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Pterygium
September 10, 2008 |
In her teens and twenties Therese Rothenbach spent lots of time in the sun. As a
lifeguard she was usually vigilant about wearing sunscreen to protect her skin.
“I always wore sun screen because you hear so much about skin cancer so that’s
all I really worried about.”
But when it came to protecting her eyes, Therese says that was less of a
priority. “When I wore the sunglasses I wore the cheap ones. I didn’t look to
see if they were 100 percent UV, I didn’t get them from reputable places.” Years
later Therese’s lack of proper eye protection seemed to be catching up with her.
“Looking in the mirror about two years ago I noticed something like a white blob
kind of thing on the inside of my right eye. I didn’t really worry about it too
much and then it started to get bigger and then I noticed it on the other eye.”
A visit with her ophthalmologist revealed that Therese had developed pterygium
or sun damage that causes foggy white spots on the eye. “It starts on the inner
eye and it will and it’s almost like a fan. It will not reverse; this is as good
as it will ever get. I can wear sunglasses. I can never go out in the sun again
and it will always look like this.”
But Therese can take preventative steps so the damage does not get worse. “I
won’t walk outside without the sunglasses on; I don’t care if its winter or
summer, I won’t walk outside without the sunglasses on.” Physicians say
pterygium will likely not affect Therese’s vision as long as she continues to
protect her eyes from UV rays. UV rays are considered to also be one of the main
contributors in developing cataracts. |
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