UV Alert!

Kiawah Island Beach

May is UV Awareness Month so we want to make you aware of how bad ultraviolet rays can be for your eyes.  We will start with the most obvious complication first. There is skin around your eyes that is susceptible to the same UV damage as the rest of your skin – sunburn, premature aging (wrinkles), and even skin cancer.  I hope that none of you are putting sunscreen on your eyelids as they are not safe for being that close to your eyes. Next, UV rays can cause damage to the whites of your eyes in the form of yellowish growths called pinguecula. If it is bad enough, this can even grow onto your cornea (pterygium).  While these are usually just a cosmetic issue, they can become irritated and cause discomfort, impair your ability to wear contact lenses, or even mar your vision.  Once they start impairing your vision they will need to be removed surgically.  Next, you can get a “sunburn” of your cornea (solar keratitis) with prolonged UV exposure.  This is very painful and will last for several days before completely healing.  The next structure of the eye that is affected by UV rays is the lens.  Cumulative exposure to the sun’s rays will speed up the formation of cataracts which will degrade your vision considerably.  UV exposure is also believed to be a risk factor for age related macular degeneration (AMD).  AMD is a very serious condition that can lead to irreversible vision loss.  Lastly, prolonged UV exposure can lead to solar maculopathy – a condition that can cause decreased vision, blind spots, sensitivity to light, and headaches. These symptoms may clear up over several months or remain indefinitely.

Maui Jim Sunglasses Collage

These conditions can all be avoided by wearing good UV blocking sunglasses. To help make sure all of our patients are protected, we are offering a $25 gas card with every purchase of non-prescription sunglasses and a $50 gas card with every purchase of prescription sunwearCome by today and pick out your new pair of Maui Jims, Ray-Bans, Wiley-Xs, or any of our designer lines like Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and more.  And don’t forget about your kids. Studies show that up to 80% of the UV light that reaches the retina during our lifetimes occurs before the age of 18!