Did you know that protecting your eyes from the sun's UV rays can affect the long-term health of your eyes? An easy habit you can adopt to protect your healthy vision is to wear sunglasses every time you go outside.
There is a lot of research that supports wearing sunglasses every day to protect your eyes from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Chronic exposure to UV radiation can contribute to conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration that cause low vision and can even contribute to cancer in or around the eye.
Here are 5 reasons to wear your sunglasses in the winter - and every day, year-round.
1. Cut the glare
Although it's not hot outside, they're certainly bright! Have you noticed that the glare of the sun seems more irritating to your eyes in winter? Some people refer to winter - when the sun sits lower in the sky than in summer - as "sun glare season."
Due to the sun's relative position on Earth during winter, the sun's rays strike the Earth at a lower angle, causing increased glare. In many cases, the sun's glare can be blinding and very dangerous when driving in the early morning or late afternoon. It can also cause accidents on ski slopes, with the sun reflecting off the snow and reducing visibility.
In radiant situations, a pair of polarized sunglasses will greatly increase your ability to see clearly despite the glare of the sun, so you can roam safely.
2. Protect your eyes from UV rays
Although the sun's rays are not as intense in winter, harmful UV rays are still present. Time always shows the cumulative damage that UV exposure can cause to your eyes over a lifetime.
In winter, the leaves have fallen from the trees, so there is not as much shade to protect you from the sun's rays. And because of the lower angle of the sun, your eyes are more directly exposed to the sun during the winter than in the summer.
A pair of high-quality sunglasses that completely block 100% of the sun's UV-A and UV-B rays is a must when spending time outside in winter!
3. Protect yourself from wind, dust and "trash"
Winter winds carry with them dust and cause discomfort to your eyes. The dry winter air drives moisture away from your eyes, but sunglasses provide a protective barrier from the dry wind. Contact lens wearers may be especially grateful for a good pair of wraparound sunglasses that keep winter winds from drying out their eyes while the lenses are in.
Sunglasses are your first line of defense against dust and other wind-borne particles that can get into your eyes and cause irritation or even painful corneal abrasions.
4. Avoid snow blindness (photokeratitis)
When you're outside during the winter, icy surfaces, such as snow and ice, act like mirrors, reflecting up to 85% of the sun's harmful rays upward off the surface and into your eyes. After a long day outside, playing in the snow, skiing or ice skating without sunglasses, this extremely intense level of UV exposure can cause temporary snow blindness.
Snow blindness - called photokeratitis - occurs when the eyes are overexposed to UV rays and burned by the sun. The cornea swells, and it hurts! The short-term condition usually lasts about a week. It can be treated with cold compresses, artificial tears, and over-the-counter pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
However, in the long term, snow blindness attacks increase the cumulative damage of the sun's rays. This can lead to more serious eye diseases such as cataracts, which are accelerated by lifelong exposure to the sun.
Preventing sun exposure for your eyes is simple: wear high-quality sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays.
5. Improve your winter visual acuity
Spel spandex spacers, which help improve your visual acuity.
The intense winter glare from the sun's rays bouncing off snow, concrete, the hood of a car or any other horizontal surface can cause headaches, eye strain and reduced visual acuity. Your eyes need just the right amount of light to function as well as possible. When there's not enough light to see well - you know it. And, when there is too much light to see well - you know it. Too much light causes strabismus because your pupil can't contract enough to block out the excess light.
Sunglasses can help you find that sweet spot with just the right amount of light during the winter "sunbathing season" to increase your visual comfort. Sunglasses can help you navigate more safely in vehicles, on bikes, skis, or while enjoying sports activities. They protect your eyes and the delicate skin around them from UV rays, and let's face it - they both look great and enhance your style!
If you're ready for a new pair of health-enhancing sunglasses to wear 365 days a year, you can check out the large selection of sunglasses from Exposure Sunglasses. We will help you find a high quality pair of UV blocking sunglasses that look great on your unique face shape.
