“It’s not well known. Yeah, you can sunburn your eyes. Cloud cover does not protect you from a sunburn. In fact, cloud cover, the UV index when it’s cloudy, can be almost as high as whenever there’s direct sunlight.” -Dr. David Jackson, the dean of the McGee Eye Institute
As we gear up for winter 2022/2023 its great time to remember the importance of proper eyewear while out on the mountain. Here’s some super important info about protecting your eyes from sun exposure from the dean of the McGee Eye Institute, Dr. David Jackson. You might not realize it but it doesn’t take long before you run the risk in both summer and winter:
“If you’re skiing without goggles, you can get sunburned eyes or photokeratitis in as little as one hour. And it’s very painful.”
Your eyes can even get red and teary after only 15 minutes When the UV index is high it only takes 15 minutes before they can become red and teary leading tom mild photokeratitis. It usually only takes a few days to heal, but repeated exposure can lead to bigger issues.
“Chronically over long periods of time, that can lead to certain types of cancers, even on the surface of the eye or inside the eye.”
Here’s a hot tip…if you’re the type to ski in sunglasses make sure they wrap around, otherwise peripheral ultraviolet damage often occurs. Remember, there’s only three weather situations that really help: dense/low stratus clouds, fog or rain. Invest in proper eyewear folks, your peepers will be grateful.
cover image newschoolers 2011 goggle tan contest winner