Stylish & Protective: The Very Best Window Films for Healthier Eyes

Window Film, like sunglasses, are your eyes’ best defence against dangerous UV rays.

Most people are aware of the skin cancer risks associated with too much ultraviolet (UV) light exposure.  It’s why we carefully apply sunscreen before heading outdoors. Do you know that it’s just as important to protect your eyes indoors?

Eye health research suggests “one-third of adults have experienced eye irritation symptoms due to prolonged UV exposure, such as trouble seeing, red or swollen eyes and damage to the sensitive skin around the eyes,” (Coopervision, 2021).

The good news is that protecting your eyes inside your home or office is as easy as protecting your skin. The exposure to UV in most modern buildings and with the increased use of large areas of glass, it’s now more than ever to protect your eye health. Window films applied to the internal surface area of your glass will cut the exposure of UV rays entering an area by 99%  this applies to all of our solar film range. See our Products page

UV rays are not directional, they reflect off surfaces and expose multiple areas in and around a room. As with exposure to eyes, have you also noticed photos or paintings that are hung on the wall and that are not exposed to direct light, but still they fade, this is predominantly due to the reflecting UV rays bouncing around the room.

Our eyes are very sensitive and easily damaged by the sun and being exposed to the damaging UV rays.

Temporary Effects

“Effects on eyes and heightened exposure to too much UV radiation can produce temporary effects which usually leave within 48 hours or so. These include:

• mild irritation.

• feeling there is something in the eye.

• Inflammation of the conjunctiva.

photokeratitis – known as ‘snow blindness’, which causes inflammation of the cornea and is like sunburn of the eye”. (Heathify NZ).

Long-Term Effects

Regular exposure to too much UV radiation can cause serious damage to the eyes including:

• increased risk of cataracts – clouding of the lens.

• pterygium – a white or creamy fleshy growth on the surface of the eye.

• rarely, cancer of the cornea or conjunctiva.

• basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) of the skin surrounding the eye”. (Healthify NZ).

 Reflected UV Radiation

As well as UV radiation from the atmosphere and entering the home or office, UV rays are reflected off many surfaces. even though you feel the heat of the sun more in the summer, the reflection of some surfaces in particular snow, because of its high reflectivity of approximately 80%, in winter can be twice as dangerous. Sand reflects approximately 15%. If out surfing, the water reflects about 25%. It’s clear that UV rays are multi directional therefore extremely important to protect eyes and skin.

The Ultraviolet Index (UVI) is an international, scientific measure of the level of UV radiation in the environment. The higher the number, the greater the risk of skin damage. The Cancer Society advises sun protection when the UVI is 3 or above.

What Is UV?

The sun emits different types of UV rays—two of which are widely known to be a serious cause for concern. They are, UVA and UVB, there is a UVC however this is absorbed by the ozone layer before reach the earth’s surface.

The UVA rays are responsible for the skin to tan, which are now suspected to be the cause of more skin problems than previously thought.

The UVB rays cause skin to burn.

Why are Eyes at Risk?

Although UV comes from the sun, make no mistake: it certainly has a dark side, particularly with regards to the health of your eyes and skin.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 20 percent of all cataract cases are attributable to UV radiation and are preventable.

It’s also important to recognize that you need to protect your eyes even when conditions are overcast, even in winter. Reflected UV rays are dangerous.