10 Summer Eye Protection Tips That You Need to Know
What kind of summer eye protection are you using to protect your eyes? You already know how important sunglasses are in the summer and other sunny days. But do you know what to look for and how to choose the right pair? Or how to reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases?
As summer rolls around, it’s important to protect your eyes from the extra sunlight they’ll be exposed to. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause sunburns, skin cancer, and significant eye conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygia, photokeratitis, and many more.
Shielding your eyes from the bright summer sun doesn’t have to be hard. That’s why we’ve designed this guide to make it easy for you to understand your risks and to help you choose the right summer eye protection for you.
1. Sunglasses: Prescription vs. Non-Prescription Summer Eye Protection
Almost every pair of sunglasses can be made in prescription or non-prescription form. If you have good vision, you won’t need a pair of prescription sunglasses at all. But if you normally wear prescription glasses for distance, reading or anything in between, then you should consider getting prescription sunglasses for those bright summer days.
Here are a few other things to consider:
- Non-prescription sunglasses are generally less expensive, but if you get non-prescription sunglasses, you won’t see as well while wearing them. So you’ll be making a choice between eye comfort and good vision each time you consider wearing them.
- Prescription sunglasses are often eligible for reimbursement through your insurance plan because they are corrective.
- You can insert prescription lenses into many of the most popular brands of sunglass frames.
- Polarized lenses help to reduce reflective light and glare, and is often an option when ordering prescription sunglass lenses.
2. Look for Summer Eye Protection with 100% UV Protection
UV rays may be a source of Vitamin D, but they can do a lot of damage to your eyes. Long exposure to UV rays can lead to a variety of health problems.
For better summer eye protection, consider lenses that have full UV protection. Even your regular eyeglasses can have a layer of UV coating applied to them.
Make sure to look for products that have UV400 or 100% UV protection. Any glasses with full UV protection will block UVA and UVB rays completely.
3. Choose the Right Summer Eye Protection for Sports
You should never use your regular eyeglasses when playing physical sports.
We recommend that you look into prescription sports glasses for your favorite outdoor activities. These specialized frames and lenses help to optimize your vision so that you can see the ball better, see the target better, see the road better, and protect your eyes from opposing hands, elbows, rackets, bats and balls. Our eye clinic offers a variety of eyewear for sports like baseball, soccer, basketball, cycling, shooting and more.
4. Prevent Dry Eyes by Staying Hydrated and Using Wrap Around Sunglasses
Dealing with dry eyes isn’t fun. Dry eyes have a variety of symptoms, including dry and itchy eyes, blurry vision, burning sensations, redness, mucus buildup, and more.
Staying hydrated in the summer is important for many reasons. But it also helps you prevent dry eyes. Your body is unable to produce tears when you are dehydrated. Wrap around sunglasses protect your eyes from all angles.
If you have dry eyes, you may want to carry around a bottle of eye drops to lubricate your eyes whenever they start to feel dry. Not only will you feel better, you’ll see better, too.
5. Swimming? Always Use Goggles
You should always wear goggles when swimming in a pool or the ocean. And if you wear prescription glasses, consider getting prescription swim goggles. Frequent exposure to chlorine and salt can cause discomfort in your eyes. And this discomfort often results in eye rubbing, which can further damage your eyes.
One 2008 study even found that chlorine exposure can harm your corneal epithelium. The epithelium is a protective layer that keeps your cornea safe from pathogens and irritants.
6. Practice Good Hygiene
Summer is all about outdoor activities, going camping, playing sports, and cooking juicy steaks or vegetables on the barbeque. But all of these activities leave germs and other pathogens on our hands. And it’s unavoidable that you’re going to rub or scratch your eyes at some point.
Handwashing and good hygiene are two of the easiest ways to keep your eyes safe in the summer. Make it a habit to always wash your hands after each activity. This will reduce your chances of getting an eye infection or other eye diseases.
7. Put a Hat On Your Head
This one may seem obvious, but a good hat provides a lot of protection. A hat will reduce your exposure to UV rays, shield your eyes from direct sunlight, protect your head and face from sunburns…and they can look stylish too.
Skin cancer affects more than just your skin. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one form of cancer that affects your eyelids. You can reduce your risk of contracting this form of cancer by following good summer eye protection strategies like wearing a hat and sunglasses.
Keep Your Eyes Healthy with Good Summer Eye Protection
Summer is a time of fun and relaxation with your family. But don’t forget about the importance of following our summer eye protection tips. Most of these tips you can follow on your own without help from a professional.
If your summer eye protection plans point to a pair of prescription sunglasses, to contact Dr. Barry Leonard & Associates by phone at 818-891-6711 or through our online appointment form to schedule your eye exam and to determine which pair of prescription eyewear is right for you.
