Sunglasses are not just for looking fashionable or stylish. They are actually used to prevent the sun’s UV rays from creating damage to your eyes. The sun can cause a ton of damage to your eyes not only on the front but also in the middle and especially the back of the eyes.
Suns UV Rays and Permanent Damage
UV damage on the eyes can start out as something called a benign pinguecula. Pinguecula is a small amount of yellowing and thickening of the skin over the whites of your eyes. This can then progress into significant bumps in the tissue that can form on both sides of the corneas. The bumps are a big sign of permanent damage to the eyes and can commonly get irritated and inflamed. This can create an issue called pingueculitis, which should be treated right away by your local eye doctor.
Pingueculitis can get worse with more sun exposure and dry and dusty conditions. Time worsens this condition for those who continue to not wear sunglasses, In some cases, this condition can worsen and become a form of Pterygium which can cause issues in people that have astigmatisms. It creates a white haze over the side of the eye that can cause many vision issues.
A way to treat pterygium will be something that people who have UV-related eye diseases must take. This is due to the fact that this can cause blindness in a part of their eye. Treatment for this involves surgery that would cut away the excess tissue. The surgery has commonly good results, however, a new prescription for glasses and contacts would be needed. The major downside, however, is that these things can grow back within a few years. This is why we recommend wearing sunglasses to prevent UV damage.
Other Eye Issues Caused By Not Wearing Sunglasses
UV not only affects the eyes on the front end but also in the middle and the back of the eye as well. When it comes to the middle of the eye, cataracts are the main problem. The UV rays can cause an increase in how quickly cataracts grow, which can also cause you to have eye surgery as well. The same goes for your retinas, issues with UV rays can cause vision issues leading up to more surgery.
This issue is not so common during the colder less sunny months, however since we are still in the summer season, this UV damage can affect us even here. So, make sure if you are out in the sun you are wearing your UV-protecting sunglasses. If you have any vision questions, please feel free to call us at Brush Optical today!
