Do not rub your eyes from ultraviolet rays!

Short-term exposure to ultraviolet disinfection lamps can cause electro-optic ophthalmia. The main manifestations are red and swollen eyes, tearing, dryness, and photophobia. In severe cases, it may even cause vision loss. The patient will feel pain and discomfort, but don't rub your eyes! Otherwise, large pieces of corneal epithelium will fall off and the recovery time will be prolonged.

Usually 30-60 minutes of ultraviolet radiation can cause electro-optic ophthalmia. It is caused by the corneal epithelial cells and conjunctiva of the eye that absorb a large amount of strong ultraviolet rays. The patient's corneal epithelium will appear diffuse punctate convexity, usually manifested as red eyes , I am particularly afraid of light and can't help crying. The most unbearable thing is that people feel severe pain in the eyes. Electro-optic ophthalmia caused by ultraviolet radiation usually has an incubation period, which occurs soon after half an hour and after 6-8 hours.

However, short-term ultraviolet disinfection lamp irradiation can cause superficial damage to the cornea. The main damage is the epithelial layer, which can usually repair itself within 24-48 hours. For patients whose pain is unbearable, doctors usually use chloramphenicol and a little surface anesthetic to drop the eyes to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. However, more drops of surface anesthetics have a delaying effect on corneal repair, so it is better not to use such surface anesthetics if it is not very painful. During the recovery period, patients should take more rest, avoid eye use, and pay attention to eye hygiene. In particular, do not rub your eyes.

Will eyesight be permanently damaged? The ultraviolet disinfection lamp is irradiated for an hour for a short time, and the vision will be damaged at that time, but after the corneal repair is completed, the vision can be restored, so don't worry too much about the sequelae.

Although improper use of ultraviolet rays can bring some damage to people, there are still many benefits of ultraviolet rays. In addition to sterilization and disinfection, ultraviolet rays also have certain physiological effects. They are indispensable for the synthesis of vitamin D and the absorption of calcium. Key factor. Ultraviolet rays are also widely used in the treatment of various skin diseases such as herpes zoster, pityriasis rosea, and psoriasis. This kind of treatment mainly uses narrow-band UVB, which produces photochemical reactions and regulates human immune response through ultraviolet irradiation. For example, some patients with psoriasis need to irradiate the whole body with ultraviolet rays for about 3 minutes each time, and the course of treatment is as many as thirty or fifty times. "Ultraviolet rays are one of the causes of skin cancer, but the risk of carcinogenesis depends on the exposure time and power." Professor Wen Ju said that dermatologists use hand-held ultraviolet lamps to diagnose some skin diseases. For doctors, use ultraviolet lamps every day. The exposure time is at least one hour, and there is no big risk to health.