UV400 Protection

I mentioned a few days ago my need for enhanced protection against UV because my opthamologist noticed the beginning of cataracts.  It turns out that not all sunglasses are equally effective against UV.  There is actually a standard called UV400 that specifies that nothing from 400 nanometers down will get through--providing a barrier to both UV-A and UV-B radiation.  I gave up on the clip-on idea because so much light comes in around the clip-on frame.

What I found at Cabela's was a brand called Cocoons, in a form intended to fit over your prescription glasses.  These have side protection as well, to prevent light from coming in on the sides.  I guess it has been a while since I bought sunglasses, so I was a bit surprised at paying $44.95.  They seem well made, and while I don't look completely goofy wearing them, I don't look particularly cool wearing them, either.  (Not that there is much danger of me ever looking cool.)  I do try to always wear them when I am outside in daylight now--even it is looks a little odd.

The only annoyance was that when I went to buy them, they had several sizes on display.  I determined that I needed Large.  In the rack underneath, the various columns were labeled with size: M, ML, L, XL.  I grabbed a box out of the L bin, assuming that all these boxes were in fact L.  Nope.  I discovered when I got home that this was a box labeled (correctly) as ML, so I had to return them for the right size.

"What A Drag It Is Getting Old"

You may recognize that line out the Rolling Stones' song, "Mother's Little Helper."  I went to my opthamologist the other day for my annual eye exam, and she mentioned that I was beginning to develop a cataracts, one eye more than the other.  It was barely noticeable, just a slight yellowing, and not to worry--these take decades to reach a point where they require surgery or even cause substantial changes in vision.

My recollection was that cataracts are caused by radiation exposure, both ionizing radiation (gamma rays, neutrons, alpha particles) and ultraviolet light.  My opthamologist seemed unaware of the ionizing radiation connection (but no, my memory isn't faulty on this), but indicated that UV is an issue, and that I should always wear UV blocking glasses when out of doors.  This is especially so in winter, when UV reflection from the snow is a problem. 

We checked on my prescription, and discovered that I have been wearing glasses with a UV blocking coating on them for a long time--and I assure you, I always wear glasses when out of doors.  That's because my eyesight is so poor that were I venture outside my home without glasses, it would likely cause a fatal accident!  Still, I will get some clip-ons to wear when outside, and especially when blowing snow in the daytime.

I am a bit concerned that the use of steroid inhalers for my sinuses (which has been an on and off again part of treatment for my chronic vasomotor rhinitis problem for many years) might be a factor, since corticosteroids are listed as a causal factor as well.  The sinus surgery some years ago made this less necessary than it was before, but I do wonder if there's a connection--especially since the sinuses and the eyes are so close together.

The Wikipedia article makes the point that antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, should help slow cataract development--but experiments to try this theory have found them ineffective.  This study finds that a more specific antioxidant--N-acetylcarnosine--delays cataract development, but there seems to be some question how meaningful the size of the sample was.  Since this is a topically applied eyedrop, and someone is busily selling this as a product, I think I'll try and do a bit more research and ask my doctor before joining the herd.