London - They are already blamed for soaring rates of skin cancer. Now it seems that package holidays may also be damaging our eyes.
Eye specialists have warned that too much sunshine can raise the odds of a host of conditions, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration – the most common cause of sight deterioration in the elderly.
While one beach holiday is unlikely to be harmful, years of lying in the sun could eventually take their toll.
Milind Pande, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon, said: “UV radiation can play a contributory role in the development of various eye-related disorders. This is why we should take care of our eyes in the sun. I tell my patients to wear sunglasses and a hat in bright sunshine.”
Cancer experts have already attributed a sharp rise in the most deadly form of skin cancer, to the rise of cheap holiday abroad.
As well as cataracts, eye conditions linked to UV light include pinguecula, a growth of tissue on the surface of the eye. Another condition, photokeratitis, can occur when the cornea gets ‘sunburnt’ on skiing holidays.
Mr Pande, of the Vision Surgery and Research Centre, in Yorkshire, said: “The fact that people are living longer means that they have more life-time exposure to UV light and so you are likely to see more of these conditions.”
He said sun-worshippers should wear a hat and take care to buy sunglasses that have lenses that block UV light, rather than merely being tinted.
Daily Mail