TORONTO – The sun feels extremely gratifying after a long cold winter and rainy spring. Now is the time to grab that sunblock and sunglasses and take that long-awaited walk on the beach and soak up some sun.
That’s right. It isn’t just sunblock that you’ll need for these warm summer days. Sunglasses play an important part in protecting against UV rays.
A new study from the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the Canadian Association of Optometrists reveals that just two-thirds of Canadians regularly wear sunglasses on a sunny day (64 per cent) or during the summer months (63 per cent), and only 33 per cent wear them all year long.
These numbers aren’t great considering that those who expose themselves to much sun maybe fine themselves blinded by cataracts caused by harmful UV light.
Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens inside the eye which focuses the light on the back of the eye. They usually develop slowly, causing a gradual and painless decrease in vision. It is most common among the elderly; however, changes in the lens of one’s eye begin to start around the age of 40.
Over 2.5 million people in Canada are living with cataracts.
Some vision problems that cataracts can produce include blurry vision, glare (particularly at night), frequent changes in eyeglass prescription, a decrease in colour intensity, or yellowing of images.
"It's important to protect our eyes from harmful UV rays all year long to decrease the risk of developing cataracts later in life," says Dr. Phil Hooper, President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. "While this eye disease is more common in people over 60, young people are still at risk, so taking the necessary precaution now will only help decrease their chances of getting this eye disease in the future."
The survey also revealed that youth only a third of respondents say that their children regularly wear sunglasses on a sunny day (33 per cent) or during the summer months (32 per cent), and only 13 per cent say their children wear them on a cloudy day, even though UV rays are still present.
To determine if you have cataracts, your eye doctor will ask you about your medical history and the symptoms you have.
They will also perform an eye exam and conduct a few tests:
- Visual acuity test: This test helps your eye doctor see if you've had any worsening in your vision. You'll be asked to look at an eye chart with different sizes of letters on it. Your doctor will test one eye at a time, with the other eye covered.
- Slit-lamp examination: A slit-lamp allows your eye doctor to view different parts of your eye (cornea, iris and lens) up close to see if there are any problems. This device is called a "slit lamp" because it uses a bright line of light to illuminate the different parts of your eye.
To learn more about the risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of cataracts including the other four eye diseases, visit see the possibilities.ca.
