Episode 191: Cheap Sunglasses and the Eye Risks of UV Radiation

In this episode of the Aging Well Podcast, Dr. Jeff Armstrong and Corbin Bruton dive into the critical yet often overlooked topic of UV radiation's impact on our eyes. They discuss pterygium, also known as 'surfer's eye,' a condition caused by significant sun exposure that affects many outdoor enthusiasts and not just surfers. The hosts cover symptoms, prevention strategies such as wearing high-quality sunglasses, and treatment options with expert insights. Tune in to learn how to protect your vision and enjoy life outdoors safely, especially as you... age well.

"Beware of Cheap Sunglasses: The Eye Risks of UV Radiation"

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Transcript

0:05

Welcome to the Aging Well Podcast, I'm Dr. Jeff Armstrong, here with Corbin Berkley. In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into an often overlooked topic when it comes to sun exposure, the risk of UV radiation on our eyes. While most of us are aware of the importance of protecting our skin, we might not realize the potential harm UV rays can cause to our eyes. Join us as we explore pterygium, also known as surfer's eye, a condition that affects not just surfers, but anyone exposed to significant UV light. We cover its symptoms, prevention strategies, and treatment options with insights from experts. So, grab your sunglasses, just make sure they're the right kind, and tune in for our great discussion on protecting your vision while aging well.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 0:49

Most of our listeners and viewers are probably familiar with the band ZZ Top.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 0:54

ZZ Top great band from the 70s Which I assume that you listened to them in high school.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 0:59

I sure did. But it turns out they led me astray.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 1:03

how so

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 1:04

Well, according to a recent article in MedPage Today, I should not go out and get myself a pair of cheap sunglasses.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 1:10

That's your lead in today's topic. The dangers of exposing the UV radiations.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 1:16

That's right. Today, we're diving into a topic that often gets overlooked as we talk about sun exposure and UV radiation and eye condition called pterygium or surfer's eye. It's not just surfers who are at risk. Anyone with significant UV exposure can develop this condition.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 1:35

what is pterogium or surfer's eye? Gross.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 1:38

So pterygium is. common eye condition. many people aren't even aware of it, in the article by Dr. Matthew Gorski, an ophthalmologist from Northwell health in New York. He explains that pterygium is a fleshy growth that appears on the cornea and the conjunctiva of the eye.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 1:59

Okay. It's often called surfer's eye, you don't have to be a surfer to develop it

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 2:04

Now, people who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially those living near the equator, where UV rays are stronger, they're going to be at a higher risk.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 2:12

it says here, the growth starts on. the conjunctiva. That's the thin clear membrane that covers the inner surface of the eyelid and the white part of the eyeball.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 2:24

That's right. So the growth involves fibrovascular tissue that has blood vessels and fibers, the tissue that spreads over the cornea. Which is the clear front layer of the eye. as it grows, it can cause a range of symptoms. It might just be irritation, redness, the sensation of having something in your eye to more severe symptoms. if it starts to really affect the vision where you're not able to see as well.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 2:54

It sounds, super uncomfortable and it's kind of concerning because it eventually will impact someone's vision if left untreated. So let's talk about preventions. Dr. Grosky, stressed the importance of wearing sunglasses with proper UV protection. Then he pointed out that not all sunglasses are created equal and it's essential to buy them from reputable vendors to ensure you're getting the right level of UV protection. Honestly, I kind of have a new fear unlocked with this. I have cheap sunglasses all the time. When I go out to any fairgrounds or anything like that, they always have those little win a prize and I always end up just. Winning the sunglasses because in my opinion, you can't ever get enough sunglasses, but apparently you can, if they're cheap, they're doing more damage, even though you're wearing them to not have damage to your eyes. It's just gives me the heebie jeebies.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 3:52

Yeah, it's really hard to tell what sunglasses to buy. I'm cheap. I'm Scottish. I, I, I don't like to spend money, particularly in sunglasses, because if I get a good pair, I am invariably going to lose them. know, last pair of sunglasses were more expensive pair that my wife had gotten me. And when my Ford Maverick was totaled, a guy rear ended me, and I went to pick everything up from the vehicle. I. Forgot my sunglasses in the little sunglass storage thing, you know, around the rear view mirror and I'd kick myself for that, but it's like I can't go back now and get them. I don't have keys and I don't even know if the vehicle was still there by the time I realized that I left them and so I'm and I've always losing good sunglasses. If I get a good pair, they're going to get lost. so I'm a bit more hesitant to put a lot of money into sunglasses. I mostly only wear when I'm driving. And again, maybe reading this article, not only should I be wearing a hat more often to prevent skin damage, but I should be wearing, Sunglasses as well. I don't necessarily have a face for hats or glasses, or for video, let alone anything else. But, you know, wearing sunglasses, I will generally go out and buy pair. Now I try to get sunglasses. Good ones. And I do look at their UV protection, I don't necessarily want to use the cheap ones that I would get at a carnival because those are basically just colored plastic in a cheap frame and not going to give me any benefit of UV protection. That being said, I think there are brands out there that are on the cheaper side. we can buy a lot of these that are maybe knockoffs of expensive brands, and a lot of the more expensive brands are paying for a label rather than quality of the product itself. So what we really want to look at is, are we getting good UV protection for our money?

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 5:52

But what is good quality? Because I left my sunglasses this last summer, we were going out to the river and I was like, Oh no, I left my sunglasses at home, on the table. And they were just the cheap crummy ones. something that I got from, a fairground or a job fair where I just grabbed that free one. I think they were from one of the welcome to Western Oregon nights. And they were the Western Oregon university sunglasses. Anyways, I left them at home and I was like, Oh, well, you know what? We have to stop and get some, Snacks and water anyways, let's stop by 7 eleven and i'll just buy a pair there I got what appeared to be cheaper quality Sunglasses, but they were like 36 bucks So what even is good quality sunglasses these days?

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 6:44

I'm not sure of the exact ratings for UV protection, but they do have a scale, you just want to get ones that are highly rated in terms of UV protection. the frames themselves are not what's important. for me, with driving sunglasses, I don't care what they look like because I'm the only one going to see them in the rear view mirror, right? So, and I don't wear them a lot. If I'm going to wear sunglasses at the beach or, in the summertime I want something more stylish. I don't care what they look like in the car. So, I want to look at, you know, what the price is. And of course, you had a 7 Eleven or convenience store. You are going to pay a bit more for the sunglasses just for the convenience. but you can go, I mean, even in that situation, I might've stopped into, you know, here in the Midwest, we have Fred Meyer where, you know, you pull in, they sell just about everything you know, some of these, you know, Mega grocery stores that will likely have a wide range of fairly decent quality Sunglasses, we just want to get sunglasses that are going to be of good quality try and get the best quality that you can afford not everybody can afford to go out and buy Ray Bans or something like that or What are some of the other brands Oakley's? Those are Oakley's that I lost by the way in the So, you know, don't buy, you don't have to spend your entire paycheck on a pair of sunglasses, get something that just from the tag, it's, it's giving you some level of confidence that you're getting a reasonable amount of UV protection, know, and don't just grab a cheap pair that, that looks stylish. But they're cheap.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 8:25

actually got a pair at, there's they just here in Beaverton. They just added a new, I think it's REI. and I went in there, it's really expensive store, by the way. The only thing I can afford. was a pair of sunglasses. So I ended up getting two. and they were, polarized sunglasses, and I've never had polarized sunglasses before. These things are awesome. First of all, the sunset looks even more beautiful. when you go out to the lake, you can actually see down into the water. It kind of gives you superhero, vision you can see fish moving around. If I put them on my eyes inside and I look at the screen, the screen turns a black and blue. It's just, it's crazy. It's like you get to see the world from a different perspective. I've never had good quality sunglasses before.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 9:18

another thing you want to look at it for on the label that you know they have good UV protection and they're polarized is going to generally tell you they're pretty good sunglasses. Another thing to do too is to remember to keep our eyes lubricated. especially for those prone to dry eyes. if we have a very dry ocular surface that can tend to favor the growth of, a tigaria, I'm pronouncing that right. artificial tears, you know, that's a brand, but there are other brands that, Form the know the, the moisteners for the eyes. They can help keep the eyes moist and reduce irritation. I have contact, so my eyes tend to get dry over time. squirting a little bit of artificial tears or something in your eyes to help them moist and, and limit that irritation could be useful as well.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 10:07

Okay. Dr. Armstrong. So what should someone do if they start noticing these symptoms like redness, irritation, even a visible growth in their eye,

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 10:18

So the author of the article, Dr. Gorsky, recommended starting. with conservative treatments. using artificial tears, possibly anti inflammatory eyedrops. if the growth becomes persistently red and inflamed showing signs of inflammation and, damage to the eyes, and that redness starts to move towards the center of the cornea, then surgical intervention might be necessary. my recommendation is to be aware and watch for any symptoms.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 10:50

I would say one should, certainly first consider seeing their doctor. Or an eye doctor, an eye specialist, an optometrist because it says that the surgery to remove teratogums sounds relatively straightforward, doesn't it? Patients are in and out of the same day, though it does take a few weeks to fully recover.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 11:13

Yeah. So we want to try and avoid that surgery as much as possible. I strongly recommend. You know, seeing your eye doctor regularly, see really is best quality eye physician that you can. I'm very fortunate. I have good eye care I tend to go to the university of Pacific's eye clinic. you have, doctors in training and because they have all the equipment there, they will use all the equipment. I get a lot more value for my buck because they're doing a lot more tests on me. In fact, the last time I went, lady saw Something on my eye. She a little bit of cause for concern. So she was able to use this other piece of equipment to look at it a little bit more closely. it turned out to be nothing. I feel more confident coming out of there because I know I'm getting all the possible testing on my eyes and I'm going to catch something sooner than later. unfortunately I don't go to the eye doctor as frequently as I should, but it is. something that's pretty straightforward. basically the procedure just involves eye doctor delicately peeling the growth off of the eye. there are two main methods to cover the area after removal. one is, what's referred to as a conjunctival autograph. This is where the tissue from another part of the eye is used to patch the site. Another method is where they use donated amniotic membrane tissue from a placenta, and that acts as kind of a bandage as the eye heals. Kind of creative surgeries, but it seems to be a straightforward, simple thing. But again, we want to really be focused on prevention rather than having to go in for treatment.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 12:51

I don't think I've ever been queasy on a podcast episode with you before. This is just, I don't know. I'm just visually just picturing someone. Taking a scalpel and scraping. And it seems that both methods have their place, depending on the size and location of the Terragium. Importantly, even though Terragia are generally benign, The removed tissue is sent to pathology to rule out any possibility of cancer. Can you imagine eye cancer?

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 13:24

that's a good point. Although it's rare, certain cancerous growths can mimic, teragia. a good thorough clinical evaluation is essential. they might use dyes to kind of color the, the eyes so that they can detect the signs of malignancy. I believe they use a, what's referred to as a conjuctival green is the dye. So they'll inject a green dye into the eye to better detect whether it is a malignancy.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 13:53

Well, the good part is it's all about catching the conditions early, isn't it? whether it's through prevention with good quality sunglasses, or early treatment, if you notice one of the symptoms, it's always better to Be proactive with eye health. this is coming from someone who has monocular vision. I can only see out of one eye. I was born with a weak eye, so I'm really doing my due diligence to make sure that my eyes are taken care of.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 14:22

And yet you wear those cheap sunglasses.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 14:24

I didn't know if you remember back in, 2008 2009 where I used to never wear sunglasses and then all of that literature just started coming out they were like Sunglasses prevent all these things. They prevent your eyes from being burnt. It helps with UV. It allows your eyes to Stay stronger I was like, okay I guess I'm just gonna wear sunglasses when I go outside is really interesting because now That I'm, I don't know, a little older or maybe because I wear sunglasses a majority of the time I go outside. Whenever it's summertime here in the Pacific Northwest, which it rains a lot, it's cloudy a lot, but when that sun comes out, if I don't have my sunglasses, I look like Robert De Niro, just squinting all the time. I'm really sensitive to light

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 15:10

Yeah, we want to protect our eyes as well as our skin. a lot of people go overboard with sunscreen but then neglect to cover up the eyes. And regular eye exams are important, especially for those spending a lot of time outdoors.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 15:25

and summertime. I guess it kind of depends on where you live. If you live in an area like California or Miami and the sun's out all the time, it's not that big of a deal. But when you live in the Pacific Northwest or places like Canada or, Greenland, where it's kind of dark and cloudy, a good majority of the year. And that sun comes out, you're not used to it. so your skin's a little fair. that first summer day you go out and get a little red, get a little crispy. I used to never wear sunscreen I would burn the first day and then stay tan the rest of summertime. As I'm starting to age, I'm learning the importance of aging well and taking care of my skin I may not be a fan of sunscreen just because of whatever chemicals are in it. But at the same time, I also don't want to get burnt and get, have that higher risk of melanoma. So again, I'll put sunscreen on that first. Few days allow my body to get somewhat of a base tan. And then the rest of the summer, I don't, I don't really wear it cause I don't need to. I just, I can tan a little bit more.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 16:37

Well, They might. You know, when you look at like a skin care doctor, may kind of debate you a little bit on that you don't need it once you get that initial base of sun. I think we tend to, once we start getting that tan, thinking that we Are a bit more protected now and we don't have to worry about burns, but we can get burned just to ask a person of color, relatively dark skinned individual if they've ever had sunburn and they'll tell you they have, it protects us to a certain degree. But there's still that risk of damage from UV rays I'm not a big fan of sunscreens because of all the different chemicals that are in there. getting into our skin. our recent interview with Dr. Patel talking about glutathione, underscores The need to do a bit more of a topical treatment, especially in the summertime with some glutathione, to help eliminate some of that damage to deal with some of the the oxygen, the oxidative stress when we're out in the sun. But the main thing is to limit our sun exposure. Small doses fairly frequently can be better than more infrequent. Longer doses in the sun. And even more importantly, remember that we want to protect our skin, put clothing over our skin or put sunscreen on, whatever we're going to do to protect the skin, but remember, we got to protect the eyes as well. Don't wear those cheap sunglasses.

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 18:08

so speaking of skin routines, a lot of people not only put sunscreen on, they also have their own moisturizing routine, whether adding oil or lotions or whatever they do. I would assume that We would want to have somewhat of the same practice for. Eyes. And I've never really heard of this before. What do you think about part of someone's nighttime routine or skincare routine or whatever it is. They're also thrown in an eye routine and maybe thrown in some, some eyedrops as well to keep those eyes lubricated and protected.

jeff_2_09-14-2024_085139: 18:43

if you're prone to dry eyes and eye irritation, you want to be in a routine, if you can take care of that dryness before it becomes, you know, Notably dry, then it's probably going to be better than waiting. All my eyes are getting really dry. I need to put some drops in. there's other things that we can do too. I know my eye doctor has recommended for me because the glands in the eyes tend to get blocked. they recommend a hot shower or a hot compress on my eyes for that period of time in the morning, just to kind of open up those glands so that I'm going to be moisturizing the eye and I need to do that a bit more frequently, especially since I've shifted to cold showers as opposed to hot showers, but doing something like that is going to have an effect of, you know, your natural moisturizing of the eyes as well. I think the biggest thing is. If you have issues with your eyes, if you want to protect your eyes, have a good communication with your eye doctor. should you be doing? What can they prescribe for you that is going to give you the most optimal eye routine that is going to keep your eyes healthy and safe?

corbin-bruton_4_09-14-2024_085139: 19:55

So to sum this up for our listeners at home, I think the take home message here is pretty simple. We need to wear high quality sunglasses with UV protections. We need to keep our eyes lubricated and we must not ignore symptoms like redness or growth on the eyes. thank you all for tuning in. Make sure that you subscribe to the Aging Well podcast. Share this with your friends, your family, and make us a review if you found today's discussion helpful. Until next time, stay healthy and keep aging well.

20:31

Thank you for listening. I hope you benefited from today's podcast. Until next time, keep aging well.