Did you know that 10% of skin cancers occur on the eyelid? Me either.
I also didn’t that 80% of the damage to eyes from UVA and UVB light occurs by the time children turn 18.
I participated in a recent call on The Vision Council recently, in which Dr. Dora Adamopoulos discussed the importance of protecting our eyes, especially the eyes of our children, even if (like me) your background is Mediterranean and you think you’re rather immune to the damage of UV light (because you never burn, for example). I know better, and yet I still wasn’t being careful.
I was diagnosed with photophobia many years ago (not a fear of light, but rather extreme sensitivity to it- I can’t be out on a sunny day, even in total shade, without squinting). Despite this, I rarely wear my sunglasses. I’m sure that I’m much more sensitive to the damage of UV light that most people are as a result of my diagnosis, having had a cataract, etc, and yet still I rarely wear my sunglasses.
The effects of the sun’s rays are most severe in children. Children receive three times the annual sun exposure of adult, and both types of radiation (UVA and UVB) are damaging, so it’s important to buy sunglasses that protect against both. The sunglasses you buy should indicate that they protect against UVA and UVB radiation, and if they don’t, then don’t bother buying them.
Hearing that UV damage in the eyes is cumulative, and that most of the damage occurs during childhood, well…it shamed me. I made it a priority to buy UV protective sunglasses for my boys this weekend, and plan to protect their eyes as best I can from now on. I don’t want them to have eye vision problems, eye damage, cataracts, or photophobia like I did…I love them too much.
Research shows that more than 40 percent of parents don’t proactively ensure their children wear UV protective sunglasses – the most effective tool for blocking damaging UVA and UVB rays. This is extremely dangerous for kids, especially those under ten, who are at higher risk of UV damage than adults.
This is a partnered post
I need to work on this, actually. My son doesn’t like to wear them, so it’s a fight. I’m just going to have to be more adamant about it. 🙂
Cancer on the eyelids? I seriously had no clue.
It’s interesting about you not wearing sunglasses. I’m not light sensitive, but I kinda like the squinting because I feel like it’s my body’s natural protection against light entering the eye, but if it’s the eyelids I need to be worrying about too, I guess I need to change a thing or two and wear the sunglasses more!
Wow, that is a really scary thought.
That’s a very interesting infographic. All three of us need corrective lenses and I take eye health very seriously, yet I don’t always where sunglasses either! Shame on me!
I wish my daughter would keep her sunglasses on.
I had no idea that children’s eyes were so at risk due to the sun! Thankfully, my kids enjoy rocking their sunglasses.
People just don’t realize the damaging effects the sun can have. Thanks for sharing the info!
I always think of this! I try to keep their eyes protected when they are at the park
I was on vacation when I heard about cancer of the eyelids. I didn’t want tan lines on my face from my huge sunglasses so took them off while at the beach but after hearing about this and realizing I didn’t apply sunscreen to my eyelids, I quickly put them back on. I’ll just deal with the uneven tan using makeup, definitely beats cancer.
Sunglasses were one of the first things I made sure the boys had before we left for our trip this summer!
I had no idea sunglasses are this important.