Protecting the eye from ultraviolet A radiation during photochemotherapy.

Except for the skin, the eye is the only organ that is continuously exposed to solar radiation, including longwave ultraviolet irradiation (UVA). Since 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) remains not only in the skin but also in the lens of the eye after 8-MOP + UVA (PUVA) treatment, wearing protective goggles just during the UVA irradiation is insufficient. It is wise to shield the eyes for several hours after 8-MOP ingestion, to avoid or reduce possible long-term side effects such as cataract formation. Adequate eye protection from UVA after PUVA can be provided by sunglasses that filter out the appropriate UVA spectrum from the sunlight. Nearly all the commercially available sunglasses are colored, which reduces the intensity of the visible light reaching the eye. In such cases, the diameter of the pupil can remain dilated, which it would not without sunglasses. However, the UVA intensity remains the same. As a result, more UVA can reach the lens. In this study, new uncolored glasses are evaluated and compared with commercially available sunglasses (all colored) to determine their UVA transmission.