Solar ultraviolet radiation is one of the causes of a series of eye diseases, including cataracts and a type of corneal inflammation (photokeratitis), which can be delayed or prevented by using UV protection, with sunglasses being the most popular accessory for this function.
However, a study published in the journal ‘Research on Biomedical Engineering’ has raised alarm bells by revealing shortcomings in this protection.
The results showed that less than 86 per cent protection may actually increase the risk to eye health because the lenses allow more UV radiation to enter the eye.
However, contrary to what has been argued in the scientific literature, this increase is not due to the dilation of the pupil caused by sunglasses, but rather to the widening of the field of vision.
The study analysed the effectiveness of 12 models of sunglasses and found that only one model met the safety limits for ultraviolet radiation exposure established by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
