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Ensure that you are getting high-quality, safe sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Wearing sunglasses is one of the most important things you can do to protect your vision―not just in the summer season, but all year round. In fact, it may just be THE single most important thing you can do when it comes to maintaining healthy eyesight and following proper vision safety.
Just as you need to vigilantly apply sun block whenever you are heading into the sunshine in order to protect your skin, you also need to apply the proper amount of protection to your sensitive eyes in order to ensure that the sun does not have any damaging effects that could affect your health and vision in the long run. For instance, many studies have shown that going out into the sun without the protection of sunglasses can increase your risk of developing eye diseases and disorders, including cataracts.
However, when it comes to choosing the right sunglasses to protect you during all of your summer activities, not all lenses are created equal. To help you ensure that you are getting the most high-quality, safe sunglasses this summer, be sure that you are following this checklist in order to find the best pair possible:
– There are three types of UV radiation: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC rays do not pose any threat, as they are absorbed by the ozone layer. However, you want to make sure that your sunglasses protect you from the dangerous UVA and UVB rays. Short- and long-term exposure to these dangerous rays can cause significant damage.
– Choose lenses that can fit comfortably underneath a large hat or baseball cap. When outside for a prolonged period of time, you should consider wearing a wide-brimmed hat in addition to your sunglasses in order to get the best protection possible.
– You don’t have to choose a prescription pair of sunglasses, as long as you pair them over your contacts. While contacts on their own cannot protect you from UV rays, the combination of contacts and sunglasses will ensure that you are protected and are seeing your best during your summer activities. In fact, sunglasses are helpful for preventing the drying effect most contact lens wearers get, which is caused by wind.
– When choosing the lens tint of your sunglasses, make sure that your lenses block around 80% of transmissible light, but no more than 90% to 92% of light. However, it is important to note that darker sunglasses do not always mean better protection against the sun, so make sure you are double checking how much light is blocked.
– In addition to your own sunglasses, also make sure that your child’s sunglasses are protecting their eyes from UV rays. Children are much more susceptible to the dangers of UV rays than adults and are not able to block UV rays as well as adults’ eyes can.
– Opt for polarized lenses when possible. Polarized sunglasses are created to reduce glare by filtering out horizontal rays coming from road surfaces and bodies of water. This essentially allows only vertical rays to “enter” through the lenses, resulting in less sun glare.
For more information about the damaging effects that UV rays can have on your vision, as well as to schedule an eye examination to ensure that your eyes are in good shape this summer season, contact OCLI today.
