Ocular UV protection: revisiting safe limits for sunglasses standards

Liliane Ventura; Mauro Masili; Homero Schiabel

doi:10.1117/12.2000355

26 March 2013 Ocular UV protection: revisiting safe limits for sunglasses standards

Liliane Ventura, Mauro Masili, Homero Schiabel

Proceedings Volume 8567, Ophthalmic Technologies XXIII; 85671K (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2000355
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2013, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) establishes that the safe limits regarding ultraviolet radiation exposure in the spectral region 180nm–400nm incident upon the unprotected eye(s) should not exceed 30 Jm^-2 effective spectrally weighted (spectral weighting factors are provided by ICNIRP); and the total (unweighted) ultraviolet radiant exposure in the spectral region 315nm–400nm should not exceed 10⁴ Jm^-2. However, it should be considered that the spectral range from 180nm–280nm does not reach the surface of the Earth, since it is absorbed by the ozone layer of the atmosphere. The Brazilian Standard for sunglasses protection, NBR15111(2004), as well as the British Standard BSEN1836(2005) and American Standard ANZI Z80.3(2009), requires the UV protection in the spectral range 280nm–380nm, but does not take into account the total (unweighted) UVA radiant exposure. These limits are discussed in this work and calculations have been made for 27 state capitals of Brazil to understand the limits that should be involved in order to protect the eyes of the Brazilian population. These calculations and considerations may be extended to other countries as well. As a conclusion, we show that the upper limit for the UVA protection of 400nm should be included in the Brazilian standard, as well as the irradiance limits. Furthermore, the parameters for the resistance to irradiance test required on the Brazilian standard are also discussed herein as well the significance of this test. We show that the test should be performed by the sun simulator for a longer period than currently required.

Citation Download Citation

Liliane Ventura, Mauro Masili, and Homero Schiabel "Ocular UV protection: revisiting safe limits for sunglasses standards ", Proc. SPIE 8567, Ophthalmic Technologies XXIII, 85671K (26 March 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2000355

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
7 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Ultraviolet radiation

Sun

Transmittance

Lamps

Standards development

Surface plasmons

Optical filters

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years