Do you often spend lots of time outdoors with your family, especially during the summer months? If you do, you are probably in the habit of lathering up your skin with sunscreen to avoid UV exposure. Of course, doing so is important. However, do you know that it is also important to protect your eyes from the sun’s rays as well?

Many people fail to appreciate the benefits of UV protection for their eyes, which is quite unfortunate. Solar radiation can damage not only the lens, cornea, and other parts of your eye but also the skin of your eyelids. Exposure to UV radiation can also lead to the development of certain complications. These include growths on the eye, certain types of cataracts, and maybe even macular degeneration.

What Is UV?

Many people tend to refer to UV radiation as ultraviolet or UV light. Technically, the term UV light is incorrect since ultraviolet rays are invisible. The three categories of ultraviolet radiation are UVA, UVB, and UVC. The first two categories have lower energy than the last one, which is good because UVC, which can be the most harmful to your skin and eyes, cannot go through the atmosphere’s ozone layer.

Protecting Your Eyes From UV Radiation

UV radiation poses a danger to your eyes, whether you are indoors or outdoors. Also, it poses a danger no matter the season. Therefore, it is important to protect your eyes from the sun’s rays while outside, and from artificial sources, such as welding machines, while indoors.

To protect your eyes from harmful solar radiation, you should always wear sunglasses whenever you step outside in daylight. If you do not own sunglasses, shop for ones that provide 100 percent UV protection.

Even on cloudy days, your eyes need protection from the sun’s rays. This is because ultraviolet rays can penetrate cloud cover. Sunglasses with wrap-around, close-fitting frames provide the best protection since they block sunlight from reaching your eyes from all sides.

Benefits of UV Protection

Ultraviolet radiation can be extremely harmful to your eyes. Your eyes are up to 10 times more sensitive to UV rays than your skin. Unfortunately, most people seem to be unaware of the risks this type of radiation poses to their eyes.

The sun’s rays that reach people are UVA and UVB. Experts link the first category to the development of macular degeneration and cataracts. They believe that UVB can cause cancer and sunburn of the eye. The other potential danger posed by UVA is that it can cause damage to the skin around your eyes, which is quite sensitive.

Worryingly, up to 50 percent of the UV radiation that reaches your eyes is through indirect exposure. This means reflective surfaces, such as windows, pavements, wet roads, or even clouds. This form of exposure can be just as harmful to your eyes as the harm caused by direct exposure. Therefore, it is extremely important to protect your eyes from all forms of ultraviolet exposure.

To learn more about the benefits of UV protection for your eyes, visit Inclima Eye Care at our office in West Haven, Connecticut. You can also call 203-694-0418 today to schedule an appointment.