What damage can the sun do to your eyes?
In the blistering heat of summer in Las Vegas, how can you protect your eyes from sun damage?
The harmful effects of the sun can cause both short-term and long-term or even permanent damage to our eyes, says Dr. Eric Brooker, an ophthalmologist from Advanced Vision Institute.
Sun damage to the eyes can range from mild symptoms like irritation to more serious damage like skin cancer.
Dry eyes
Brooker says the heat can cause tears to evaporate faster, causing dry eyes.
“It can start to cause damage to the cells on the on the eye and cause acute red eyes keratitis. Symptom-wise, that would show up like irritation or feel like burning sand in their eye,” Brooker says.
Long-term damage
Another form of eye damage that could result from sun or radiation exposure is pinguecula formations.
“A pinguecula formation, which is a result of sun damage to the tissues on the white part of the eye, is very common,” Brooker explains.
“I equate it to getting a callus on your skin. … Basically, what it comes down to is chronic tissue damage and your body trying to repair it. It’s almost like scar tissue on the eye,” Brooker adds.
Another long-term effect that sun damage can have on our eyes is speeding up the formation of cataracts.
“Sun damage can definitely aggravate cataract formation, especially in someone that already has a cataract that’s starting to progress,” Brooker says.
Cataracts can cause vision loss, change how the contrast between light and dark are perceived, and affect how reds, greens, blues and oranges are seen, according to Brooker.
Skin cancer
Brooker also says that sun damage to the skin around the eyes such as the eyelids is a high-risk area for skin cancer.
UV exposure can cause a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma.
Protect your eyes from the sun
“Wear sunglasses that are professionally rated, with good UV protection. … And then, wearing hats, like a hat with sunglasses, is one of the best things to protect your eyes,” Brooker says.
For dry eyes, he recommends a preservative-free tear eye drop that can be used multiple times a day to keep the eyes lubricated.
Brooker also urges people to wear a facial cream with an SPF rating of 50 or higher to protect the skin around the eyes.
Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.
