Ocular risks from sunlight exposure

Relinquishing the desire to acquire a tan will be difficult for many people. To many individuals, a tan is a symbol of health, fashion and attractiveness. Even when informed about the risks of sunlight exposure, many people ignore the advice to change their behaviors and decrease their risks. Adoption of safe sunlight precautions depends on individual preference, age, work requirements, gender, and perception of personal risk. Many people selectively adhere to certain protective behaviors which do not conflict with social norms. Reinforcement of how sunlight can damage the eyes and skin needs to be continually provided so that public attitudes can adapt to all the necessary appropriate behaviors. Ophthalmic health care professionals have an important part in public education. They can customize their patient's personal protective requirements to match the type of risks uncovered in the clinical work up. The ocular and social history should include the patient's sunlight exposure risk profile and document pre-existing sunlight damage to the eyes and facial areas. All follow-up visits should reinforce sunlight exposure information and document compliance or non-compliance. Only in this way can the eye care delivery system support preventative measures to decrease ocular injuries from sunlight radiation.