TOO Much Early Sun Exposure Linked to Later Eye Problems

Results from a recent study reveal that people spending more than five hours daily outside during the summer have an increased risk of developing early age-related retina damage that can lead to vision loss.

According to researcher Karen Cruickshanks and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin at Madison “exposure to bright sunlight may be a risk factor for early age-related maculopathy [early stage of macular degeneration showing a thickening of the retina and possible white spots on the retina].” Early maculopathy doesn’t necessarily progress to macular degeneration (AMD). However, a person who has maculopathy is more prone to having loss of vision.

These findings were based on questionnaires and examinations — given five years apart — to 3,684 residents of Beaver Dam, Wis., between the ages of 43 and 84. For a sampling of lifestyle habits of the participants, questions were asked about their sunlight exposure in their youth and as young adults.

“Compared with adults who’d spent less than two hours daily in the sun, adults who recalled having spent five or more hours per day outdoors in the summertime as teens or in their 30s were more than twice as likely to have developed age-related maculopathy during the five-year followup.”

The study also showed that wearing hats and sunglasses only showed a slightly lower chance in developing age-related maculopathy.

According to Cruickshanks, the findings suggest that “sunlight was a factor, though other unmeasured life style differences might also explain the difference in risk for eye damage” (Sources: Associated Press,  February 2001; Archives of Ophthalmology, February 2001).

The Visionary, published as a service of the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness,
is available upon request. The information contained in this issue,
taken from sources considered to be accurate,
does not replace the need for professional eye care consultations and treatments.

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