Your child needs eye protection

Children's eyes should be protected from UV light. -  Photo ©iStockphoto.com/ JonathanCohen

Too much sun is not a good thing. While adults are used to wearing sunglasses and eye protection, children aren't. There is a tendency to think that children don't need eye protection because sunglasses are still viewed as a fashion accessory and a luxury item.

The truth is children need protective eyewear to shield their eyes from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. And, if sunglasses are too expensive, then a cap will do.

The sun's UV light is just too intense and although we do not see the damage now, there is a cumulative effect which will be seen when that individual is in their senior years.

Eye surgeon and paediatric opthalmologist Dr Choong Yee Fong says that while UV light is harmful to everybody, it is more so for children.

“Why are children's eyes more vulnerable to UV light damage at a young age? Firstly, children are much less likely to wear eye protection because most parents think it's just an accessory and they feel children don't need it. We don't have a school system that actually encourages eye protection wear. In fact, if you wear sunglasses to school you'll probably be hauled up by the disciplinary master and get reprimanded for it, which I think is completely wrong.

“Secondly, a child's eye lens is very clear when they are young as opposed to the adult lens which is yellowish and tinged. The yellow tinge actually filters away a lot of the UV light so the amount of UV light that actually reaches the retina is much reduced. In children, almost all the harmful rays go into the eyes and reach the retina which is the part that we are worried about.

“As a result, a lot of damage is being done at a young age.

“Also, for children living in tropical countries like Malaysia, where the average sun exposure is very high, it is of particular concern,” explains Dr Choong.

UV light has been identified as the chief cause cataract and age-related macular degeneration. UV exposure to the retina can cause irreversible blindness. Although the damage begins at young, the effects are only seen when the person reaches old age.

It starts from young

According to Dr Choong, it is only recently that the opthalmologists worldwide have come to understand that the damage starts from young because the UV light damage is cumulative. Recent studies suggest that harmful exposure to the eye actually occurs at a younger age than previously thought.

“Most of us used to think that young children won't be affected when they go out in the hot sun. We used to think that the exposure to UV light is only harmful when they are old. But, this has been proven to be the wrong concept. In fact, the damage starts from young. So, the people who have accumulated exposure since young will have more risk of developing early cataract and other eye diseases.

“Cataract is not such a big problem because it can be easily dealt with with surgery but macular degeneration, which is a disease of the retina, is a big problem because macular degeneration today is the No 1 cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The tragedy of this condition is that if you get it, the retina is damaged, it is not reversible and people go blind.

“Actually a lot of the damage occurs because of the exposure to UV light at a young age but the manifestation of the disease happens when they are older. Now, a lot of countries like the United States, Australia and some European countries have moved towards advocating for eye protection from UV light from young rather than just for old people.