July Is UV Safety Month: Protecting Your Vision and Advancing More Inclusive Eye Care

Protecting Our Eyes—and Our Communities

Most of us would not spend a summer day outdoors without thinking about sunscreen. Yet many people do not give the same consideration to protecting their eyes.

Ultraviolet, or UV, radiation can damage the delicate structures of the eye. That damage is often cumulative, developing gradually through years of exposure rather than from one afternoon in the sun. By the time symptoms appear, some changes may already be permanent.

At Wagner Kapoor Institute, prevention is an important part of how we care for our patients. During UV Safety Month, we are encouraging families throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and the greater Mid-Atlantic region to make eye protection part of their everyday routine.

July also gives us an opportunity to recognize Diversity and Health Equity in Eye Care Month. Protecting vision is not only about preventing disease. It is also about ensuring that every patient has access to high-quality care, innovative treatments, and clinical research that reflects the communities we serve.

How UV Exposure Can Affect Your Eyes

The sun can injure the eyes in much the same way it can injure the skin. UV exposure may contribute to both immediate irritation and long-term eye disease—even when the weather is cloudy or the temperature feels mild.

Over time, UV exposure may increase the risk of:

• Cataracts
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Photokeratitis, sometimes called a corneal sunburn
• Pinguecula and pterygium, which are growths on the surface of the eye
• Certain cancers involving the eye and surrounding tissues

A single period of intense exposure can cause discomfort, redness, tearing, and sensitivity to light. More commonly, however, the damage develops quietly through repeated exposure over many years.

This is why UV protection should not be viewed as a seasonal recommendation. It is a lifelong investment in your vision.

Who Faces the Greatest Risk?

UV protection is important for everyone, but certain individuals may experience greater exposure or increased vulnerability.

Higher-risk groups include:

• Outdoor workers
• Athletes, boaters, fishermen, and others who spend extended time outside
• Children and teenagers
• People with light-colored eyes
• Individuals taking medications that increase sensitivity to sunlight
• Patients who have undergone certain eye procedures
• People living in sunny or coastal regions, including Virginia and North Carolina

Children deserve particular attention. Their eyes are still developing, and they may spend many hours outside without consistent protection. Establishing healthy habits early can help protect their vision for decades to come.

Living near the coast can also increase exposure because sunlight reflects off water, sand, pavement, and other bright surfaces. Even when you are sitting beneath an umbrella or wearing a hat, reflected UV rays can still reach the eyes.

Five Ways to Protect Your Eyes from UV Damage

1. Choose sunglasses with complete UV protection

Look for sunglasses labeled “100% UVA and UVB protection” or “UV400.” The darkness, color, or price of the lenses does not determine how well they block UV radiation.

A properly labeled, affordable pair of sunglasses can provide excellent protection.

2. Consider wraparound frames

Wraparound sunglasses or frames with larger lenses can help limit sunlight entering from the sides. This is especially beneficial when spending time near water, at the beach, on a boat, or participating in outdoor sports.

3. Wear a wide-brimmed hat

A hat provides an additional physical barrier against direct sunlight. It should complement—not replace—UV-blocking sunglasses.

4. Use UV-blocking contact lenses when appropriate

Some contact lenses provide additional UV protection. However, they do not cover the entire eye or surrounding tissues and should not be used as a substitute for sunglasses.

Your eye care provider can help determine whether UV-blocking contact lenses are appropriate for you.

5. Schedule regular comprehensive eye examinations

Many eye diseases develop before a patient notices changes in vision. A comprehensive examination allows us to identify early abnormalities, assess individual risk factors, and recommend protective strategies based on each patient’s needs.

The best time to protect your vision is before a problem develops.

Why Inclusive Eye Care Matters

Prevention and early detection are only effective when patients can access them.

Certain eye diseases do not affect every population equally. Glaucoma, for example, disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic communities and may occur earlier or progress more aggressively in some patients. Diabetic eye disease also places a significant burden on communities that already experience barriers to preventive care and treatment.

Despite these disparities, many populations have historically been underrepresented in the clinical trials used to evaluate new medications, technologies, and treatment approaches.

That creates an important question: How can we be confident that tomorrow’s treatments will serve every community if today’s research does not adequately represent them?

At Wagner Kapoor Institute, we believe innovation must include access. It must also include representation.

Advancing Inclusive Research at Wagner Kapoor Institute

Wagner Kapoor Institute is proud to participate in the Advancing Inclusive Research, or AIR, Site Alliance, a national initiative developed in partnership with Genentech.

The AIR Site Alliance brings research organizations together to identify and reduce the barriers that prevent many patients from participating in clinical research.

This work includes:

• Providing accessible and multilingual education about clinical trials
• Helping healthcare professionals recognize and reduce unconscious bias
• Designing research programs with inclusion in mind
• Addressing transportation and logistical barriers
• Connecting patients and communities with research opportunities
• Encouraging collaboration through regional health equity initiatives

Clinical research should not feel reserved for a select group of patients or available only to those who live near a major academic center.

Patients deserve to understand their options. They deserve to know what participation involves. They deserve the opportunity to contribute to advances that may shape care for future generations.

Our responsibility is to make those opportunities easier to understand and more accessible.

Protection and Progress

This July, I encourage you to take two meaningful steps.

First, protect your eyes. Wear sunglasses that provide complete UVA and UVB protection, use a wide-brimmed hat, teach children to protect their eyes, and remain consistent throughout the year.

Second, support a more inclusive future for eye care. Ask questions about clinical research. Learn whether opportunities are available for you or someone you care about. Choose healthcare organizations that are working not only to treat today’s diseases but also to improve how tomorrow’s treatments are developed.

At Wagner Kapoor Institute, we do more than treat vision. We work to preserve it, study it, and expand access to the innovations that may transform it.

To learn more about clinical research opportunities at Wagner Kapoor Institute, call our clinical research team at 757-271-3346.

Author

Kapil G. Kapoor, MD, FACS, FICS, FASRS Dr. Kapil G. Kapoor, is a board certified ophthalmologist specializing in vitreoretinal surgery. He is Co-Founder and President of the Wagner Kapoor Research Institute which has been actively engaged in over 75 clinical trials, often one of the only sites in the region offering sight-saving treatment. He has been passionately involved in ophthalmology research as part of his mission to deliver the best care possible to his patients. With over a decade’s experience in the field, Dr. Kapoor is a progressive leader in the healthcare space.