WORLD SIGHT DAY CHALLENGE

Following on from National Eye Health Week last week, it’s worth mentioning the Autumn sun and as much as we like it, how it poses an increased risk to the eyes.

When the sun is high in the sky our brow bone acts like a built in sun shade and prevents damaging UV light entering the eye. When the sun is low in the sky during Autumn months the total amount of UV radiation your eyes are exposed to increases dramatically.

Cumulative UV exposure has been found to promote the onset of cataracts and has been implicated in the development of a range of other eye conditions including photokeratitis, pterygium and macular degeneration – the UK’s leading cause of blindness.

One simple way you can tell if your eyes are in danger of UV damage is to look at your shadow. If your shadow is taller than you, you should protect your eyes using a hat, sunglasses or UV protective lenses.

We want to encourage schools to include sun safety within their child protection policies and explain how doing things such as having regular sight tests and eating colourful fruit and vegetables can keep your eyes and vision healthy.

We know that most of our exposure to harmful UV happens before the age of 18 so it’s important to get eyes checked regularly.

World Sight Day is on Thursday 9th October. Details of the World Sight Day Challenge are available here.