Rosie and Mark Frood were seen in Pilot Bay yesterday, sporting their sunglasses. Mr Frood said he never left the house without his. Photo / Ruth Keber
Rosie and Mark Frood were seen in Pilot Bay yesterday, sporting their sunglasses. Mr Frood said he never left the house without his. Photo / Ruth Keber
Bay residents are being urged to wear sunglasses this summer to avoid damaging their eyes.
Bethlehem Eye Care Optometrists' Stuart Willats said UV light played a big part in the damage people's eyes received over their lifetime.
"You don't put sunblock on your eyes."
He said the eyes, eyelids andarea around the eyes were still just as sensitive to the sun as other areas on the body.
"So extra care should be taken with the eye and the eye region."
"You can't repair macular degenerate damage either, there is no way of reversing the effects," he said. "It's the biggest thing we are worried about, it is an age-related change but the sun brings on this damage sooner."
Pterygium is when a piece of skin grows across the eye's surface, but it can be caused by other elements too. Short-term effects can include snow blindness, sun-burned cornea, and dry, irritable and tired eyes.
"So we do encourage people to wear sunglasses, we are all about keeping it [sun] out of the eye. Everything you can do to minimise the risk is good."
People were becoming more aware of sun damage and being more vigilant with wearing sunglasses but the older generation would probably be affected for a while longer, he said.
"Hopefully we will see less macular degeneration as time goes by, as people's awareness is greater now."
Jackson Edwards, a lifeguard, was wearing his sunnies in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Ruth Keber
They had a lot of older patients who had worked on farms for 40 years and had not worn sunglasses until their 50s.
"It will be a long time to see the actual benefits of wearing them."
Tauranga resident Mark Frood said he would never go without sunglasses: "It's a necessity, to see clearly, otherwise I squint to get rid of the glare. Also, it helps with the old crow's feet around the eyes."
Mr Frood said sunglasses were important and he would feel weird not wearing them.
Grace Le-Roux has worn prescription sunglasses for six-months.
It was a decision she would never go back on. "My eyes are pretty sensitive. The sun can wreck your eyes, so I will definitely always wear proper sunglasses now."
Ms Le-Roux said she had just started wearing contact lenses and would buy another good pair of sunglasses she could wear with them.
Facts
*Skin cancers of the eyelid, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma as well as melanoma, account for 5 to 10 per cent of all skin cancers. *Most occur on the lower lid, which receives the most sun exposure. *Watch for these early warning signs: a lump or bump that frequently bleeds or does not disappear. *Persistent red eye or inflammation of the eyelids that does not respond to medication. *Unexplained loss of eyelashes. *If you have any of these warning signals, consult a skin cancer specialist or ophthalmologist, even if you feel no discomfort.
