Sunglasses an Essential in the Summer
While most of us wear sunglasses to make it more comfort
able for us when we’re outside, we should all be wearing sunglasses to protect our eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. Extended exposure to the sun’s UV rays can cause the development of cataracts, increase your risk of macular degeneration, cause benign growth on your eyes, and can actually sunburn your eyes (called photokeratitis).
Sunglasses with a wrap-around frame offer the most coverage but they should block 100% of UV rays. In fact, if you’re wearing sunglasses that don’t offer UV protection, you may actually increase your potential for damaging your eyes. Those dark sunglasses cause your eyes to dilate, opening them up to more UV exposure. And since UV rays easily penetrate cloud cover, you should wear your sunglasses outside on overcast days as well.
Unfortunately, by the time we realize we need to protect our eyes, most of the damage has been done. Approximately 80% of the UV ray our eyes will be exposed to occurs before the age of 18. So get your kids some cool shades to protect their eyes for the future!
