Sunglasses – Not just for summer anymore

Health Guides
Sunglasses – not just for summer anymore
Eye Care

Your eyes need protection from the sun all year round – the same as the rest of your body. Just as in the summer, the two main risks are damage from the sun’s UV rays, and discomfort caused by glare. A glaring problem

Glare is nearly always present during daylight hours, whether the sun is shining or not. Bright reflections off shiny surfaces like snow, vehicles or buildings can subject the eyes to nearly 12 times more light than you actually need to see. This causes irritation and discomfort as your pupils contract, your eyelids narrow and the muscles around your eyes constrict in an attempt to see properly.

Besides being painful, glare can also be a dangerous distraction when you are driving or enjoying various winter sports. Anyone who has driven into the sunset on a late afternoon in November will be very familiar with this!

Winter sun and UV rays

A far more serious problem, however, are the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are intensified when they are reflected. In the short-term, exposure can cause a painful, temporary condition called photokeratitis, which is literally a sunburn on the surface of your eyeball.

Long-term exposure to UV rays increases your risk of developing two much more serious conditions: cataracts, a clouding of the lens that causes blurred vision, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in Canadians over age 50.

Sunglasses: try before you buy

The good news is that wearing a pair of good-quality sunglasses will help protect your eyes from UV damage and fatigue. Look for a manufacturer’s label indicating that the glasses offer 99 per cent to 100 per cent UV A and B protection. If you’re unsure, ask the sales assistant or your eye care professional for guidance.

People who wear contact lenses, even those that offer UV protection, should still wear sunglasses.

Sunglasses should be dark enough to reduce glare, but not dark enough to distort colours or interfere with recognizing things like traffic signals. To check this, simply try them on in front of a mirror. If you can see your eyes, the lenses are probably not dark enough to block glare.

Tint (i.e. blue, green or brown glass) is mainly a matter of personal preference.

The bigger the better

Lenses should also be large enough to block light entering from the sides. Those little John Lennon specs may look cool on your favourite movie star, but don’t offer much protection for your eyes. Sports models that wrap all the way around the temples are ideal. When in doubt, a hat with a wide brim can help block sunlight that comes in from overhead.

Don’t forget the kids

Just as you wouldn’t send the kids out in the sun without sunscreen, children also should wear sunglasses to protect their eyes. These shouldn’t be toy sunglasses, but real sunglasses that indicate the UV-protection level, just as with adult-style sunglasses. To reduce the risk of broken lenses, look for polycarbonate lenses, which are more shatter-resistant than regular lenses.