Can the scorching sun hamper your eyesight? Do your sunglasses only offer you a little comfort or more?

Exposure to the ultraviolet ray in the sharp sun is actually bad for your vision.

According to research, pterygium, a tissue growth on the cornea of the eye, is frequent with people working in the middle of the day in blazing sun.

Fishermen, farmers, surfers, skiers are more affected by the disease. Sunlight refracted on the river, sea, vast landscapes of ice harms the vision.

Snow blindness has been named after the condition of ultraviolet ray refracted on the snow harming the eye and causing permanent damage.

The UV ray is also held responsible for cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and a number of other problems.

Children are more affected by the UV ray as they play in the sun and often try to look directly to the sun.

The World Health Organisation said by their twenty, people face 80 per cent of the total UV ray they are exposed to in the whole life span.

Sunglasses are therefore essential, especially for children.

Sunglasses should be kept during your tours at valley of sands, sea and river, ice-covered fields as risk is higher at such locations.

In the sharp sun, especially in the midday, black sunglasses along with wide-brimmed hat or umbrella are good.

Prevent children staring directly at the sun. Elderly people used to say don’t look at the sun during an eclipse.  Actually, the sun produces more UV ray during the eclipse and your vision may get permanently damaged. The problem is called solar retinopathy.

Sunglasses that block the UV ray are common in the market. These sunglasses cover the sides of the eyes and are required especially while at the mountains or seas.

* Purabi Rani Deb Nath is an ophthalmologist at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation for Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM).