Sunglasses for preventing age-related macular degeneration

A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology assessed the cause and effect relationship between prolonged exposure to the sun and the onset of ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, a disorder that is the result of a deterioration in the structure of the eye required for correct central vision.

Senile macular degeneration is mainly a process of aging, although some patients could also be genetically vulnerable. The disease occurs most frequently after the age of 50, with higher frequency in older people.

The article gives the results of part of the Beaver Dam Eye Study, a 10-year research which analyzed the eyes of 3,684 people after 5 years of exposure to the sun, and of 2,764 people after 10 years. It emerged that more than 5 hours a day exposure by adolescents and young adults is associated with a higher risk of developing macular degeneration.

By always wearing sunglasses and a hat when in the sun for long periods, the risk of developing the disease seems to be considerably reduced. 'I believe that our study is the first to show that there is a connection between exposure to sunlight by very young people and the onset of aged-linked macular degeneration', commented Ronald Klein of the University of Wisconsin Medical School.