to cataracts, damaged to the retina, chronic eye disease, skin cancer around the eyes, or pterygium. This type of danger can be found in people as unique as astronauts but can also develop in numerous other situations that involve repeated overexposure of the eyes to UV radiation.
The risks boil down to impaired or ruined vision. Many people don't realize that their jobs put them at risk of long-term sun damage to the eyes because they experience small amounts of exposure. But it adds up for people like those who work on oil rigs in the ocean, lifeguards, welders - many welding techniques also release UV - and farmers, all people who have to spend a significant amount of time outside in the sun on a daily basis.
With all these risks and how easy it is to prevent, taking the time to find effective eyewear that specifically protects against sun damage to the eyes from solar UV radiation is well worth the effort.
