Common UV And Eye Protection Problems
While most people recognize the importance of sunscreen to prevent sunburns and skin cancer, many are unaware of the need to protect their eyes from UV light damage. Overexposure to UV rays has been linked to a variety of eye problems, one of which is cataracts, a condition where the normally clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy and opaque.
To protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, you need to understand when it impacts you the most and the best steps to prevent the damage it causes. As optometry experts, we’ve noticed that many people don’t know how to go about this. So to help out, St-Pierre Eye Care has explained some UV and eye protection problems below and the best ways to overcome them, so your eyes are protected.
1. 50% of lifetime UV exposure occurs before adulthood
It’s estimated that 50% of lifetime exposure to UV happens before the age of eighteen. It is important that you keep children that are younger than six months out of direct sunlight. As children generally spend more time outside than adults, it is important that they wear sunglasses and sun hats when outside. Also, consider using a canopy or umbrella as a sun-shield when at the beach or in the backyard.
2. Being unaware of the extent of UV damage
Optometrists are urging everyone, including you, to book an annual eye exam with a doctor of optometry and take the necessary precautions to protect your vision from the sun’s harmful rays. Getting regular eye exams will help you monitor your eye health, maintain good vision and keep up-to-date on the latest in UV protection.
3. Difficulty in determining the protection levels of a pair of sunglasses
People cannot tell how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide by their price, color, or by the darkness of the lenses. To determine the level of protection sunglasses provide against UV rays, you should look for labels that list the type and amount of protection they offer. Your optician, too, can verify if the lenses you choose will provide 100% UV protection.
4. Lack of knowledge about the most suitable pair of sunglasses
Brown and gray are the most popular colors for sunglass lenses. Brown is the best color overall because it offers the best contrast and the best depth perception. Brown lenses provide the wearer the broadest light spectrum to the eye while blocking blue light and offering optimum contrast. Grey tint is best for bright light situations like water sports because it blocks out the sun’s brightest rays.
That said, it is essential that you wear sunglasses that offer 100% protection against both UVA and UVB rays and are close-fitting with a wrap-around style frame to help keep direct sunlight out. If you wear corrective contact lenses, consider wearing UV-blocking contact lenses for an added layer of UV protection.
If you are looking for an optometrist in St-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba, to help you with your eye protection needs, then reach out to us at St-Pierre Eye Care. We are a privately run complete service optometric office that opened its doors in 2019. We pride ourselves on quality eye care and exceptional services like eye exams, contact lens fittings, frame selection, and much more. We excel in comprehensive eye exams, contact lens exams, eye condition treatment, eye disease management, eye emergencies, LASIK, and refractive surgery co-management. We have people visiting our eye care centre from across St-Pierre-Jolys, Grunthal, St. Malo, Carlowrie, Otterburne, Niverville, Steinbach, Morris, and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to learn more, or get in touch with us by clicking here.