Is the sun good or bad for my eyes? Both! Being outdoors is important for normal vision development, particularly for children and adolescents, where outdoor time has been shown to reduce likelihood of myopia. Importantly, this does not mean being in the sun, just being outside is protective against myopia. But, we all know the effect of ultraviolet light (UV) on our skin, and it can have ageing effects on our eyes too. Excessive UV light can cause eye surface problems like eyelid skin cancers, as well as growths on the surface of the eye called pinguecula and pterygia. Deeper in the eye, cloudiness of the lens called cataract is probably infl uenced by UV light exposure. UV is a major contributor to macular degeneration, and is second only to smoking as a causative factor. The good news is that all these problems can be prevented by wearing appropriate eyewear. Wrap sunglasses are important to protect the eye's surface. For people with macular degenaration I recommend sunglasses are worn even when the sun is low in the sky, as more UV light makes it through to the back of the eye than when the sun is overhead. Tony Ireland Evolve Optometry Shop G03, Village Centre, Batemans Bay | 4472 8080 www.evolveoptometry.com.au evolve OPTOMETRY AW7405435 Is the sun good or bad for my eyes ? Both ! Being outdoors is important for normal vision development , particularly for children and adolescents , where outdoor time has been shown to reduce likelihood of myopia . Importantly , this does not mean being in the sun , just being outside is protective against myopia . But , we all know the effect of ultraviolet light ( UV ) on our skin , and it can have ageing effects on our eyes too . Excessive UV light can cause eye surface problems like eyelid skin cancers , as well as growths on the surface of the eye called pinguecula and pterygia . Deeper in the eye , cloudiness of the lens called cataract is probably infl uenced by UV light exposure . UV is a major contributor to macular degeneration , and is second only to smoking as a causative factor . The good news is that all these problems can be prevented by wearing appropriate eyewear . Wrap sunglasses are important to protect the eye's surface . For people with macular degenaration I recommend sunglasses are worn even when the sun is low in the sky , as more UV light makes it through to the back of the eye than when the sun is overhead . Tony Ireland Evolve Optometry Shop G03 , Village Centre , Batemans Bay | 4472 8080 www.evolveoptometry.com.au evolve OPTOMETRY AW7405435