Eye Care & Surgery Center wishes to announce that Prevent Blindness America has designated May as National Ultraviolet Eye Awareness Month. “Most people know the harmful effects that ultraviolet (UV) rays can have on the skin. But many are not aware of the damage that they can cause to the eyes”, commented Corneal Specialist Joel Confino, M.D. of The Eye Care & Surgery Center. “Possibly the most frightening aspect of UV damage is that it is cumulative, meaning the negative effects may not present themselves until years later.”
Today almost everyone is aware of the potential damage that sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause to their skin, most do not know or appreciate that ultraviolet light (UV) can also cause significant damage to eye health and vision.
“Most of us wouldn’t dream of staying outside in the sun without putting on sunscreen lotion for skin protection,” said Ivan Jacobs, M.D. Glaucoma Specialist at The Eye Care & Surgery Center. “But we also need to remember to wear UV-blocking lenses and eyewear as well as a brimmed hat to protect our eyes as well.”
At Eye Care & Surgery Center we are fortunate to be able to offer patients a full range of UV protecting eyeglass lenses available to choose from. High quality sunglasses should block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B rays. “It is also important to have UV protection in your everyday eyewear. “This is readily available to our patients through our selection of a number of UV blocking eyeglass lens materials, specialized coatings and photochromic lenses in our Optical Department”, said Philip Borker, Practice Administrator.
“We know that extended exposure to UV has been linked to many eye problems, conditions and in some cases thought to hasten the onset of eye problems such as cataracts, age related macular degeneration (AMD), certain cancers on the delicate skin around the eye and even photokeratitis, a type of sunburn of the cornea”, said Milton Kahn, M.D., Retina Specialist.
Please feel free to ask any Eye Care & Surgery Center staff member questions you might have about UV protection, eye disease and the best way to protect your eyes with the proper eyewear and lens choices. The Eye Care & Surgery Center can also be reached at 908.789.8999 to help answer questions or schedule an appointment.
