5 Good Reasons For Wearing Sunglasses
4th July 2016
There are many reasons for wearing good quality sunglasses – here are our top 5:
1. Prolonged exposure to solar UV radiation can result in acute and chronic health effects on the skin and eyes. Worldwide some 12 to 15 million people become blind from cataracts annually, of which up to 20% are caused by prolonged sun exposure. The two main eye problems associated with UV rays are:
- Macular Degeneration: this is the main cause of vision loss especially for older people.
- Cataracts: UV rays, especially UVB rays, can lead to cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, the part of the eye that focuses the light we see.
So apart from wearing sunscreen to prevent skin cancer (which causes at least 2000 deaths annually, just in the UK) wearing good quality sunglasses is essential the moment you step outdoors and especially in summer.
2. Spending time in windy, dusty areas can irritate and damage your eyes and the best way to protect yourself is by wearing sunglasses that keep your eyes safe from the elements. Getting sand in your eyes can be very painful and dangerous. Tiny grains of sand can actually scratch your eye and can cause permanent damage. Sunglasses that fully cover your eyes are a great way to keep sand out.
3. Bright sunlight can be a trigger for migraines and bad headaches. Wearing sunglasses will help reduce both the frequency and intensity of these painful occurrences. Even if you’re not a headache or migraine sufferer, wearing sunglasses when out in the sun can help reduce eyestrain and fatigue, meaning you’ll enjoy your time outdoors even more.
4. In addition to eliminating harmful UVR, close fitting sports styles sunglasses with polycarbonate lenses will keep out wind, dust, dirt, rain and most importantly provide impact protection to your eyes.
5. Looking good! We all know that that wearing sunglasses improves the way we look. Sunglasses can also preventing wrinkles (or “crows feet”); wearing them means you don’t squint in direct sunlight and squinting can increase the wrinkles around your eyes.
Most optometrists recommend wearing sunglasses anytime you are outdoors, particularly in the summer, when the level of UV radiation is triple that of other times of the year. It’s vital that when choosing sunglasses to make sure they are UV400 rated (this should be marked on the sunglasses, usually inside the temples) which means they will provide 100% protection from UVR. Every single model on our website is UV400 rated. Please also remember that it’s a myth that the darker the sunglasses the more protection you gain from UVR – the UV filter applied to the lenses is actually clear so even a very light coloured lens can provide full UV protection if the eyewear is UV400 rated.