Warning given over UV ray damage to children's eyes

A warning about exposing children to potentially dangerous amounts of UV rays has been issued by the Met Office as the current heatwave continues.
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According to the Eyecare Trust, children’s eyes are ten times more sensitive to the sun’s UV rays than their skin but, in a recent Met Office survey, most people in the UK have confessed to not knowing how damaging UV can be to eyes.

Almost a third of UK adults are unaware that UV radiation comes from the sun, and they aren’t aware that over exposure to UV can lead to eye burn, macular degeneration or cataracts later in life.

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Although more people are aware about the connection between UV light and skin cancer, the UK public remains largely unaware of the harmful effect UV rays can have on eyes.

Children's eyes are more sensitive to UV raysChildren's eyes are more sensitive to UV rays
Children's eyes are more sensitive to UV rays

Although 65% of people associate the effects of UV light with skin cancer and 62% with sunburn, a third (31%) believe that eyeballs cannot get sunburnt at all, with 78% unconcerned about its effects on their eyes.

In reality, extended exposure to the sun’s UV rays has been linked to eye burn and long-term damage, including cataracts, macular degeneration, and photo keratitis, which can cause temporary vision loss.

Just half of people (50%) are aware that eye damage caused by UV rays can be irreversible.

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Worryingly, just 43% of UK adults say they have sunglasses that offer UV protection.

Although everyone is at risk, children’s eyes do not fully develop and provide natural lens protection until the age of 12 and they are likely to spend much more time outside during school holidays than their parents.

Despite this, only 30% of parents said they worry about their children having too much exposure to UV and how it could lead to long term damage – pointing to a serious knowledge deficit in the UK.

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The Met Office says that given the lack of awareness of the dangers of UV, it’s unsurprising that nearly three-quarters of parents (72%) admit to not taking any action to protect their child’s eyes from harmful UV rays.

Only a third (32%) said they prioritise packing sunglasses when going on a day out with their children, with a further third having no idea if their children’s sunglasses offered UV protection. Four in ten (40%) said they don’t check UV levels before going outside, with three-quarters (74%) believing there is no way to do this.

The Met Office – official provider of the UK’s hourly UV forecasts – has partnered with Boots Opticians to raise awareness of the dangers of UV eyes and the need for eye protection, particularly among children.