HOUSTON – Ophthalmologists say Texans' vision is at risk for damage because of more UV exposure here. Dr. Zaina Al-Mohtasub, cataract ophthalmologist at Baylor College of Medicine, said she operates on patients about twice a week whose vision is compromised by this particular damage.
Whether it’s sunny or cloudy, UV rays are threatening our eye health, Al-Mohtasub said, and the damage is cumulative.
Meaning, if you've gone your whole life mostly without sunglasses, you could be at risk for:
- Tumors
- Cataracts
- Cancers of the cornea
All of these eye complications could require surgery to fix or could destroy your retina beyond repair, making vision loss a real possibility.
“You can't control your genetics but you can definitely control how much UV radiation hits your eye,” Al-Mohtasub said.
When buying sunglasses, look for both UVA and UVB protection. Al-Mohtasub said the sunglasses can be as inexpensive as you like, but full coverage is needed.
“It has to tell you that it has 99 - 100% UV protection,” she said.
She also said 80% of damage in your eye occurs before you're 18. So, children should be wearing both UVA and UVB protection, too.
Polarized sounds like it's protecting you, but it's strictly for comfort from glare off a windshield or water. Use polarized sunglasses when you're driving or swimming.
“So you want to make sure you get polarized glasses for your comfort but you want to make sure you get UV radiation protection to avoid all the damage to your eye,” Al-Mohtasub said.
She also encouraged larger, wrap-around sunglasses to avoid rays coming from the directions where your eyes are not protected.
Polarized will make it hard to see your phone's screen since it reduces glare. Therefore, for everyday activities, use sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection and not polarized. This could help eliminate the chances of you taking them off to text and read, and exposing your eyes to harmful UV rays during that time.
Wearing sunglasses with polarization and without UVA/UVB protection will hurt you. Al-Mohtasub said since polarized lenses make you feel comfortable, wearing them will make your pupils open wider. If you’re not protecting against UV rays then you’re opening your eyes wider to more damage.