Cataract surgeon San Diego
With summer in full swing, many people are outside enjoying the long days and warm weather. Spending time outdoors is healthy for you in many ways. However, as eye doctors, we also want you to be aware of the importance of protecting your eyes while you’re out there.
Unprotected sun exposure causes eye damage
The same ultraviolet (UV) light that causes your skin to sunburn can also cause damage to your eyes. Some of the problems that can be caused by UV light include:
- Cataracts
- Growths on the eye (such as pterygium)
- Ocular melanoma, which is a rare but serious cancer of the eye
The damaging effects of UV light accumulate over time. The more unprotected sun exposure a person experiences over the years, the greater their likelihood of developing these diseases.
Use sunglasses and hats to protect your eyes
Just as you wear sunscreen to protect your skin from sunburn, you can also protect your eyes from the sun. The most important form of protection is sunglasses. Wear these whenever you’re in the sun. It’s particularly important during the brightest time of the day, between 10am and 4pm.
Make sure you choose a pair of sunglasses that has 100% UV protection. There should be a sticker on the lens when you purchase the sunglasses that indicates this. Unfortunately, there are some sunglasses on the market that appear dark, but they only block visible light and not UV light. These may make your eyes feel more comfortable on a bright day, but they will not actually protect your eyes at all! In fact, they can even increase your risk for eye issues later on, because your pupils will be more dilated due to the dark lenses letting in less light. That lets even more damaging UV light enter your eyes than if you weren’t wearing any sunglasses. So make sure that your sunglasses are 100% UV protective.
Hats are also useful to block bright rays from entering your eyes. Because sunlight comes primarily from above, using a hat blocks out a large proportion of the sunlight and helps to protect your eyes. (It also helps to protect your face from sunburn and longer-term sun damage.)
What about on cloudy days, or in the winter?
Although you may feel like you don’t need to worry about sunglasses if it’s cloudy out, the truth is that UV light can penetrate through clouds much more easily than visible light can. Because of this, you still need to wear your sunglasses even when there’s cloud cover. As a general rule, try to wear them during the middle part of the day regardless of the weather.
Additionally, sunglasses are important at all times of the year, not just in the summer. Even though UV light is less intense during the winter, it can still be strong enough to cause damage. Additionally, snow can greatly amplify the effects of the winter sun by reflecting the rays back up at you. This is obviously not a problem here in the San Diego area! However, we know that many of you go to the mountains to ski in the winter, so we want you to be aware that it’s important to protect your eyes up there.
Cataract surgeon San Diego
Protecting your eyes from the sun decreases your risk of developing cataracts, but they may still occur. If you have already developed cataracts, then you may be looking for the right surgeon to remove them and restore your sight. If you’re in our area and looking for a cataract surgeon San Diego, we would be happy to help you.
Our team of experts has performed thousands of cataract removal procedures, and we offer a line of IOLs (replacement lenses that are implanted into the eye after cataract removal) that includes the most advanced technology available on the market today, along with the expertise to place the lenses properly so that they function well. Please contact our office to schedule a consultation appointment to learn more and get personalized recommendations for your eye treatment.
