Beautify your views and your personal aesthetic with premium sun styles that also protect and preserve your vision. Each June 27 aims to do just that with National Sunglasses Day – an annual observation established by The Vision Council to remind us of the importance of protecting our eyes from the sun’s harsh ultraviolet (UV) rays, while also celebrating the fun ways to express your personal style.
Let’s dive into the “why” behind the practical purposes of sunglasses:
- Year-round protection for your precious (and irreplaceable) eyes. Whether sunny or cloudy, hot or cold, UV rays are present 365 days a year, and they can cause profound damage such as sunburn, cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer. Polarized lens technology blocks 100% of all harmful UV rays, while also effectively managing the amount of blue light (HEV) emitted from the sun that reaches your eyes. Fun fact: the sun is the largest source of blue light!
- Skin cancer protection too! 5-10% of skin cancers occur around the eyes, which inconveniently, is also a part of the skin where you cannot apply sunscreen. Polarized sunglasses, are an effective UV filter for the eyes and surrounding skin.
- More comfort, less fatigue. Bright, sunny skies generally give us happy vibes, but something can often get in the way of those good feelings—uncomfortable glare. Nothing puts a damper on your sunny day mood more than a headache caused by squinting or eyestrain. Our lenses eliminate 99.9% of glare, so your eyes stay relaxed, enabling your joy factor to stay up!
- Sunglasses will provide you with better situational awareness by protecting your vision against the bright sun.
- Navy SEALs and other military members rely on sunglasses to provide them with better vision while in the field or the range.
Why UV protection is important
But while polarized sunglasses are beneficial in protecting your eyes from blinding glare, they don’t always offer the best protection from damaging UV rays. For example, many less expensive polarized sunglasses do not provide adequate UV protection. So, when choosing polarized sunglasses, look for a pair clearly labeled UV 400 or 100% protection from UV rays.
The damage to your eyes and skin from the sun’s UV radiation is cumulative, meaning your risk for developing sun- and UV-related eye and other conditions will continue to grow throughout your lifetime.
Children are at greater risk for eye damage from the sun’s rays because they are outside more than adults. Kids are also more susceptible to eye damage because the lenses inside their eyes are more transparent than those of adults. As a result, UV rays can penetrate deeper into their eye.
But because damage from UV exposure in childhood often doesn’t show up until you’re in your 40s (or later), it’s crucial to ensure you use UV 400 sunglasses throughout your life to protect your eyes from permanent damage.
How can I tell if my sunglasses have UV protection?
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to tell if your sunglasses have UV-protection lenses just by looking at them. Nor can you distinguish the amount of protection based on the lens color, as lens tints have nothing to do with UV protection.
Your best bet is to take your shades to our offices. There our opticians can run a simple test on your sunglasses to determine the level of UV protection, and they will do the test for free.
When in doubt, you may want to buy a new pair of sunglasses that offers the highest level of UV protection: 100% protection against UVA and UVB rays, or UV 400. Our office will provide accurate labeling on sunglasses, so you should be able to spot whether the pair you want offers maximum UV protection.
(909)596-6756 2443 Foothill LaVerne CA 91750 (909) 982-0100 1637 Mountain Ave Upland CA 91784 #drkennethboyerOD #drbrianboyerOD #eyewear #sunglasses #nationalsunglassesday www.drboyeroptometrist.com
