The sun is finally starting to shine, and we are happily spending more time outside. Are you protecting your eyes from UV rays with sunglasses? Are your kids?
Sadly, up to 80% of all our sun damage can happen to our eyes by age 18. Our kids can spend hours and hours a day outside. The effects of UV radiation are cumulative- the more UV our children’s eyes are exposed to the higher the risk of UV damage. UV rays can cause:
- Pinguecula, or yellow lipid spots on the whites of our eyes
- cataracts
- macular degeneration
- and even cancer.
The effects are not necessarily seen right away, but typically appear in our 30s and older. Our sunglasses should have 100% UV protection and should be large enough to cover our eyes well. A slight wrap to a frame is also effective in blocking more UV rays. Remember to wear sunglasses even on cloudy days, the UV rays can still penetrate the clouds. These days there are many coloured tints to our sunglasses lenses. The colour doesn’t indicate the amount of UV protection but is more of a personal preference.
Grey works well for people who are quite light-sensitive, while brown works well on cloudy days, and green works well for seeing your golf ball better. Come talk to us about our sunglasses if you would like more information!
I hope you and your kids do get outside and enjoy the sunshine, just be sure to wear your sunglasses!
