Tanning Beds and Eye Damage: What You Need to Know

A tanning bed or sun bed is a device structured with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in order to acquire a suntan. Tanning beds emit 2 types of UV radiation, UVA and UVB rays. In general, tanning beds predominantly emit UVA radiation. However, in recent years, tanning beds are manufactured in such a way as to produce the same effects of the solar spectrum, which in turn produces higher levels of UVB rays. From an industrial point of view, this speeds up the tanning Process.

The cornea and lens of the eye absorb UV radiation. Exposure to sunlight activates the natural defense mechanism of the eye, such as constriction of the pupil and minimizes squint reflex, the penetration of sunlight into the eyes. If a person who is ultraviolet radiation under controlled conditions, such as a solarium is exposed, the body responds in a way that the defense mechanism of the eyes will be minimal, so what to photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis.Photokeratitis is an inflammation of the cornea and photoconjunctivitis an inflammation of the conjunctiva. In the lead exposure to UVB could arc-eye, and snow blindness, are the extreme forms of photokeratitis. Research shows that UV radiation on the eye 100 times higher than outside the solarium in the sun. Thus, increased exposure to UVB increases the risk of developing certain types of cataracts. This leads to untangle the proteins in the eye lens, the mazeand accumulate pigments and may eventually lead to blindness. The risk that happening this reduces to 40% when the exposure to UVB eyepiece halved. Over exposure may also cause other eye problems such as pterygium, and macular degeneration. Pterygium tissue growth on the white part of the eye and macular degeneration is damage to the retina.

UV radiation is a well-established human carcinogen, so that the probability of malignant melanoma of the eye can not be excluded. Wear eyeGlasses or with closed eyes will not be enough to keep it.