• Wear Sunglasses all Year to Protect your Eyes from UV Rays

    Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV (ultraviolet) light.  Sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Wearing the right sunglasses is your best defense against ultraviolet (UV) rays, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Protect your eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.

    You use sunblock to protect your skin against UV rays; do you protect your eyes against UV damage? Research indicates that long-term, unprotected exposure to the sunlight can lead to age-related conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts and other eye conditions that damage healthy vision. Did you know that the skin around your eyes, including the lids, is one of the most prone to skin cancer?

    How Does UV Light Affect Eyesight?

  • Glare and reflections will give you vision trouble too, so have your sunglasses ready if you'll be around snow, water or sand, or when driving since windshields are a big glare source.

  • Why You Need to Wear Sunglasses All Year

    Your cornea, lens, retina, and eyelids are at risk for short-term and long-term damage from sun exposure all year long. You’re in more jeopardy if the iris of your eyes is a lighter color—or you’re a kid. Children’s pupils are larger than adults and their lenses can’t yet filter some UV rays. Those who live in the South or at high elevations, like many states in the West, are also more vulnerable.

  • Summer Eye Protection: Summer is an obvious time to think about investing in a good pair of sunglasses. The sun seems to blast us more often in summer than during other times. But ... dangerous UV rays don’t discriminate by season—the sun is doing its job all year long. Summer is clearly an important time to wear UV-blocking sunglasses daily, mostly because we’re outside more often enjoying warm-weather activities. We’re at risk because of prolonged exposure, but also because of the intensity that comes when 25% of UV rays reflect off of water. Water sports, pool activities and fishing on water can all amplify our interaction with the sun.

    Winter Eye Protection: That reflection issue is bad in the winter when snow throws the sun’s rays right back in our faces. Snow-covered surfaces like ski slopes can reflect as much as 80% of UV rays. That’s why we wear goggles. Sunglasses are absolutely essential for people exposed to Ultraviolet (UV) light during activities like snowsports, watersports and driving in bright weather.But don’t forget that you really need sunglasses—polarized are awesome for glare—during all snow-related activities, from sledding to shoveling your sidewalk or driveway.

    Spring & Fall Eye Protection: While spring and fall tends to bring more intermittent cloud cover due to variable weather patterns, you cannot let your guard down in these transition seasons. Even on cloudy days, more than 30% of UV rays are still coming through the atmosphere. You might change up your sunglasses to a model that helps illuminate things in changing conditions, but keep those shades handy all year long.

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