Importance Of Sunglasses In Everyday Life

By Leyla Najafi, OD

Dulles Eye Associates

. http://www.dceyedr.com/

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Importance Of Sunglasses In Everyday Life

While sunglasses are considered a great fashion accessory, they also serve a very important role in protecting your eyes from different ocular diseases.

Benefits of use of sunglasses:

• Sunglasses guard your eyes against glare, so it is highly recommended to wear sunglasses while driving. Since sunglasses can be purchased with corrective prescription lenses, they can be used as a tool not only to achieve perfect vision, but also to reduce glare. This is very important while driving during the day, when there is lots of glare from sun.

• Importance of ultra violet (UV) protection: UV damage to the eye can cause cataracts, benign growths on eye surfaces and sometimes blindness (which is a temporary condition but painful).

• Blue light protection: Long term exposure to blue and violet light can present a strong risk factor for macular degeneration, which is considered as a leading cause of blindness in the US population over 65 years old.

• Skin cancer: Since almost 10% of skin cancers are around the eyes, a good choice of big sunglasses can protect your eyes and skin surrounding your eyes.

• Bright sun can trigger headaches and migraines. Wearing sunglasses can help with eye strain, fatigue, and decrease intensity of painful headaches.

While it is very important to know the medical aspects of wearing sunglasses, it is also equally important to be able to choose the best sunglasses for your fit. Some of the most important determining factors to consider when choosing sunglasses are:

• Quality; check for 90-100 percent UVA and UVB protection.

• Make sure the lenses are free of distortions and scratches.

• Gray colored lenses reduce light intensity without affecting the object’s color.

By wearing the right sunglasses that provide proper coverage for your eyes, you will have better quality of life, and enjoy your outdoor activities more.