How To Protect Yourself from UV Rays

Everyone is regularly exposed to UV rays. Even though this is the case, the possible dangers related to many years of exposure to these harmful rays are rarely thought through, and most people take little action to guard their eyes, even if they're planning on being exposed to the sun for long periods of time. UV overexposure is unsafe and cannot be reversed, and may also result in several severe, vision-stealing conditions down the road. And so, continuing protection from UV rays is a must for everyone.

UV radiation, which comes mostly from the sun, consists of 2 sorts of harmful rays: UVA and UVB. Despite the fact that only minimal measures of UVA and UVB light enter the inner eye, the eye cells are incredibly vulnerable to the damaging effects of their rays. Even in the short term, small amounts of exposure can easily lead to sunburn of the eye, or photokeratitis. When UVB rays enter the cornea, the outer cells are significantly damaged, and this can lead to blurred vision, pain or temporary blindness. UVA rays can actually enter the eye more deeply, which harms to the retina. Out of the 20 million people with cataracts, about 20 percent of cases are due to extended exposure to UV rays.

A really great way to protect your eyes from UV rays is with good sunglasses. Ensure that your sunglasses or regular glasses block both UVA and UVB rays completely. An unsatisfactory pair of sunglasses can be more harmful than using no sun protection at all. Basically, when sunglasses don't offer any protection against UV, it means you're actually being exposed to more UV rays. The inadequate sunglasses tend to block some of the light, causing the iris to open and let more light in. This means that even more UV will reach the retina. Always check to make sure your sunglasses give effective protection against UV.

Talk to your eye care professional about the various UV protection choices, including adaptive lenses, polarized lenses and fixed tint sunglasses.