How to protect your eyes from the sun? Some important rules

A warmer season has started in Poland. This means increased solar radiation. The sun is essential to us – at least in terms of the synthesis of vitamin D3. However, it also has a destructive effect – not only on the skin, but also on the eyes. In summer, you should wear decent sunglasses also on a cloudy day! Find out why and how to effectively protect your eyes.

1. Too long exposure to sunlight can cause many serious eye diseases
2. That is why it is worth wearing sunglasses in summer, even when the sun is obscured by clouds
3. It would be best if they were glasses from proven producers – says dr hab. Wojciech Hautz, ophthalmologist
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Wearing glasses is very important

All ophthalmologists emphasize that it is very important to wear ultraviolet glasses to protect the eye from overexposure to the sun.

– Ideally they should be glasses from proven producers. Those bought at the bazaar often do not meet the standards related to the appropriate refraction of light – then we can see a blurry image. All standards are met by glasses produced by manufacturers of spectacle lenses. The lenses are designed in such a way that they refract light properly, so they focus or diffuse light with the right power. Glasses with zero lenses do not affect the optical system at all, have no focusing or distracting power. On the other hand, in glasses bought for PLN 5 at the bazaar, plastic lenses can change the refraction of the light and cause the image to distort, says Dr. Wojciech Hautz, MD, head of the Ophthalmology Clinic at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute Institute in Warsaw.

The eye is like a converging lens

It must be remembered that the optical system of the eye works like a converging lens. Wojciech Hautz compares this process to focusing light with an ordinary lens on a piece of paper. Most of us remember school exercises, in which a hole was burned through the lens in a piece of paper, and the paper could even be set on fire. The optical system of the eye works in the same way. Too much solar radiation can burn the central part of the retina; worse, it can damage your eyesight irreversibly.

– This is why, if someone looks at the strong sun for too long – and a dozen or so seconds of exposure is enough in the absence of cloud cover – the retina may burn. Moreover, the eyes of European citizens are not adapted to strong lighting, as is the case of those living in the subtropics or on the equator. Therefore, people who go on vacation to these regions, especially those with fair skin and light irises, should get sunglasses with an ultraviolet filter. Visor caps or hats with a large brim are also very important, which I always recommend for children – Wojciech Hautz recommends.

How to protect your eyes from UV radiation?

We can protect our eyes against radiation thanks to

1. properly selected sunglasses or photochromic lenses that darken under the influence of sunlight. We only buy glasses from certified sellers. The ones from the supermarket or bazaar usually do not have the necessary UV filters and can be harmful; those marked as UV 400 are sufficient; 
2. glasses or lenses with a polarizing filter to protect the eyes from light that is reflected from the surface and goes back to our eyes. 
3. one-day lenses with UV protection, especially recommended for holidays; 
4. avoiding excessive exposure to the sun – the sun’s rays are the most dangerous for the skin at noon, and for the eyes – also in the morning and in the evening.
5. appropriate diet – the natural sunscreen is lutein present in leafy green vegetables: spinach, kale, parsley, lettuce, and yellow vegetables, e.g. yellow pepper; carotenoids present in orange and green vegetables as well as blackberries, gooseberries, nectarines and avocados also have a protective effect. 
6. using moisturizing drops to eliminate eye irritation caused by the sun’s rays
7. wearing headgear that can block up to half of all UV rays reaching the eyes and eyelids.
8. minding the sun at altitude – with every 10 meters of altitude, the level of UV radiation increases by about XNUMX%.
9. avoiding looking directly at the sun.

Eye diseases caused by the sun

Wojciech Hautz points out that chronic exposure to ultraviolet light can cause some, even serious, diseases of the eye surface. And you need to know that up to 80 percent of harmful ultraviolet radiation. it gets through the cloud layer, so it is worth wearing sunglasses in summer, even when the sun is obscured by clouds.

In adults, for example, precancerous and cancerous changes in the conjunctiva and skin may occur. The doctor emphasizes that there is a group of patients with corneal diseases and some retinal diseases who, for various reasons, suffer from photosensitivity. They should choose photochromic glasses in which the lens is darkened by the intensity of light.

Overexposure of the eyes to sunlight can contribute to the occurrence of:

1. keratitis, conjunctivitis. These diseases can lead to the development of cataracts and even cancer of the conjunctiva or cornea;
2. snow blindness; 
3. pterygium, or the membrane on the eye resembling an insect’s wing, extending from the paranasal angle of the aperture of the eyelid reaching or even overlapping the cornea. As it encompasses the cornea, it begins to become fibrous, causing visual impairment, redness, and later corneal damage;
4. eye fat, i.e. the accumulation of protein and fat deposits on the conjunctiva of the eyeball. They accumulate in the form of gray-yellow lumps and usually appear in the elderly. Unlike pterygium, the fat never grows into the cornea. Thus, there is no risk of deterioration or loss of vision.

Unapproved dark glasses can be harmful

Dr. Anna Maria Ambroziak, ophthalmology specialist, scientific director at the Świat Oka Ophthalmology Center emphasizes that natural light is essential for healthy functioning, but UV accumulates, which causes the aging process on the surface of the eye, but also other degenerative changes in the organ of vision .

– Our own lens protects us, it is a filter. Nevertheless, in order to protect against excessive sunlight, sunglasses and / or contact lenses are necessary, provided that they contain certified glass and coatings. Not every dark glass is a protection – emphasizes Anna Ambroziak.

This remark is very important especially for children whose parents allow them to walk in the sun with unprofessional goggles. This can cause the pupil of the eye to dilate, causing more dangerous light to shine into the eye.

– Eye protection all year round is very important as UV radiation is reflected from grass, asphalt and snow. We should be especially careful in the summer, when the exposure and intensity of light increase – sums up the specialist from the Świat Oka Ophthalmology Center. – Children should not only be protected with glasses with a UV filter, but also with a hat. We do not use blue blockers in children of all ages, because natural light must reach the developing eyeball.

When relaxing on a sailboat, it is worth remembering that strong sun and wind excessively dry the surface of the eye and symptoms typical of dry eye irritation may occur. In extreme cases, this can lead to loss or loss of vision.

Protection from the sun is necessary, but you should not hide inside the house on sunny days. The sun has a beneficial influence on us – incl. contributes to increasing the production of serotonin, and its appropriate level ensures a good mood. Let’s protect ourselves from the sun, but be careful.

Beata Igielska (PAP).