You probably wouldn’t leave the house on a sunny day without applying sunscreen. But when was the last time you thought about protecting your eyes? While most Sri Lankans are well aware of how ultraviolet radiation affects the skin, the damage to your eyes is often ignored. Sri Lankan people silently harm their precious eyes daily due to this unawareness.
From immediate discomfort to long-term health complications, the sun poses a silent threat to our sight. Through this blog, we’ll uncover the risks of UV exposure to your eyes and also share simple, effective tips for Sri Lankans to stay safe year-round.
Ultraviolet (UV) exposure damages the eyes through both short-term irritation and long-term vision loss.
Short-term Risks
Photokeratitis
Ever felt an unexplained painful reaction in your eyes hours after sun exposure? This painful sensation might have been a condition called photokeratitis. This is an acute, painful short-term reaction to ultraviolet overexposure. This is actually a sunburn in the cornea of your eye.
You can identify this through symptoms like intense eye pain, red eyes, gritty feelings, and light sensitivity. Sometimes, you may also experience temporary vision changes.
Don’t expect these symptoms to appear immediately. They typically appear 6 to 12 hours after UV exposure.
Severe Headaches and Bluriness
Combined with eyestrain and light sensitivity, UV exposure will often lead to throbbing headaches. This can also continue with temporary blurriness. You might experience visual halos, distorted lines, and a reduction in visual quality.
Long-Term Risks
Cataracts
Cataracts are a condition where your naturally clear eye lens gets clouded.
This is a deadly condition that can develop gradually over time. Usually, it takes many years or even decades of UV exposure for symptoms to surface. Vision changes in the eye begin around the age of 50 and 60, but local data indicates it can also develop at a younger age in rural Sri Lanka.
As these changes are so minute, you often don't notice and adapt to them even without realising. If this condition goes untreated, it can even lead to blindness as well.
Growths(Pterygium)
Famously known as the “surfer’s eye”, this condition is another effect of long-term UV exposure. A pterygium refers to the growth of tissue on the conjunctiva, which is the clear membrane over the white eye. This growth can spread onto the cornea, the clear front window of the eye.
You can identify this by symptoms like a reddish triangular patch in the eye, an itching sensation, dryness, and blurry vision as well.
Eyelid Cancers
UV exposure is a major risk factor for causing eyelid cancers. The thin, sensitive skin around the eyes absorbs radiation damage over time. This can lead to malignant tumours like basal cell carcinoma, and many more.
Prevention Tips from these Eye Risks
Wear 100% UV Protection, The Obvious Solution
Buy UV-400 sunglasses, those labelled as sunglasses with 100% UV -blocking. If you are someone who is exposed to intense sunlight daily, you might as well consider UV-protected sunglasses with a wraparound frame like the HAWK wraparound series.
Pair with a Brimmed Hat
For coverage of the whole head, buy a brimmed hat that blocks overhead rays. This is good only if the sun is above your head. In mornings where the sun is still below, or to stop radiation that bounces off from various angles below the hat, UV 400 sunglasses are essential.
To know more in detail about UV 400 sunglasses, read our blog about UV400 Sunglasses Explained.
Explore a range of UV 400 sunglasses collection, made for the protection of your eyes and stylish wear at Polar Sun.
