More BrandsEveryone knows that special care needs to be taken during the summer to protect the skin from dangerous sun rays, most notably UV rays. However, it may come as news to many that it is equally important to protect the eyes from those rays. For contact lens wearers, this means getting lenses with UV protection, FoxNews.com reports.
In an e-mail to the news portal, Dr Karl Citek explained that UV rays can cause both short-term and long-term damage to the eye. Among the most common threats is photokeratitis, which passes quickly but can be very painful and cause itching, burning or a gritty feeling. More serious are the long-term effects of UV rays on the eye. Sun exposure can lead to cataracts or pterygium, both of which impair vision and require surgical intervention. UV rays can also lead to eyeball cancer or worsen age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Citek, optometry professor at the Pacific University College of Optometry, went on to add that three leading contact lens manufacturers had UV-blocking lenses in their current offer. In the case of Vistakon, UV protection is incorporated into its entire Acuvue line. Ciba Vision has PrecisionUV lenses, while Bausch & Lomb offers such protection through its BioTrue ONEday lenses.
But while UV-blocking lenses are important, contact lens wearers cannot afford to rely solely on them, according to Dr Susan Resnick, member of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (FAAO). She told Fox News that the best protection is achieved by combining contact lenses with sunglasses and broad-rimmed hats.
