This article is intended for your customers to read for their education.
I was standing in the lobby of a tanning salon recently when the salon professional asked to see a tanner’s eyewear. The tanner said she didn’t wear goggles. The salon pro replied, “You can get cataracts from not wearing eye protection when you tan.” The tanner kind of shrugged and headed back to her tanning room with no eyewear—clearly she felt cataracts are what happen to one’s grandma, not to her.
Over 16 million people are blind because of cataracts. Tens of thousands will lose their sight and millions more will have poor vision because of cataracts, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center.
“Ultraviolet
light can accelerate the aging process and we see cataracts in much younger
people,” says Dr. Mark Kimpel, an ophthalmologist with Indiana University
Medical Center. “I constantly tell young people that you might not see the
damage now, but its like sunburn; you are accumulating the damage for later.”
Dr. Kimpel, a sunbed user, strongly recommends wearing eye protection when
tanning indoors and UV-block sunglasses outdoors.
The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that
the ultraviolet (UV) light from sunlight or tanning lamps penetrates the
thin skin of the eyelid. Unprotected exposure causes cataracts by creating
changes in the lens and is also responsible for macular degeneration, which
causes blindness. UV over-exposure is responsible for creating oxygen-free
radicals, called oxidants, which are unstable molecules that can cause cataracts.
If you are a smoker, heavy drinker or take certain drugs, you have an even
higher chance of cataracts, as you’ll have more oxidants running around
in your body.
So you tan without eyewear? Never fear! Cataract surgery is here! Cataract
surgery is a relatively easy procedure; your surgeon makes an incision and
uses ultrasound to break up your clouded lens into small fragments, then
uses a small vacuum to suck out the tiny pieces. A replacement lens is then
placed on your eye and the incision sutured shut. A few minor details: you
may need to wear big, heavy wrap-around sunglasses in bright light situations
for several months since your eyes may be very light sensitive (see photo
at right). There can also be complications with cataract surgery, including
permanent vision loss. It’s important to note that 30 percent of cataract
surgery patients need another procedure in one to five years. Make sure
you have good health insurance and loads of free time for recovery!
People who work outside (such as lifeguards, construction workers, landscapers) or live close to the equator (Florida and Texas) have a much higher risk for developing cataracts. Make sure you are wearing UV-Block sunglasses outdoors. Just wearing dark lenses that are not UV-Block certified or labeled “UV 400” is actually more dangerous than squinting in the sunlight!
Though you may be able to regain your vision with surgeries,
cataracts can never be cured. Stop squinting and put on your FDA compliant
eye protection! You don’t want to look like this gal…do you?
Tanning industry veteran
Brenda Fishbaugh is president of Eye Pro, Inc,. makers
of disposable eyewear. She travels extensively training salons on the effects
of UV light on vision.
