Tanning Bed Users: Watch Out for Your Eyes
August 26, 2010 • 1 comment
Recently the British College of Optometrists have come out with an updated warning: people are putting their eyes at serious risk by skipping out on wearing protective goggles or shades when they hop into their local tanning bed.
Tanning bed users, be warned! Any means of seeking the perfect tan, including tanning beds, can cause malignant melanoma, an aggressive and potentially fatal form of cancer that metastasizes to the brain. Melanoma is a lethal possible outcome of sun- and fake sun-worshipping, but your eyes are at risk, as well. Closing your eyes while lying down is not enough protection – your eyelids are extremely thin and therefore some of the sun’s rays pass right through them. If you’ve read my previous article on Healthy Eyesight, I talked about how UVA and UVB rays from the sun are extremely damaging to eyes and therefore make wearing sunglasses necessary. Tanning beds pose even more of a risk to eyes, since the ultraviolet light used in these beds produce concentrated UVA and UVB rays directly upon your face. So, leaving out the protective goggles before climbing in is a major no-no. You should be treating your eyes in a tanning bed the same way you would when heading out to the beach – protect them with sunglasses! Standard UVA- and UVB-protected shades are readily available at your local drugstore.
Repeatedly exposing your eyes to the UVA and UVB rays in a tanning bed without protective goggles can lead to growths on the eye, cataracts, ocular melanoma and potentially cause long-term damage to your eyesight. Even if you’re a contact lens-wearer and have UV protection built into your lenses, they do not cover the entire eye and therefore you are still exposed to dangerous UV rays. Take my advice and goggle up! Risking your skin is already scary enough; you don’t want to harm your eyes.
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Sources:
https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gPqkxbjWsuW8otNRWYFbH4eSedaQ
https://www.medindia.net/news/Sunbeds-Could-Cause-Eye-Damage-72803-1.html
Thank you for helping spread this information. Hopefully tanners are already taking precautions with their eyes, but the more consumers are aware of safe practices, the better. It is important to tan under the guidance of a trained tanning esthetician at first, until you're aware of best practices. I would like to make one point: Airbrush tanning is a form of sunless tanning that is risk-free for cancer. Just like most other beauty treatments though, you do have to follow precautions. Thanks again for the info! Derrin
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