What can UV do to our eyes?
One of the most common effects of UV damage is cataracts. Many of us will get cataracts in time as part of the ageing process, but the more sun exposure you’ve had in your life, the earlier you’re likely to get them. Left untreated, cataracts can cause blurred vision.
Another effect, Walsh says, can be macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in Australia.
“Studies have shown that it is exacerbated by UV exposure,” she says.
“Another thing to note is that 5-10% of all skin cancers happen on the eyelids. Skin cancer in the eyelids is actually very, very common. And we do see basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinomas, and damage to the ocular surface as well.”
While rare, there have even been cases of deadly melanomas in the eye.
How can we protect our eyes in summer?
The news isn’t all bad. There are a few simple things we can all do to reduce our risk of UV exposure: wear UV-protected sunglasses, put sunscreen on our eyelids, and put on a hat for added protection.
We should also get regular eye health tests, which can pick up problems while they’re still in their early stages.
“Even if you have no script, even if your vision is perfect, even if you’ve had LASIK [laser vision correction] – whatever your visual situation may be, it’s still important to come in and have an eye test,” Walsh says. “Because we do so many scans of the back of the eye and we examine them on a microscope called a slit lamp. And that allows us to assess all the tissues of the eye and whether there’s any damage to them by the sun, or by disease, or from any other source or cause.”
“In Australia, a normal sight test will encompass two things. [Firstly] a vision test, which is how many letters can you see on the chart, and do you require an optical correction to get you there. But then the second half of an ocular exam will be all the health tests that we do. And every eye test in Australia really should encompass both those elements.”
If everything’s normal, you’ll only need to have an eye test every two years, though some Australians will be advised to return more regularly.
Beyond appointments, it pays to – ahem – keep an eye out for any changes in our vision. But worryingly, the YouGov research found the majority (54%) of respondents would not be confident recognising the signs and symptoms of sun damage to their eyes.
“The things that will really cause concern for an optometrist are a drop in vision, especially a sudden drop in vision, pain, or redness in the eye,” Walsh says. “So if there’s any of those three things going on, or any unusual lumps or bumps that you’re seeing that weren’t there before, or lumps or bumps that were there before that are changing, come in for an appointment.”
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The easiest and most effective way to combat UV exposure in the warmer months is to always keep our sunnies on when we’re outdoors. The earlier in life we start doing that, the less of that cumulative UV damage we build up across all our summers.
“The message that most [optometrists] really want to get out is that sun protection is paramount, but it’s especially paramount for young people: kids and teenagers,” Walsh says. “It’s really important that the Australian people understand that mitigating these risks early is the most important thing.”
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