Vision Express issues UV warning to patients

UK patients are putting their sight at risk by choosing vanity over UV protection, according to new research by Vision Express.

Its study, among 800 members of the public, showed more than one in three sunglasses-buyers confess they don’t always check UV rating of lenses, despite 94% believing it is important to do so.

Research revealed an ‘over-riding assumption’ that all sunglasses carry full UVA and UVB protection, the optical chain said.

Omar Hassan, head of professional services at Vision Express, said: ‘Our concern highlighted by the research is that people are prioritising style over safety, mistakenly believing that all sunglasses are made to an equal standard to block all harmful UV rays. This just isn’t the case. It’s a huge problem because wearing tinted lenses with no protection “tricks” the pupil into dilating and ultimately may cause more damage to the retina than no protection at all.