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July 18, 2003
July is Eye Injury Prevention
Month:
Eye care and screening tips from the
Intercollegiate College of Nursing
Look cool in shades! Sunlight is
the largest form of ultraviolet radiation. These
rays can lead to major eye damage, just like
sunburns can lead to skin cancer. Find a pair of
stylish sunglasses and protect your eyes at the
same time. Before buying your sunglasses,
remember that rated sunglasses with UV protection
are the only glasses that will protect against
sun damage. Often, when the eye is over-exposed
to sunlight, conditions such as photokeratitis
can occur, which is an actual burn on the corneal
surface. Sunglasses protect the layers in your
eye, helping to prevent exposure to many harmful
rays.
According to Margaret Bruya, assistant dean for
academic health services, professor and
co-founder of People's Clinic for the
Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of
Nursing, artificial UV rays from tanning beds and
other sources can lead to the same kind of eye
damage. The best way to prevent photokeratitis,
cataracts, and other types of eye damage caused
by the sun is to wear sunglasses and stay away
from tanning beds and other sources of artificial
rays. For assistance in reaching Bruya, bruyam@wsu.edu,
contact Susan Nielsen, College of Nursing
communication director, at (509) 991-9151,
susann@wsu.edu, or
Celise Varnedore, College of Nursing
communication intern, at (509) 324-7218, intern@mail.wsu.edu.
Put a Hat On! Protect your head
from sun and heat stroke by wearing a hat or
visor.
Hats are one of the oldest and affordable ways to
prevent exposure to the sun. Forty years ago,
people would not have thought to go out without a
hat. Wearing a hat can reduce over 50 percent of
UV radiation from reaching your face. Wide
brimmed hats offer the best protection for your
face, head, neck and ears. Baseball hats can
help, but do not provide adequate protection for
your whole face. The neck is the area of the body
directly connected to the brain’s
temperature regulation system. Therefore, any
hats protecting the nape of the neck combat heat
stroke.
Margaret Bruya, assistant dean for academic
health services, professor and co-founder of
People's Clinic for the Intercollegiate College
of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing, says wearing
sunscreen and a hat will reduce UV radiation to
the face to almost zero. For further information
on contacting Bruya, bruyam@wsu.edu,
contact Susan Nielsen, College of Nursing
communication director, at (509) 991-9151,
susann@wsu.edu, or
Celise Varnedore, College of Nursing
communication intern, at (509) 324-7218, intern@mail.wsu.edu.
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