alarm-ringing ambulance angle2 archive arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-up at-sign baby baby2 bag binoculars book-open book2 bookmark2 bubble calendar-check calendar-empty camera2 cart chart-growth check chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up circle-minus circle city clapboard-play clipboard-empty clipboard-text clock clock2 cloud-download cloud-windy cloud clubs cog cross crown cube youtube diamond4 diamonds drop-crossed drop2 earth ellipsis envelope-open envelope exclamation eye-dropper eye facebook file-empty fire flag2 flare foursquare gift glasses google graph hammer-wrench heart-pulse heart home instagram joystick lamp layers lifebuoy link linkedin list lock magic-wand map-marker map medal-empty menu microscope minus moon mustache-glasses paper-plane paperclip papers pen pencil pie-chart pinterest plus-circle plus power printer pushpin question rain reading receipt recycle reminder sad shield-check smartphone smile soccer spades speed-medium spotlights star-empty star-half star store sun-glasses sun tag telephone thumbs-down thumbs-up tree tumblr twitter tiktok wechat user users wheelchair write yelp youtube

Indoor Tanning Is Gambling With Your Vision

Indoor tanning beds are infamous for their dangerous effects on skin. What most people don’t realize is that the very thing in tanning beds that causes skin cancer (ultraviolet radiation) can also damage your vision.

Indoor Tanning Is Risky Business

Indoor tanning initially gained its popularity as an easy way to maintain that bronze glow many seek to develop during the summer months. Awareness of how dangerous tanning beds are, however, did not catch on as fast as the beds themselves. Ultraviolet rays produced by the lamps in tanning beds present serious health risks. In fact, people who use indoor tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never used them.

Unfortunately, few people make the effort to protect their skin while indoor tanning, let alone their eyes.

The Effects Indoor Tanning Beds Have on Eyes

Indoor tanning beds pose a more serious threat to health than we may realize. Recently, a group of eye doctors and other medical professionals highlighted the World Health Organization’s classification of tanning beds as a Group 1 carcinogenic to humans—the highest cancer risk category.

[iframe https://www.youtube.com/embed/S2G0UhY2IOo?rel=0 620 349]

Immediate effects of direct and/or prolonged UV exposure to the eyes are cataracts and photokeratitis. Photokeratitis is similar to a sunburn of the cornea and surrounding portions of the eye—including the lining of our eyelids. This painful condition can result in eyelid twitches, constricted pupils, tearing, and many other uncomfortable symptoms.

We Care About Protecting Your Vision

Whether you enjoy laying out on the beach or you prefer visiting the tanning salon from time to time, it’s important to take the necessary steps to protect your vision health. As your lifelong vision partner, we are committed to protecting your vision and whole body health so you can continue to enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle. If you have any questions or you’d like to learn more about the harmful effects of indoor tanning, schedule an appointment with us or leave a comment below!

Thank you for your valued friendship and continued trust in our practice!

Top image by Flickr user Hank Hession used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.