The UV Index, also known as the Solar UV Index, was developed by the World Health Organisation. The UV index forecast identifies the strength of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun at a particular place on a particular day, allowing you to take the necessary precautions to help reduce the impact of UV on your health. We know that small amounts of UV exposure can be beneficial as it is essential in the production of vitamin D, however over exposure of UV can lead to serious health issues such as skin cancers and eye damage that could result in cataracts and macular degeneration later in life. The strength of UV varies depending on where you are in the world, the time of year and on a number of different weather factors such as the amount of cloud cover.
Here in the UK the UV index does not exceed 8 – this used to be rare but is becoming more common especially in Southern England with 7 occurring on more days too.
Any Index over 3 means you should wear protection when outdoors such as sun creams, sunglasses and hats. A good way of looking at sunglasses is sun cream for your eyes. Consider also wearing sports style wrap-around sunglasses for everyday wear as these provide greater protection for your eyes.