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About Sunglasses, Eye Cancer, Breast Cancer & Lung Cancer

Sunglasses Recommended
Sunglasses are not just a visual aid. Its very important to use quality sunglasses in day time.
Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) can cause short-term and long-term ocular problems such as photokeratitis, snow blindness, cataracts, pterygium, and various eye cancers. Medical experts often advise the public on the importance of wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from UV. In the European Union, a CE mark identifies glasses fulfilling quality regulations. In the preparation for solar eclipses, health authorities often warn against looking at the sun through only sunglasses.

There is no demonstrated correlation between high prices and increased UV protection. A 1995 study reported that "Expensive brands and polarizing sunglasses do not guarantee optimal UVA protection.". The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has also reported that "Consumers cannot rely on price as an indicator of quality" . One unscientific survey even found a $6.95 pair of generic glasses with slightly better protection than Michael Kors or Salvatore Ferragamo shades.

More recently, High energy visible light (HEV) has been implicated as a cause of age-related macular degeneration, and some manufacturers design to block it. Sunglasses may be especially important for children, as their ocular lenses are thought to transmit far more HEV light than adults (lenses "yellow" with age).

Some sunglasses also pass ANSI Z87.1 requirements for basic impact and high impact protection. These are voluntary standards, so not all sunglasses comply, nor are manufacturers required to comply. In the basic impact test, a 1 in (2.54 cm) steel ball is dropped on the lens from 50 in (127 cm). In the high velocity test, a 1/4 in (6.35mm) steel ball is shot at the lens at 150 ft/s (45.72 m/s). In both tests, no part of the lens can touch the eye.

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A cataract is an opacity which develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope. Cataracts typically progress slowly to cause vision loss and are potentially blinding if left untreated. Moreover, with time the cataract cortex liquefies to form a milky white fluid in a Morgagnian Cataract, and can cause severe inflammation if lens capsule ruptures & leaks. Untreated, the cataract can cause phacomorphic glaucoma. Very advanced cataracts with weak zonules are liable for dislocation anteriorly or posteriorly. Such spontaneous posterior dislocations (akin to earliest surgical procedure of couching) in ancient times were regarded as a blessing from heavens, because it restored some perception of light in the bilaterally affected patients.

Pterygium usually refers to a benign growth of the conjunctiva. Alternately, it refers to any winglike triangular membrane occurring in the neck, eyelids, knees, elbows, ankles or digits (J Pediatr Orthop B 2004, 13:197-201). An example is popliteal pterygium syndrome, which affects the legs. The term comes from the Greek word pterygion meaning "wing".

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When associated with the conjunctiva, a pterygium commonly grows from the nasal side of the sclera. It is caused principally by ultraviolet-light exposure (e.g. sunshine). It appears predominantly on the nasal side because the cornea acts as a lens for sunlight on the medial/nasal side but not on the lateral/temporal side, owing to the shadow cast by the nose.

Eye cancer can affect all parts of the eye, eyelid, and orbit (the tissues around the eye).

They can be divided into primary cancer (starts within the eye) and metastatic cancer (from another organ). The two most common cancers that spread to the eye from another organ are breast cancer and lung cancer. Other less common sites of origin include the prostate, kidney, thyroid, skin, colon lymphoma and leukemia.

Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately one out of twelve to thirteen women who reach age ninety at some stage of their life in the Western world. It is (after lung cancer) the second most fatal cancer in women. Because the breast is composed of identical tissues in males and females, breast cancer can also occur in males, but here the incidence is very low, less than 1 percent.

Alcohol generally appears to increase the risk of breast cancer in women. The UK's Review of Alcohol: Association with Breast Cancer concludes that "studies confirm previous observations that there appears to be an association between alcohol intake and increased risk of breast cancer in women. On balance, there was a weak association between the amount of alcohol consumed and the relative risk."

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) concludes that "Chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with a small (averaging 10 percent) increase in a woman's risk of breast cancer (Friedenreich et al.; Longnecker; Nasca). According to these studies, the risk appears to increase as the quantity and duration of alcohol consumption increases. Other studies, however, have found no evidence of such a link (Chu et al. ; Schatzkin et al.; Webser et al)."

The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products Non-Technical Summary concludes, "The new research estimates that a woman drinking an average of two units of alcohol per day has a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer 8% higher than a woman who drinks an average of one unit of alcohol per day. The risk of breast cancer further increases with each additional drink consumed per day. … The research also concludes that approximately 6% (between 3.2% and 8.8%) of breast cancers reported in the UK each year could be prevented if drinking was reduced to a very low level (i.e. less than 1 unit/week)."

It has been reported that "Two drinks daily increase the risk of getting breast cancer by about 25 percent." (NCI) but the evidence is inconsistent. The Framingham study has carefully tracked individuals since the 1940s. Data from that research found that drinking alcohol moderately did not increase breast cancer risk (Wellness Facts). Similarly, research by the Danish National Institute for Public Health found that moderate drinking had virtually no effect on breast cancer risk (Petri et al.).

Breast cancer constitutes about 7.3% of all cancers. Among women, breast cancer comprises 60% of alcohol-attributable cancers. One study suggests that women who frequently drink red wine may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

"Folate intake counteracts breast cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption" and "women who drink alcohol and have a high folate intake are not at increased risk of cancer" . Those who have a high (200 micrograms or more per day) level of folate (folic acid or Vitamin B9) in their diet are not at increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who abstain from alcohol. Foods rich in folate include citrus fruits, citrus juices, dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), dried beans, and peas. Vitamin B9 can also be taken in a multivitamin pill.

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Lung cancer is a cancer of the lungs characterized by the presence of malignant tumours. Most commonly it is bronchogenic carcinoma (about 90%). Lung cancer is the most lethal of cancers worldwide, causing up to 3 million deaths annually. Only one in ten patients diagnosed with this disease will survive the next five years. Although lung cancer was previously an illness that affected predominately men, the lung cancer rate for women has been increasing in the last few decades, which has been attributed to the rising ratio of female to male smokers. More women die of lung cancer than any other cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancers combined.

Current research indicates that the factor with the greatest impact on risk of lung cancer is long-term exposure to inhaled carcinogens. The most common means of such exposure is tobacco smoke.

Treatment and prognosis depend upon the histological type of cancer and the stage (degree of spread). Possible treatment modalities include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy.

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