Light-Colored Eyes and Meds Increase Dangers of UV Light

Individuals with light-colored eyes or taking common OTC medications are at higher risk for UV damage, according to a recent study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The study, which involved more than 2,000 adults, found that the combination of light eyes and sun exposure can increase the risk of developing rare eye cancers. The study also found that approximately one-third of American adults take medications that can increase their susceptibility to damage from the sun's UV rays. Of this number, only about half of these adults were aware that medications such as antibiotics with tetracycline, birth control pills, and pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium can cause photosensitivity. Read more.

More on the Dangers of UV Radiation

“Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation - from the sun, tanning beds, lamps or booths - is the main cause of skin cancer, accounting for around 86% of non-melanoma and 90% of melanoma skin cancers. In addition, excessive UV exposure can increase the risk of eye diseases, such as cataract and eye cancers,” writes Medical News Today. “The health risks associated with exposure to UV radiation have certainly been well documented, so much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) have now officially classed UV radiation as a human carcinogen. This year alone, Medical News Today reported on an array of studies warning of UV exposure risks. One study, published in the journal Pediatrics, revealed that tanning bed use among youths can increase the risk of early skin cancer, while other research found that multiple sunburns as an adolescent can increase melanoma risk by 80%. Furthermore, in response to reported health risks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently changed their regulation of tanning beds, lamps and booths. Such products must now carry a visible, black-box warning stating that they should not be used by anyone under the age of 18. “ Read more.

UV Protection Drive Moves Ahead

The Vision Care Institute, a Johnson & Johnson Co., has released a UV Protection App that reportedly will help eye care professionals educate patients about the causes and effects of UV exposure and steps they can take to help protect their eyes. Australians have been using a similar app call SunSmart for years. Meanwhile the Vision Council and the AAO are pushing the need for UV protection on the consumer level. “Less than half of parents enforce sunglass use for their children, according to recent surveys by the Vision Council, a trade group, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology,” goes an excellent story in the Wall Street Journal about UV protection and dangers. “Years of overexposure can lead to cancer of the eye or eyelid. It has also been linked to an increased risk later in life for cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye, and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults. About half of Americans have lighter colored eyes that make them more susceptible to UV-related damage.” Read more or print out for your patients.

BBC Asks, 'Can We Trust Our Sunglasses?' Brazil Answers!

See the BBC site for the story.

Almost Half of Americans Don't See the Dangers of UV

Many of your patients and potential patients don't know that prolonged exposure to UV will damage their eyes, says The Vision Council's 2014 Sun Protection Survey. After interviewing more than 10,000 adults in 10 cities, the council found the following:

• 46 percent of adults only wear sunglasses when it's sunny.
• 35 percent of sunglass wearers did not know if their sunglasses provided UV protection.
• 49 percent of Americans didn't know that prolonged UV exposure can accelerate cataract growth.

American cities with a high risk of UV damage include obvious locations such as San Juan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami, but there are also less obvious cities such as Cheyenne, Little Rock, and Oklahoma City. You could offer your patients an opportunity to learn by posting the Vision Council's web address on your Facebook or store website or you could tweet them. For more information on the methodology, click here.

Maui Jim Gets Seal of Recommendation from Skin Cancer Foundation

Maui Jim, the premium polarized sunglasses company, has earned the Seal of Recommendation from The Skin Cancer Foundation. Maui Jim is one of three sunglasses manufacturers to have earned the seal, which is a symbol of safe and protective sun protection. The Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation is granted to sun protection products that have been reviewed by and meet the specific criteria of an independent Photobiology Committee (experts in the study of the interaction of ultraviolet light and the skin).  In order for sunglasses to earn the Seal of Recommendation, they must filter out at least 99 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.  Read more.

Bees See UV

Cheryl Murphy, a columnist for Scientific American, writes, "When I was a kid my sister and I would go hiking on a wooded Adirondack trail behind my grandparents’ camp. The start of the trail was rugged and involved a rigorous uphill climb but the surprise waiting at the top was always a feast for the eyes. It was a clearing in the middle of the forest filled with gorgeous purple and pink wild flowers. I remember trying to scan and study each part of it so as to not miss any of its beauty but despite my efforts to visually devour the scene, there were parts of it that my eyes simply missed. I was limited by what the human eye was built to see and had no idea that there were other hidden messages appearing in nature and the animal kingdom which were 'painted' in wavelengths of the light spectrum that I as a human simply could not see, namely UV. Bees can see ultraviolet wavelengths and as it turns out, flowers have patterns of UV within their petals." Read more.

May Is UV Awareness Month

Prevent Blindness America has declared May UV Awareness Month to help educate the public on the dangers of UV and how to protect the eyes. As ECPs know, while UV-A has lower energy, it penetrates deep into the eye and may injure the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sight in the center field of vision. UV-B radiation is presumably more dangerous and is mainly absorbed by the cornea and lens of the eye and can damage those tissues. You might want your patients to know that PBA recommends wearing sunglasses that reduce glare, filter out 99-100 percent of UV rays, protect eyes, are comfortable to wear, and do not distort colors. You could also recommend that your patients visit www.preventblindness.org/uv. You and your patients could also take the UV Awareness Quiz.

UV-Blocking CLs Could Postpone AMD

Blocking the transmission of ultraviolet light (UV) through a contact lens may have an effect in maintaining the eye's macular pigment density, according to new research presented today at the 2012 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference. Existing research suggests that a higher level of macular pigment appears to have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of severe vision loss for people over the age of 55. Read more.

Vision Council Issues Report about UV

More than 55 percent of adults in the United States lose or break their sunglasses every year, according to a new consumer media report by The Vision Council. For these and the 27 percent of adults who do not ever wear sunglasses, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation could end up costing them a lot more than a new pair of shades. The report, Finding Your Shades, Protecting Your Vision, outlines trends in UV-protective behavior as well as the major health effects that can occur as a result of cumulative UV exposure, and the protective measures necessary to prevent them. Copies of the report have been issued to consumer health and lifestyle reporters nationwide. The council also has developed free educational materials, including a UV-focused poster, children's activity booklet, and waiting room/community magazine, Under the Sun, to help eye care professionals inform their patients about the importance of vision protection year-round. These complimentary marketing materials are available through the council's online store. To download a copy of the Finding Your Shades, Protecting Your Vision report, visit the Bureau of Missing Sunglasses. Read more.

Benefits of Total UV Protection

Sun through UV light

"There is a need for the development of a scientifically rigorous, clinically applicable ocular protection factor metric, based not only on the transmittance of eyewear but on the protection afforded from the total ultraviolet radiation (UVR) field and the length of that exposure," goes the post on MDLinx. Read more.

Optical Checklist for Skiiers

Here's an optical checklist for your skiing customers.

• Wear goggles that can prevent snow and ice from obscuring vision during a descent, and they also can protect a skiier’s eyes from twigs or debris. 
• Remember sunglasses. They block UV rays, and there's plenty of UV on the slopes. Think snow-blindness. Snow reflects the UV rays.
• Fog-proof your googles, sunglasses, and eyeglasses. Use an antifog spray or antifog towelette, like Defog It. If goggles lost their fog-blocking ability, an application of an antifog may fix it.
• If you wear eyeglasses, you might want to defog them as well when going from cold of the slopes to the warmth of the lodge.