How to Protect Your Eyes - The Importance of Wearing Sunglasses

World Wide Web | How to Protect Your Eyes - The Importance of Wearing Sunglasses | Whether we are at the beach swimming or playing volleyball, at the park enjoying a delicious picnic, or taking the kids to summer camp, except for the heat and the humidity, we can all agree that the summer is a fun and enjoyable occasion for the whole family. However, in the midst of all the fun and games, it's essential to protect our eyes from the harmful U.V rays of the sun. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than cure and wearing sunglasses can protect our eyes from a series of eye problems and conditions.

Eye exercises are natural techniques used to protect and strengthen the eyes. An additional benefit of eye exercises is the fact that they reduce the eye's sensitivity to light. Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun and as such, they are a good compliment to your eye exercise program.

A study by the New England Eye Institute revealed some surprising facts about the attitude of Americans to wearing sunglasses. The study stated that while 80% of Americans are aware of the harmful effects of U.V rays on the skin, only 5% are aware of its damaging effects on the eyes.

In a 2012 survey, the American Vision Council listed the reasons people don't wear sunglasses. About 50% of the respondents said that they forget their sunglasses. Another 20% said that they didn't think that the U.V rays posed a serious risk to their eye health. 14% admitted that they have a tendency to break or lose their glasses often. Here are some helpful tips to eliminate this problem: Always have a few extra pairs handy. Have one specific place where you keep them regularly. This way you'll never forget where you put them.

Wearing sunglasses is important because repeated, excess, lonterm exposure to the U.V rays of the sun can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer of the eye, eye lid or tender skin around the eyes. Last but not the least of eye problems is a painful condition called Photokeratitis. This is defined as a painful sunburn of the eye that causes the symptom of temporary vision loss for a period of 2 days and Pterygiums which is described as a growth of tissue around the edge of the cornea that can only be corrected by surgical removal. Sunglasses should be worn regardless of weather conditions as the potential dangers of U.V rays are ever present in sunny weather and also cloudy weather.

In terms of choosing the right pair, it's important to ensure that they block 100% of U.V rays of the sun. An ideal pair of sunglasses that provide maximum protection from the sun would be a pair of sunglasses with the ANSI label on it. ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute. It is a common misconception that the darker the shade of the sunglasses, the greater the protection. In fact, wearing a darker shade defeats the purpose of your sunglasses because they cause the pupils to dilate, causing more U.V rays to enter the eyes. It is not the shade of darkness that matters but it is the coating on the lenses that makes them safe. Store bought sunglasses are more reliable than those purchased from a street vendor.

Sunglasses are a good compliment to your eye exercise program. It's like having insurance for the eyes, safeguarding them from the dangers of the harmful U. V rays of the sun. Follow these tips and have a fun and happy summer season that is free from worries and stress.

Article Source: EzineArticles