Sunlight and your eye health

Sunlight and eyes don’t mix… well that is not entirely true.  We do need light to be able to see.  But what we don’t need and can actually damage our eyes is the Ultraviolet (UV) light that comes along uninvited with the sunlight.  Why is the UV component of sunlight a problem?

UV light is linked to causing skin cancers and many of those, that happen on the face, occur around the eyes.  You can also get cancers, that happen within the eye itself, including Melanoma.  UV light exposure, is also linked to the development of the eye conditions cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Our eyes UV light absorption is at it’s highest when we are a child, due to the size of our pupils and the clarity of our lens.  So how do we avoid these issues?  The answer is simple.  Wear sunglasses, and the earlier we start the better, starting from babies.  As studies have said most of the UV accumulation to our eyes occurs before we are 18.

If you happen to be over 18, do you just give up as the damage has already been done?  No, of course not.  UV damage to you eyes is cumulative, so starting to wear sunglasses at any age is going to block the UV damage from that point onward.  Thereby pushing cataracts and other possible eye problems further into the future.

Wearing UV protection is especially important in Queensland, due to ridiculously high incidence of skin cancer, in this state.

The next question I hear you ask is: But what if I have to wear safety glasses for work?  Well, we have you covered with the option of transition, tinted or polarised in the prescription certified safety glasses range.  The other thing you may be picturing, is the hideous old fashioned safety glasses with tinted lenses.  No, you don’t need to be less stylish to meet your medium impact certified safety glasses classification.

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