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How to Properly Help Protect Your Eyes From UV Exposure

By Susan Resnick, OD, FAAO, Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates, New York

Throughout my career, I’ve seen thousands (maybe even tens of thousands!) of patients in my practice, and one of the most common items that links everyone together is the lack of understanding of the dangers that UV rays pose to the health of our eyes. I advocate for full body protection – broad spectrum sunscreen and UPF clothing for the skin, and comprehensive protection for the eyes.

But first, let me explain why UV exposure can potentially harm the health of your eyes. A number of studies have shown that the effects of UV radiation to the eyes are mostly cumulative, and UV exposure may increase the chance of developing eye problems later in life. Once you, or your eye doctor, notices damage, it’s often too late to reverse it.

It’s also important to know that if it is daytime; your eyes are being exposed to UV rays. A cloudy day is no excuse for not protecting your eyes – it’s estimated that up to 80% of UV rays can pass through thin clouds1. Appropriate protection is also vital in all four seasons – while direct sunlight itself can be harmful, reflected UV rays can increase your UV exposure. For example, fresh snow reflects as much as 80% of UV rays2 and those rays can bounce up directly into the eyes.

So what should you do each day to help protect your eyes from the sun? Start with a wide-brimmed hat, like a sun hat or a baseball cap. The hat helps to block the sun from above, especially when it is highest in the sky (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.).

Second, high-quality, UV blocking sunglasses are essential. Not all sunglasses are equal, and UV blocking doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Pay attention to labels, and look for 100% UVA/UVB blocking. Sunglasses that block at least 99 percent of UV are OK too – you want to limit UV transmission to no more than 1 percent UVB and 1 percent UVA rays. Make sure to look for frames that wraparound the face, and cover the eyes from the eyebrow to the upper cheek.

For those who require vision correction, UV blocking contact lenses+* can offer an additional measure of UV protection. Not all contact lenses offer UV protection, and of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels. ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses is the only major brand which blocks approximately 97% of UVB and 81% of UVA rays as standard across the entire range of its products+*. Although UV-blocking contact lenses are beneficial in helping to protect against harmful UV rays, clinical studies have not been done to show they reduce the risk of any specific eye disease or condition. That’s why it is important to wear them as part of a comprehensive sun protection plan along your wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

Talk to your eye doctor about UV protection, and for additional information, check out “The Sun & Your Eyes: What You Need to Know” at www.acuvue.com/sunandyoureyes.

1 Sunburn: Causes, Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sunburn/basics/causes/con-20031065

2 Global solar UV Index, World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/who271/en/print.html

 

Susan Resnick, OD, FAAO, is a partner at Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates. She authors, lectures and consults in the areas of specialty contact lenses and emerging vision and eyecare technologies. In addition to her contact lens specialty, Dr. Resnick maintains a strong interest and participation in primary optometric care including binocular vision assessment and pediatric examinations. Dr. Resnick is an authoritative source for eye health and has been quoted in Women’s Health, FoxNews.com, Allure.com and Glamour.com, among others and serves as an advisor to the industry as a clinical investigator in the contact lens and pharmaceutical fields. Dr. Resnick is a member of the America Academy of Optometry and the Nassau County Optometric Society.  Dr. Resnick is a paid consultant for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., which provided support for this content.

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Expert Rx

The Eyes Have It: Exposure to UV Rays a Silent Threat to Vision

Acuvue - Eye Care

By Millicent Knight, OD, Head of Professional Affairs, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, North America

Are we taking the proper precautions to protect our eyes?  Unfortunately, the answer is no. Eyes may be windows to the soul, but they are also windows for harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause silent, long-term damage on our vision that may occur decades later.

This issue is particularly timely with summer here—a season in which it’s almost intuitive to lather on the sunscreen before we head to the beach.  While most Americans understand the link between UV radiation and skin cancer, many are less aware of the connection between UV radiation and eye damage. Yet the truth is that harmful UV rays are not just bad for skin; they also can inflict significant eye damage over time. Worldwide some 12 to 15 million people become blind from cataracts annually, of which up to 20% may be caused or enhanced by sun exposure according to estimates from The World Health Organization1. UV rays also have been linked to other ocular conditions.

What’s more, UV rays can cause short-term conditions such as photokeratitis (a corneal inflammation) and photoconjunctivitis (an inflammation of the conjunctiva under the eyelid). If you’ve ever had sore, tired eyes after a day at the beach or on the water, you may have experienced UV radiation overexposure.

The simple fact is that we need to take better precautions to protect our eyes. With skin, when you are out in the sun too long, you see an instantaneous change in the form of sunburn. But unlike skin, short-term damage to the eyes is sometimes hard to notice. For some people, over the long-term, though, the sun can cause irreversible harm to parts of the eye and surrounding tissue that are left unprotected or under-protected. So, what happens to our kids today may not be evident until decades later. That’s why it is important to get maximum protection beginning in childhood.

The good news is that there are easy steps, which, when taken together, can help minimize UV exposure to our eyes.  Wear a wide-brimmed hat. Wear wrap-around sunglasses that block at least 99 percent of both UV-A and UV-B rays, with lenses large enough to completely cover the eyes. And wear them all day; UV radiation for the eyes is actually worse when the sun is lower in the sky. While it has long been thought that the risk of UV exposure to the eyes is greatest during the mid-day hours, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, research suggests that from spring through fall, when the days get longer, the incidence of exposure is actually greatest earlier and later in the day.

UV-blocking contact lenses, when worn in combination with UV-absorbing wrap-around sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat can offer an added measure of protection for those who need vision correction. However, not all contact lenses offer UV protection, and of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels. An eye care professional can prescribe Class 1 or Class 2 UV-blocking contact lenses, which provide high levels of UV blocking. Although UV-blocking contact lenses are beneficial in helping to protect against harmful UV rays, clinical studies have not been done to show they reduce the risk of any specific eye disease or condition.

By becoming better educated about the dangers of UV rays on the eyes and the importance of choosing proper eyewear that provides the best UV protection, we can lessen the risk for ocular UV exposure and help protect the long-term eye health of ourselves and our children.

1Health effects of UV radiation, World Health Organization, www.who.int/uv/health/en/

Millicent Knight, OD, is Head of Professional Affairs, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, North America.  In this role, Dr. Knight leads the development and deployment of the company’s professional strategy across the United States and Canada.  She also directs the company’s professional and education platform through THE VISION CARE INSTITUTE®, LLC and other educational outreach programs. Dr. Knight brings 25 years of comprehensive experience in multiple areas of optometry,  including contact lenses, contact lens research, ocular disease management, and integrative eye and systemic care to the position.

This blog was originally published on the Johnson & Johnson Corporate blog, www.blogjnj.com

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