Could wearing sunglasses help reduce the risk of eyelid cancer?

New research has revealed that there is a rising rate of eye squamous cell carcinoma found in both men and women located in the UK. This serves as yet another reminder of the need to wear sunglasses to help reduce the risk of eyelid cancer.

The findings have been published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology and have stated that there were 4022 cases of eyelid squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in England between 2000 and 2014, with men twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with the disease.

The rates of eyelid SCC rose by 2% each year between 2000 and 2014, with the risk of developing eyelid cancer doubling for men and women every decade beyond the age of 60.

The study found that people in areas of deprivation were no more likely to be diagnosed with the form of cancer than those in affluent areas.

Reasons behind the gender disparity have proved to be inconclusive but one factor that may help to protect against the risk of developing eyelid cancer is to wear sunglasses when venturing out into the sun.

The sun’s UV radiation can be very damaging to both the inside and external eyes, particularly to those of us with paler eye colours. This is because the pigment in our iris (eye colour) protects the eye by cutting out the light, in the same way that pigment in darker skins protects our skin burning so easily.

For your protection only wear sunglasses displaying the CE kite mark and guaranteeing to absorb all UV up to 400nm.

People who wear glasses can wear sunglasses too. They can be specifically made up to any prescription: distance, reading, bifocals or varifocals.

Harmful UV exposure is cumulative and may not show its effect for many years. Long-term UV exposure to the eyes causes eyelid cancer and other eye related conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

If you would like to treat yourself to a new pair of sunglasses Lesley Cree Opticians and Sunnies Designer Sunglasses are hosting a joint sunglasses sale open day on Saturday April 21st between 1pm and 4pm to promote the importance of wearing eye protection in sunny conditions.