![]() "Look for large wraparound-style sunglasses that cover a lot of skin. "Choose sunglasses that block 99%–100% of both UVA (long-length) and UVB (short- length) rays," says Angela Schneider, optician at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse. Sunglasses should conform to the American National Standards Institute's guideline ANSI Z80.3, which specifies UV protection and impact protection. Keep these tips in mind with selecting sunglasses for your children: UV rays can still damage eyes on cloudy days. Consider having your children wear sunglasses every day. Photokeratitis is like having a sunburned eye.įortunately, sunglasses will protect the skin around the eye and the eye itself. There also are some short-term physical side effects from too much UV light, including photokeratitis, also known as "snow blindness." This occurs when UV rays reflect off sand, water, ice, and snow, or if you stare at the sun. Long-term eye problems not specific to children could include cataracts and age-related macular degeneration that can blur vision, dull colors and lead to the development of a pterygium, which is a noncancerous growth of tissue on the surface of the eye. "Damage from UV rays builds up over time. "Children's eyelids and skin around the eye are delicate and more vulnerable than adult skin," says Nitika Arora, M.B.B.S., Mayo Clinic Health System glaucoma specialist in ophthalmology in La Crosse. ![]() Unlike adult eyes, children's eyes are still maturing and cannot filter out the harmful UV rays as effectively. This increased exposure to sunlight increases risk of eye damage from ultraviolet (UV) light - an invisible electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. Mayo Clinic Health System providers say children receive more annual sun exposure than adults. But a question that sparks a lot of interest from parent centers around eye protection and sunglasses. Likely, they are outside with sunscreen to protect their skin. So that’s the danger of looking at the sun."įor more information on the eclipse, visit NASA’s eclipse website.Children spend a lot of time outside enjoying going to the pool, taking part in sports or just outdoor playtime. Depending upon the length of time that we’re staring at that bright light, it can either be temporary loss or it can be permanent loss. Brown adds, "When we have intense light, the eyes don’t have the ability to recover, and we can lose visual function. They’re very fragile, and, after they fire off in response to light, they have to be able to recover."ĭr. He continues, "The rods and cones take the light energy and transmit it to neural energy. Brown says when light enters the eye, it causes a complex series of reactions to occur in the rods and the cones that are very sensitive to light. ![]() Well, when you’re staring at the sun, they don’t have a chance to recover, and they may totally be lost due to the damage that can occur from looking at the sun."ĭr. When a camera flashes, you get this afterimage because the rods and the cones have to recover from that. Well, when you’re staring at the sun, they don’t have a chance to recover, and they may totally be lost due to the damage that can occur from looking at the sun." Eclipse glasses absorb more like 99.9999 percent," says Dr. Brown says the only time the sun can be viewed without these proper safety glasses will be during total eclipse - that short time when the moon covers the sun completely. "The sun is so intense, regular sunglasses only absorb maybe 90 percent of the sunlight and the light in our environment. ![]() So it's not too late for the reminder that staring directly at the sun can seriously damage your eyes, if you aren't using specifically designed eclipse glasses.ĭr. William Brown, a Mayo Clinic optometrist, says it's not safe at all. How long is it safe to look directly at the sun? Dr.
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