Paediatric optometrists warn that most of the lifetime ultraviolet (UV) damage done to a person’s eyes occurs during childhood and the risk for retinal damage from the sun’s rays is greatest in children less than 10 years old. However, the consequences usually do not become apparent until well after they are adults.

This is because eye damage due to UV exposure accumulates over a lifetime and the cells of the lens of the eye cannot repair themselves and are never naturally replaced. We did not have the knowledge that we do today of the harmful affects of UV radiation on our eyes. Just as sun exposure to the skin can be cumulative and cause problems later in life, so can UV exposure to the eyes.

 UV radiation has now been linked to the formation of cataracts, which is a clouding of the crystalline lens within the eye. It also can cause growths on the white part of the eye, which are seen frequently in surfers and others who spend a lot of time in the sun, called Pingueculas and Pterygiums.

We now feel that there is evidence that UV exposure can increase the risk of damage to retina (the inner layer of the eye) called macular degeneration, later in life.