A special issue on ultraviolet radiation and its effects on the eye

Development of a Sun Protection Factor for contact lenses (CL-SPF)

OBJECTIVE

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of sunscreen products is well recognised by consumers. This study explored how SPF could be applied to ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection from contact lenses (CL-SPF).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

UV transmission through 15 commercially available contact lenses and three spectacle lens materials was measured with a deuterium light source and spectrophotometer. CL-SPF values were calculated using the standard in vitro method used to test and label skin products. Ray tracing was applied to two sunglass designs to assess the effect of solar angle and head orientation on light reaching the ocular surface. Cellular damage profile of human corneal and conjunctival cells across the UV range was assessed in vitro to inform an SPF equivalent for CLs.

RESULTS

CLs tested fell into three categories: CL-SPF with no UV blocker=1.0-2.0 (equivalent to using no sunscreen); CL-SPF with Class 2 UV blocker=12.3-24.8 (equivalent to SPF15); and CL-SPF with Class 1 UV blocker=59.6-66.2 (equivalent to SPF 50+). Despite the UV-blocking characteristics of sunglasses, ocular surface protection can be substantially reduced at certain solar angle and head orientation combinations; on average, 76%-89% of light was prevented from reaching the ocular surface depending on the intensity of the tint (80%-20% transmission). The data also suggest that cell damage and death of ocular surface cells has a similar profile to that of the skin, but conjunctival cells are more susceptible to UV damage.

CONCLUSION

CL-SPF is a viable metric to communicate the protection from the absorption/transmission of UV radiation that CLs offers wearers. However, a contact lens will only project the area of the ocular surface it covers, which is limited to mainly the cornea and internal eye tissues with soft CLs.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus paper on sports-related ophthalmology issues in elite sports

Vision plays an important role in an athletes' success. In sports, nearly 80% of perceptual input is visual, and eye health and sports medicine are closely intertwined fields of utmost importance to athletes. The physical nature of sports activities renders individuals more prone to various eye injuries than the general population. Ocular trauma can lead to lifelong sequelae, and impaired vision requires careful follow-up and management. Apart from injuries, athletes may also experience vision problems that can hamper their performance, including blurred vision, double vision, and light sensitivity. The interdisciplinary nature of sports medicine necessitates collaboration between sports medicine professionals and ophthalmologists. Through such collaborations, athletes can receive appropriate eye care, education on proper eye protection and guidance on adopting good eye health practices. If any inconspicuous symptoms are not detected and treated promptly, athletes may acquire systemic injuries because of defective vision, preventing them from achieving high level athletic performance in competitions. The protection of the elite athlete is the responsibility of all of us in sports medicine. To advance a more unified, evidence-informed approach to ophthalmic health assessment and management in athletes and as relevant for sports medicine physicians, the International Olympic Committee Consensus Group aims for a critical evaluation of the current state of the science and practice of ophthalmologic issues and illness in high-level sports, and present recommendations for a unified approach to this important issue.

Awareness and Knowledge of the Effect of Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation on the Eyes and the Relevant Protective Practices: A Cross-Sectional Study from Jordan

Background: Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is linked to serious adverse health effects that are cumulative in nature and affect children more than adults. UV radiation has also been reported to have serious complications for the eye, particularly in areas with a high UV radiation index. Increasing public awareness about the harmful effects of UV radiation on the eye and promoting awareness about protection against UV radiation may prevent eye disease related to UV radiation damage and help in the improvement of public health in general. This study aims to assess public awareness and knowledge of UV radiation and practices toward UV protection in Jordan, which is a country recognized as having a relatively high UV index throughout the year. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire using Google Forms^® to assess people's awareness, knowledge, practices toward eye protection from UV radiation, and the reasons for not wearing UV-protective eyeglasses in Jordan. Sociodemographic information of participants including age, gender, education level, and employment status was also acquired. People's knowledge on UV protection and harmfulness was measured via rewarding their correctly answered knowledge questions with one mark and zero for incorrectly answered questions based on key answers defined from the literature. Results: A total of 1331 participants (77% females and 23% males) with an average age of 26(±10) years completed the online questionnaire. Participants showed generally high levels of knowledge and awareness about UV radiation and its harmful effects. Nevertheless, participants showed a low level of knowledge about the link between UV radiation and some of the ocular diseases in the questionnaire. Practices toward UV radiation protection where inadequate, with 59% of the respondents reporting that they do not use any protective eyewear from natural UV radiation. The main reported reason for not wearing UV-protective sunglasses was uncertainty in the efficiency of UV protection in sunglasses, as reported by 47% of the participants who do not wear UV-protective sunglasses. Conclusions: The awareness of UV radiation and its harmful effects is high in the studied population. Participant knowledge is also relatively high in relation to nature of solar UV radiation, other synthetic sources of UV radiation, and the most dangerous UV exposure time. However, low participant knowledge was measured on the association between UV radiation with ocular disease and the role of UV-protective eyeglasses. Participant practice toward UV radiation protection was found to be insufficient. Thus, it is important to further increase the knowledge of damaging effects of solar and synthetic UV radiation and emphasize the benefits of eye protection from UV radiation. Eye care practitioners should target youth by different strategies including health campaigns, media, and clinics.