Look After Your Eyes

Sun beds

Don't be blind to the dangers of sun beds

It’s not just your skin that risks damage, eyes need protecting too.

With many of us keen to start off our holiday with at least a little colour on our skin, a trip to the tanning salon is now regarded by some as de rigueur in pre-holiday beach body preparation - but we could be putting our eyes at risk, warn eye professionals. In a bid to achieve the perfect all-over tan some sun bed users are forgoing vital protective eye wear during tanning sessions, leaving their eyes at risk from harmful UV damage.

Whilst it’s common knowledge that sun bed use can have a harmful effect on skin, the UV rays can also damage our eyes if not adequately protected, and the College of Optometrists is urging sun bed users to ensure they always use eye protection whilst tanning.

Dr Susan Blakeney, Optometric Advisor to the College of Optometrists, explained: “The skin on the eye lid is very thin and delicate so it’s vital to protect this area from UV rays. Whilst we do not advocate the use of sun beds, if you do use them it is important to ensure that you always use protective eye wear - as you would wear sunglasses when outside - to safeguard your eyes from UV rays.

Avoiding wearing goggles or ‘winkies’ whilst using a sun bed can lead to benign eye growths called pterygium.  Repeated exposure to UV may cause long term damage which could affect sight in later life. We only have one pair of eyes, so if you want to safeguard your sight, always ensure you wear the proper protection whether on the sun bed or in the sun.”

Tanning beds use ultraviolet lights that produce both UVA and UVB rays, which can be more powerful in their effect than the sun as the light is concentrated and directed straight at the face.

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  • UK optical community rallies to launch inaugural National Eye Health Week

    For the first time ever the UK eyecare sector is joining forces with charities and healthcare professionals to launch National Eye Health Week 2010 (14- 20 June).

    Under the banner Vision Matters, the campaign aims to communicate the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests to people from every walk of life. Organisations across the UK are staging a whole range of activities to support the campaign.

    See what you can do! Go to www.visionmatters.org.uk to see how to take part, what’s going on and for further eye health information.


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Top Eye Tips

Cleaning Your Glasses Correctly

If they aren’t clean you can’t see through them as well and although you may not realize it, other people can see they are dirty, which doesn’t look very attractive.

The best way of cleaning them is to wash them once a day under a tap using warm soapy water. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or you could damage the coating on your lenses. After, rinse them off, and then, being careful to hold them by the edges of the frame or lens you are drying, dry them with a soft clean cloth or tissue.

If at any time you use a lens cloth please make sure it’s clean. If it’s dirty it will scratch your lenses.

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