Putting Sunscreen around Your Eyes? Opt for a Pair of Glasses Instead!

For years, consumers have heard that, while on the beach, out in nature or on vacation, they should put sunscreen on their skin to protect it from the sun. In particular, a person's face is constantly exposed to sunlight. A study published by the University of Liverpool¹ explored how people apply sunscreen to their face. The researchers employed a special UV camera. A special filter and illumination make the areas where sunscreen was applied appear black. Looking at the photos, you see that the area around the eyes often remains bright. This means not enough sunscreen was applied, exposing the skin to dangerous sunlight if the person does not also wear a pair of glasses with UV protection.

Aalen, Germany | 15 February 2019 | ZEISS Vision Care

The skin on a person's face and neck is particularly prone to skin cancer because it is frequently exposed to UV radiation. Around five to ten percent of all skin cancer cases occur on the eyelid². Hence protecting this area makes sense. This requires either applying sunscreen to the eyelids or wearing glasses that protect against UV radiation. The advantage of sunglasses is that they protect not only the skin around the eye, but also the eye itself – assuming the lenses filter out dangerous radiation.

For anyone with a visual impairment who does not wish to apply sunscreen to their eyelids, an attractive alternative is available: they can opt for clear eyeglass lenses with full UV protection. These lenses can also be worn even when the weather does not call for sunglasses. Solar UV radiation is omnipresent during the day – even when it's cloudy or in the shade. With ZEISS UVProtect, ZEISS provides a technology that enables UV protection up to 400 nm and comes standard in all clear plastic ZEISS eyeglass lenses. These lenses not only protect the tissue around the eye from UV radiation just as well as sunglasses, but also the eye itself.

While sunlight can be harmful, it also provides the body with vitamin D. Spending just a short time in the sunlight covers the daily requirement³. And many people have experienced firsthand how sunlight can boost a person's mood, especially after a long, dark winter. However, UV radiation in too high a dose or over an excessively long period of time can potentially damage the skin and, sooner or later, a person's eyes can suffer from the energy-rich radiation emitted by the sun. This includes illnesses like photokeratitis (sunburn on the cornea or conjunctiva) and pterygium (growth on the cornea). In addition, it increases a person's risk of developing a cataract when they're older.

Children especially are frequently exposed to dangerous UV radiation because they are outside more frequently. Studies suggest that by the age of 20 we might have already received 50 percent of our lifetime estimates of UV exposure⁴.

Thus it follows that children in particular need to be protected. When it comes to protecting young eyes, it's important to understand that a child's crystalline lens lets through far more UV radiation than that of an adult. So here are some tips for ensuring a healthy amount of time in the sun, for adults and for children:

A consumer survey⁵ from ZEISS suggests that eye care professionals in particular can raise the issue of UV protection for their patients throughout the year. 91 percent of those surveyed reported that UV protection is generally important for them. 96 percent even think it is important to protect their eyes. However, 80 percent didn't know that clear lenses can also protect their eyes against dangerous radiation throughout the year. This means that there is potential for customer education. After all, 97 percent of consumers report that they would consider it beneficial if their clear lenses provided protection against UV radiation – just like their tinted lenses.



^*_{UVProtect is a registered trademark of Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH.}