Ultraviolet radiation and your eyes – How to protect your eyes from the sun and UV radiation

Eyes are most cherished of our senses because they are exposed to danger by going outside without any necessary precautions. Sometimes it may lead to eye and eyelid cancers.  Long term exposure to UV radiation can lead to cataracts, skin cancer around the eyelids and other eye disorders.

The sun’s rays can be seriously damaging the eyes and surrounding skin, sometimes leading to vision loss and conditions from cataracts and macular degeneration to eye and eyelid cancers. It will help to keep your eyes and the sensitive skin around them healthy. Protect our skin from sunburns; we also need to make sure our eyes are protected outside.

It is important to wear sunscreen for your skin, but your eyes also need protection. So extend exposure to the sun’s UV rays has been linked to eye damage, including cataracts, muscular degeneration. Protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV and HEV rays that will always wear good quality sunglasses when you are outdoors.

How the UV light affects eyesight?

The long and short term exposure to UV radiation harms the eyes. This also affects vision and compromise overall eye health. Thus, there are several eye diseases and are caused due to aggravated exposure to UV radiation.

Macular degeneration: The macular degeneration is due to the damage of the retina over time and can lead to cause of age related blindness. This also helps to extend exposure to UV light that can increase the risks of developing macular degeneration.

Pterygium: Pterygium is a pink and non-cancerous growth that can form with the layers of conjunctiva over the white of your eye. The UV light from the sun is believed to be a factor that is with the development of these growths.
Skin cancer: Skin cancer is around the eyelids that are linked to prolonged UV exposure.

Cataracts: A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. This is a part of the eye that can focus the light we see with UV light, especially UV-B rays. This also increases the risk of certain types of cataracts. This is best when estimated with 10% of all cataract that cases and is directly attributed to UV exposure.

Photokeratitis: Photokeratitis are known as corneal sunburn or snow blindness, photokeratitis is the result of high short term exposure to UV-B rays. Thus, the long hours at the beach or skiing without proper eye protection that causes this problem. This is very painful and causes temporary vision loss.

How to protect your eyes from UV light?

Know the dangers: You should know the dangers of the UV rays that can come from many directions. They can radiate directly from the sun, but they are reflected from the ground, water, sand, snow and bright surfaces.

Proper eye protection with hats: You should protect your eyes with sunglasses that should be with a proper care.

  • You need to block out 99 to 100 percent of UV A and UV B radiation.
  • The screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light.
  • Be perfect that is matched with a color and should be free of distortion and imperfection.

Should have lenses that are gray for proper color recognition.

Tips to protect your eyes

Protect your eyes

Try to wear a right kind of sunglasses when going outside. Even when it’s overcast. The sun rays can be just as damaging on a cloudy day.

Eye care professional

Check out with an eye care professional as all sunglasses don’t provide UV protection. The color of the lenses has nothing to do with it. It’s a function of the lens material or a treatment the lens has had. So it is better to wear clear lenses that can protect you, while some colored lenses can’t go further.

Wear sunglasses that block UV rays

You are not sure to have your eye care professional measure the lenses for UV capability. It takes a few seconds for complete peace of mind.

Select photo chromic or polarized lenses

Photochromic lenses can change from clear to dark automatically when exposed to UV rays. Polarized lenses reduce or eliminate glare and reflections from the sun. You can have coatings added to both lenses that reduce or eliminate glare and reflections from the sun.

Choose a big frame

Larger frames and wrap around styles that provide extra UV protection by blocking rays that come in from the side.

Lens colors

You may not go with gray or green lenses because they are neutral and don’t change color. If you want to see more contrast, choose brown. Just keep in mind that brown may distort colors a bit. The amount of the delicate skin around your eyes are as possible, sunglasses with large lenses or a close fitting wrap around style offer the best protection. Depending on your outdoor lifestyle, you must want to explore performance sunglasses or sport sunglasses.


Select glasses and lenses that can protect your eyes and help to optimize your performance.


Protective eyewear should have a side shield that protects or wrap around the eye so light cannot enter the eye from side reflections.

Wear a hat

If possible, wear a hat that wills at least a three inch brim that can block sunlight from overhead.

Regular eye tests

You should go for regular eye deterioration from the sun that can easily be spotted during a routine exam. If caught in time, eye damage can probably be prevented.

Sun burns occur when too much UV radiation affects the skin. Skin turns red within 2 – 6 hours of being burnt and develops for 24 – 72 hours. It is enough to have UV exposure that has occurred to cause sunburn; the damaged skin may become more sensitive to infrared radiation.

It can cause permanent and irreversible skin damage that can lay the groundwork for skin cancer later in life. Your together with the number of severe sunburns, increases your risk of skin cancer.

  • Eye damage related to UV exposure that includes photoconjunctivitis, which is also known as snow blindness or welders flash. That may cause photokeratitis, muscular degeneration, cataracts, pterygiums and skin cancer of the conjunctiva and skin surrounding the eye.
  • Premature aging includes skin wrinkling, sagging, blotchiness, and roughness are caused by exposure to UV radiation.
  • Photosensitivity is an abnormally high sensitivity of the skin or eyes to UV radiation exposure. The skin can burn more easily, increasing your risk of skin cancer.