CLEAR ULTRAVIOLET BLOCKING LENSES FOR USE BY PUVA PATIENTS

It is well recognized that patients receiving photochemotherapy (PUVA) need to wear UV-blocking sunglasses on the day of ingestion of 8-methoxypsoralen. For many patients the wearing of tinted sun-glasses causes difficulties because they interfere with colour percedption, reduce definition in conditions of low background light and often because they are considered 'cosmetically unacceptable'. In this study the UV-blocking properties of a number of lenses with little or no tint were assessed. The following lenses or lens coatings were found to be suitable for use by PUVA patients: Orcolite UV 400, Orma UVX, Rodenstock Lambda 400, Sola UV Gard 400 and Polaroid polarizing lenses.