It is officially spring, and we couldn’t be more excited! With the much welcomed warmer weather spring time brings, also comes more time spent outdoors basking in the sunshine. While the warmth on our skin is embraced, we need to make sure we are protecting our eyes by wearing sunglasses. Here are few key tips to getting the right sun protection for your eyes.
UV Protection
Make sure the sunglasses you choose say they offer at least 99% UVA and UVB protection. This is the most important feature for which you should look when picking out sunglasses. Both UVA and UVB rays can be damaging to your eyes. UVA rays can reach all the way back to your retina and can contribute to macular degeneration. UVB rays affect the corneal and lens areas and can cause incredibly uncomfortable sunburns on your eyes, which, in turn, increases the risk of developing cataracts later on in life.
Size and Fit
The size and fit of your sunglasses should be your next consideration. The bigger the lens and the closer they fit to your face, the more they will cover and protect all areas of your eyes. Luckily, many different large lens styles are trending. They were first made popular in the ’60s by Jackie Kennedy and have continued to stay a front runner in style when it comes to sunglasses.
Going Polarized
Polarized lenses are great for reducing glare. They filter out light waves being emitted from a variety of angles. Reducing that irritating glare that reflects from windshields, water and snow is a huge benefit for outdoor active people, especially fisherman – no glare means being able to see through the water to what’s lurking beneath the surface.
Lens Color
The color of the lenses of your sunglasses can make a difference based on what type of activities you are doing. For cycling, tennis, pickleball, target shooting, or your winter sports like skiing, you may want to consider an orange or yellow lens. These color of lenses help to filter out blue light and sharpen your focus. Amber or rose-tinted lenses are great for water sports as they increase contrast on a bright day, and dark amber, copper or brown lenses are great for baseball, fishing and golf. They block out a lot of blue light and sharpen contrast and clarity.
We hope you found these tips to getting the right sun protection for your eyes helpful. Anyway you choose them, make sure your sunglasses have an anti-reflective (AR) coating on them to help reduce the glare. Our office is stacked with sunglasses just right for you. Come on in and take a look. We have selections from the top brands (Maui Jim, Salt, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Article One and more) and can custom make the lenses to your liking, and if you aren’t exactly sure which type is best for your activities, just ask our highly trained opticians. They are equipped with the knowledge and skills to help you make that decision. We look forward to seeing you soon!
The content found on this blog is for information purposes only. It is not intended to take the place of professional medical advice from your eye care provider. Always seek treatment from a qualified health care provider with all your eye health and medical questions regarding your health.