93% of Brits unaware of the irreversible damage UV rays can cause to their eyes...

When it comes to staying safe in the sun, most of us know how to look after our skin.  The thing we’re not so hot on is protecting our eyes as only 7% of us realise the potential damage to them from UV rays.

Once the damage is done it can be irreversible and given that our eyes are exposed to high amounts of UV even on cloudy days, it’s worrying that so few people are aware of the risks.  According to eye care specialists Transitions Optical, children are especially vulnerable to the effects as their eyes receive three times more UV light than adults.

To offer advice and information on keeping your peepers and those of your family in tip top condition over the summer, we’re hosting a live webchat with Rosie Gavzey from the Eyecare Trust and ‘10 Years Younger’ presenter Nicky Hambleton-Jones. 

Rosie will be offering up expert eye care advice and explaining what happens to our eyes when exposed to harmful UV rays.  Nicky is going to be telling us what eye care options will look the best and will be giving us a sneaky peek of her ‘Specs Appeal’ guide for summer 2008. 

So to make sure you and your family stay safe and look great this summer - log-on to our webchat and submit your questions to our special guests.

For more information visit www.transitions.com

H: Jayne Constantinis, host
R: Rosie Gavzey, Eyecare Trust
N: Nicky Hambleton-Jones

H: Hello and welcome the Lifestyle Show, I’m Jayne Constantinis.  Now, when it comes to staying safe in the sun, most of us know how to look after our skin these days.  The thing we’re not so hot on is protecting our eyes.  Hardly any of us realise the potential damage to them from UV rays.  Once the damage is done it can be irreversible and given that our eyes are exposed to large amounts of UV even on cloudy days, it’s worrying that so few people – me included - are aware of the risks.  Well to offer advice and information on keeping your peepers and those of your family in tip top condition over the summer, we’re joined today by Rosie Gavzey from the Eyecare Trust and ‘10 Years Younger’ presenter Nicky Hambleton-Jones. Thank you very much for coming in to talk to me, and of course it’s a live show so if you’ve got questions, put them in the box on the screen, send them to us with your name of course and we’ll get through as many as we can in the course of the show.  Now Rosie, how can it be that so few of us understand this very simple concept that the sun damages our eyes?

R: Well I think that a lot of people understand abut sun and skin and melanomas, and a lot of that is to do with the fact that the government over the last couple of years has spent a great deal of money and time and effort in making us aware, but something like 93% in a recent survey sponsored by Transitions were not aware that UV had any effect on your eyes at all, and the 7% who did were mainly people who wore spectacles and had been to see their optometrist and had some advice 

H: Aah yes.  So without giving us too much of a science lesson, and we’ve already got a question in here from Margaret Stuart-Baxter, what are the effects of UV rays on the eyes?  What damage do they actually do?

R: Well ultra violet isn’t very good for your eyes anyway, and it’s cumulative which means it accumulates in your body over a period of time, and what we know is that children are much more susceptible to UV damage than later on, and about half of their lifetime’s UV exposure is absorbed by the time a child is 18, so if you have any parents who are watching, make sure that their children have decent sunglasses, because later on you can get – you may have heard of macular degeneration, or cataracts, and they are often a late consequence of having too much exposure to UV in an earlier period

H: Ok.  Nicky, you’re single-handedly responsible for making glasses cool in a way that they never used to be – what’s your perspective, what’s your viewpoint in how we can protect our eyes?

N: Well you know these days you get things called photochromic lenses now, when I say lenses that change colour everyone looks at me with horror –

H: Photochromic, is that the word?

N: They’re called photochromic, but everyone has visions of the old days –

H: Right ok

N: Where your glasses were permanently tinted

H: Oh yes

N: It was nasty

H: So naff, so naff yes

N: Whereas nowadays technology has moved on and all my glasses had these photochromic lenses in them

H: Ok

N: Which you wouldn’t tell because they’re completely clear when you’re indoors, and the minute you walk outdoors they adjust depending on the level of UV in the atmosphere.  Now what I’ll do is I’ve got a UV lamp here and I’m just going to put it on so you can see just how dark they go because I don’t think people really realise the tint that you get, it actually makes them look quite cool, almost like sunglasses

H: Yes

N: Where you’re getting – they block 100% of UV rays

H: Ok

N: What’s fantastic is if you are a glasses wearer, on a cloudy day like today you’re not naturally thinking you know what I must pop my sunglasses in my bag.  And also you’re constantly changing which is a real hassle, and the great thing about these is that you don’t have to worry about it, it’s almost like wearing sun protection in your moisturiser, you’re covered no matter what the weather

H: And how quickly do they change, I mean I’m watching that under there, but when you particularly when you come back in to ordinary, you know inside

N: Yes

H: That is when those old ones in the 70s used to be so naff because you’re left with the sunglasses look for so long

N: I’ll just show you these, they’ve now changed, I mean you can see you dark they’ve got, look at that

H: Yes

N: It’s really dark, almost like a sunglass.  And these take a couple of minutes and they change back to ordinary, and again the technology is moving on faster and faster so you know it’s getting better and better so soon it will be completely instant

H: So they will offer will they now, from your perspective, a 100% protection?

R: What you’re looking for with any glasses is 100% UVA and B blocking.  Certainly more than 99% and that’s what all the photochromics offer.  If you have people who are going skiing or something like that then they need something that’s a little bit darker, and that’s to do with the high altitude and the you know the UV is even brighter and it’s UVC up there rather than UVA and B.  But if you’re down on the sea shore or you’re out and about this is absolutely excellent for that

H: Ok.  I’m already feeling a little bit confused about what I should be looking for when I go to buy my next pair of either glasses or sunglasses – try and simplify it for me please!

R: You’re looking for a CE Marking or a British Standards marking

H: Right

R: If you have that on the lens or – and the tag that says 100% UVA and B, that’s what you’re looking for and that’s your assurity

N: And the great thing is I’ve put together the specs appeal guide to help people you know things to look out for when you’re choosing a great pair of frames, but also things to think about your lenses, they’re not just there to correct your vision, they are there to protect your eyes, and so lots of hot tips on the types of lenses you might need that match your lifestyle, perhaps you’re sitting in front of a computer for long hours, perhaps you’ve got a lifestyle that’s outside and very sporty, you know so there’s all different – you know maybe you drive a lot

H: Yes

N: And there’s different lenses not just photochrome but other lenses as well that will reduce glare and reduce eye fatigue and also protect your eyes from UV rays

H: And also I know you talk about the shape because I had a problem once with a pair of sunglasses where the light actually because they were low down, they sat low, the light came in and actually burned my eyes, this was skiing

R: That’s why you want the lovely wrap around things for that kind of thing, much better

H: Exactly that yes and that – obviously more important is the way we look but –

N: And also don’t forget when there’s glare you squint, and if you’re doing that all the time you’re going to get crow’s feet.  So actually by actually being prepared and wearing a great pair of sunglasses or having photochromic lenses, it’s going to stop the squinting and keep those crow feet at bay for longer.

H: Absolutely, 10 Years Younger – by the end of the program, I’m sure I will be!  We’ve got a – talking about fashion, Joanna has sent in a comment. She wears very strong glasses and finds it difficult to find something fashionable with UV protection – any advice?

N: Strong as in strong lenses?

R: Prescription

H: I think she means prescription yes

N: Ah right

R: Well you can get high index lenses, and the high index lenses are the thinner ones and they come in the photochromics, so she should be able to get both of those.  But if you add to that the anti-reflective coating which will cut down those power rings that you often get with people with high prescription, then the whole look is much better

N: I mean my prescription is incredibly high because I’ve got a very high stigmatism and when you see the raw lens it’s literally about this thick on the sides, but because it’s got all the anti-reflective coatings and bits and pieces that Rosie mentioned, when it’s cut down to size it actually means you’ve got a lot more flexibility with the frames you wear

H: The technology has moved on hasn’t it astonishingly?

N: Absolutely

H: And for people who probably don’t buy a new pair of glasses as often as they should and just kind of struggle on with the same old pair, it’s quite a shock when you go and see what’s available, isn’t it? And how sophisticated you can be

N: Yes

H: In your choices

N: And also to give people – you don’t just have to have one pair any more, you know people used to invest in one pair and had to go with everything, whereas now you can have colours, shapes and something for different occasions, and it’s a fun thing, it’s a great accessory to have

H: And especially for children actually

N: Absolutely

H: Because gone are the days – sorry

R: I was just going to say people always used to – certainly when I was a kid it was always thought that kids didn’t need sun specs certainly, and you didn’t worry about that, it was only the adults that do, and now as you said before you can get really trendy little specs for kids, but the one thing I just wanted to be wary of was the toy sun specs because just make sure they – as we said before – that they’ve got the CE marking on them, because toy sun specs that you might get off a market that haven’t got those could actually be worse than nothing because they cut down the light so the pupils dilate – that’s the hole in the centre of the eye – so you get more of the UV light coming in than otherwise

H: I need to go home very quickly and get all of those toy sunglasses for my 3 year old in the bin! Charlie has sent a comment in – she has a very round face – this is a very specific question – and finds it hard to find something that suits her – what – actually I’m assuming Charlie is a girl.  What would you recommend?  Or even if Charlie’s a boy, what would you recommend for him?

N: Well I always think the easy way to go about this is you want to go the complete opposite, so if you’ve got a round face you want to go for more angular glasses, so something like this, or some of these ones maybe, they’re basically extend the face outwards a bit, you know and create length horizontally rather than – which completely counteracts the roundness of a face.  You want to avoid oval shapes or round glasses that would just accentuate the roundness of a face.  And it’s great because the angular shapes are very in fashion

H: Great, well done.  I want to just pick up on something that Susan from Manchester has said here. She says “I’ve got medium olive skin, don’t burn easily.  Eyes are brown” – does that mean her eyes are also better protected –

R: No

H: From the sun?

R: No, this is an old wives’ tale and it’s the obverse of saying you have blue eyes, are you more sensitive, not at all, all of us – and there is a condition called albinism, albinos, you’ve seen their eyes shake, and those are the unfortunate people where the colour of their eyes is a symptom and is a sign of being particularly sensitive, but all of us have exactly the same sensitivity

H: Right

R: And susceptibility to UV damage, so whether you’re brown eyed or blue eyed, you need to have your protection and your sunglasses

N: It’s the same with your skin, you know people who are pale are more aware, but people who have darker skin can still get UV damage, but they think oh I tan easily, I don’t have to worry about it – you do

H: And what can happen?  What are the effects of UV damage on the eye?  Or how would you know if you’d got it – what would you look out for?>

R: Well some of the acute things, if you’re on the beach too long without sunglasses, or you ski without sunglasses, you get something called photokeratitis where you – that’s inflammation of the cornea, you get nice swollen red eyes, swollen lids, lots of tears and it hurts, and that recovers over the next couple of days and that’s short term.  But over the long term, as we said before, it’s cataract, it’s macular degeneration later on, and something called a pterygium, which is a sort of, an inflammation of the – you know the white of the eye

H: Oh yes

R: And people who live in hot countries, particularly or they’re out on boats or on the beach or whatever a lot, they’re more susceptible to that

H: Interesting point made here by Wilma which I’m curious about because I wear contact lenses – can you get contact lenses that protect your eyes?

R: Well most contact lenses today have some UV blocking element to them, so you wear those with the sunglasses, and that’s very useful

H: Just elaborate a little bit more because I’ve forgotten the word already about the lenses that change –

N: Photochromic?

H: Photochromic, yes I need to have that imprinted some way

N: Let me show you another one, I’ve got – there’s black and there’s brown, so this is a black photochromic so it goes – you know I’ve shown you the brown one and it goes black or grey, and you can actually – what I do is choose my – the colour of my photochromic lens according to the frame, so for instance this one will suit a brown photochromic as you saw

H: Yes, yes

N: These ones I’ve got brown because brown and red’s more complimentary than black, but my purple ones I’ve got black photochromics in it, so you know always think about the overall look you’re trying to achieve and –

H: Yes

N: Choosing the colour of the photochromics to match the colour of the frame as well, works really well

H: Excellent. And there’ll be somebody presumably where we’re buying them to advise us on how to put the look together?

N: Absolutely, there you go you see these are fully done –

H: Yes I can see that

N: With the black and it looks really cool doesn’t it?

H: Yes very cool

N: I think that the problem is that because optometrists – so many – when someone goes into the optometrist they’re so focused on the frame and as I correct my vision and put anything in, put a lens in – and they don’t ask enough questions and so what we’re trying to educate people is don’t just focus on the frame, focus on the lenses and make sure they protect your eyes, but also correct your vision at the same time, and ask if your optometrist isn’t giving you the information, question, ask

H: Yes.  Now we’ve talked a lot about eye health if you like from the outside.  What about from the inside? What should we be eating to keep our eyes as healthy as possible (apart from carrots) – that’s not right

R: No carrots are great, carrots are very good

H: Are they?

R: Because that’s vitamin A and carotene which is really important.  Actually that’s a really interesting question, because it used to be thought that actually food had really got nothing to do with your eyes, but actually over the last few years, there is good evidence to show that because you have a lot of UV damage causes all these free radicals which we don’t like, so you want foods with antioxidants, so green, leafy vegetables, oily fish, omega 3’s, that’s very good.  The dark red currants, bilberries, cranberries, that kind of thing, these are all very good for your maculars.  And people who have got macular degeneration are often advised by their consultant ophthalmologist to enrich their diet in these areas, just to help

H: Yes.  So we should really be, I mean we’re always encouraging our children to eat those leafy green vegetables, in fact sometimes bribing them, but anyway!  So there are some very tangible benefits –

R: Absolutely

N: Yes definitely that’s a good start, making sure you’ve got dairy, a bit of cheese, a bit of eggs, eggs are a great source of vitamin A, and then also your yellow vegetables and your dark you know blue fruits and things like Rosie was saying.  If you’ve got an element of that in your diet you’re going to be getting enough vitamin A and beta carotene

H: When should you think about having a child’s eyes tested?   I mean should you be doing that as a matter of course or –

R: As a matter of course, as soon as.  I mean there is a saying for all parents – after 8 it’s too late, and that means that if you have a child that has a squint or a lazy eye, you need to get it sorted before they’re 8.  And it used to be, when we were children, you’d have your eyes checked by the nurse at school, and all of that has stopped now, so they have their eyes checked maybe once at the beginning of their school life and not thereafter, so I mean the rule of thumb is please, all parents you take your children to have their eyes examined before they’re 5 and if – mother’s are the best people because they will notice if a child has a squint, you know one eye goes in when it’s tired, and even – it doesn’t matter how old they are, even if it’s before they’re one or two, take them and get them sorted, so that you get them up to standard by the time they’re 8

H: That’s very interesting because I know about getting them to the dentist pretty early on, but I’ve never been told to take my daughter for an eye test.  I’m clearly a very bad mother!

N: She’s 3 now right?

H: She’s 3 yes

N: You have time

H: I’m alright

R: Take her, take her

H: Yes I will

R: Absolutely take her

H: And should she need glasses, can we get these funky lenses in children’s glasses too?

R: Yes you can, you can

N: Absolutely

R: And you get – you know that eye examinations for kids, up to the age of 16, up to the age of 19 in full time education, they’re entitled to an NHS eye test anywhere so your eye test doesn’t cost you, and if they need spectacles they get a voucher towards lenses, and that will cover the basic lenses.  Now the transitions or photochromic lenses are a little bit more expensive but they would – the voucher would go towards the cost

H: Ah ok

R: So that would help

N: They’re more expensive but prevent irreversible damage later on in life so you can’t replace – you can never go back on bad eyesight

H: You can’t go back, no no

N: Can you so –

H: And of course if there is still a stigma isn’t there attached to a child wearing glasses, I think they still feel it

N: I think it’s changing

H: I’m sure it’s changing, Harry Potter for example

R: You took the words out – Harry Potter and there are Beano and if you have a look at the kids’ frames there are all sorts of X Men and all sorts of things that are really quite trendy and kids like them

H: Yes that would –

R: Even Barbie for the girls and different things for the boys

H: Yes

R: Lots of them

H: So Nicky just tell us a little bit more about your specs appeal guide, you had a winter one and now this is the summer range if you like

N: This is the summer one, and just updated with some hot tips on what to wear this summer as well as things you need to think about in summer, we’re coming up to the longest day of the year aren’t we, so we’re going to have more UV than we would normally have in the year, so in summers when you really need to be extra UV aware and not just as I say on bright, sunny days, so things that you need to think about and also you know, when it comes to choosing frames, don’t play it safe, tips on how to choose a frame that suits your face but perhaps try and encourage people to perhaps take that leap into something a little bit more daring, a little bit more exciting, rather than just going down the boring old safe route that’s going to go with every single outfit

H: Yes.  And of course there’ll be a tip there on how to look 10 Years Younger immediately

N: Absolutely

H: Is that to wear dark glasses?

N: Absolutely not

H: Depending on how wrinkled one’s eyes are from squinting!

N: Prevention is everything right?

H: Absolutely.  Rosie just tell us about the information – I think parents are going to want to know a little bit more about safety for children, tell us a little bit about the resource that you have on the website

R: Well there is a website called The Eyecare Trust and that will give you lots of fact sheets, the website is eye-caretrust.org.uk and there are fact sheets on ultra violet light, on children’s eyes and all of the other things that we’ve been speaking of this afternoon

H: Great

N: Or you can go to transitions.com where they’ve got a ~UV index so you can go on and have a look and see what the UV’s like and see whether you actually need to take a pair of sunglasses with you if you don’t actually wear normal glasses, or just make sure you need to get some photochromic lenses

H: Fantastic, great.  Two good websites for us to have a look at later.  Thank you very much

R: You’re welcome

H: Very interesting to talk to you, I’m rushing home now to chuck all my daughter’s sunglasses away!  Thanks for that, I hope you’ve enjoyed our chat and see you again before too long. Bye for now

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