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Can your Eyes actually get Sunburned?

Are your Eye balls or Eye lids able to get Sunburned? Can My Eyes Become Sunburned?


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A lot of us know how too much exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause sunburned skin and skin cancer, but what a lot of us do not know is that it can also cause sunburned eyes. Research conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology have mentioned that frequent exposure to UV and near UV light can increase the risk of developing cataracts macular degeneration. The lens is the part of the eye that has the ability to absorb a specific amount of UV and near UV light. However, excessive exposure to these types of light can cause sunburned eyes which can lead to snow blindness or photokeratitis. It is a painful condition that typically takes about a week to heal. If this happens repeatedly, it can bring about scar tissue that contributes to the formation of cataracts.

It is quite obvious when our skin gets sunburned but not our eyes. Symptoms of lightly sunburned eyes such as itchiness, burning, tearing, dryness and heightened sensitivity to light will become evident after a few hours. The eyes are often subject to repeated sunburn typically when there is heightened UV radiation, mostly during the summer and winter months. As the years pass, the damage is accumulated and lead to severe and irreversible eye damage.

Doctors have been aware of the dangers of UV exposure for many years now, but recent studies have shown that when one is exposed to near-UV light or high-energy visible light or HEV, one becomes more at risk to macular degeneration. This is a chronic disease of the retina and is one of the primary causes of blindness. One of the early signs of this disease is detail loss in the central vision. People affected with this disease often have challenges with reading and driving.

Shielding your eyes with sunglasses is one of the easiest ways to protect your eyes from these harmful rays. When buying sunglasses, don’t just pick a pair with darker lenses as this is not an accurate indicator of how well it can protect your eyes. You should get a pair that can significantly protect your eyes from UV and HEV rays in order to prevent them from getting sunburned.

Check for sunglasses that have 100% UVA and UVB protection, blue-light or near-UV filtering. Note that HEV rays cause less damage and does not need to be entirely filtered out. Lenses that are yellow can block all HEV light but will misrepresent true color. You can choose melanin or amber lenses instead since they can filter HEV light as well as retain true color better. Frame styles should also have the ability to minimize light from entering at the sides or the top of the sunglasses.

Don’t forget to protect your children’s eyes, too. It is not enough to use a shade or an umbrella in order to prevent sunburned eyes by a pool, on the beach or other types of environments where UV ray exposure can happen.
Oct 2nd, 2012 at 12:39 AM
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