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Jul 2021 • by
Summer is well and truly here, and with restrictions lifting, more and more people will be spending time outdoors basking in this glorious British sunshine! While this is great news, it’s important to remember that exposing our eyes to sunshine year after year can also cause cumulative damage if certain precautionary measures aren’t taken. From short term conditions like photokeratitis, which affect the front surface of your eyes and can cause acute pain for a few days, to more serious and sometimes irreversible eye diseases that harm the back of your eyes, like cataracts and macular degeneration, the effects of continuous and intense UV exposure from the sun can be potentially threatening to your vision. As independent opticians, we are passionate about helping you to look after your eyes as much as possible, so our team has put together some handy tips on how to protect your eyes this summer.
Baz Lurman’s hit song told us to wear sunscreen, and in the same vein, our top tip has to be to wear sunglasses! All sunglasses from our practice offer 100% UV protection, shielding your eyes from damaging UV rays. It’s important to invest in good quality sunglasses with UV protection, as cheap knock offs from market stalls or unauthorised sellers will have dark lenses but may not have a UV coating. This actually causes more harm, as they will act to dilate your pupils and allow more sunlight in. Once UV rays have damaged the eyes, the effects cannot be undone, so wearing sunglasses gives both children and adults the best chance of maintaining good eye health and vision for years to come.
Sunglasses come in many styles, however one that we always highly recommend is the wraparound frame. These quite literally wrap around your eyes, so that you can benefit from full coverage without light creeping in from the sides of top of your frames. We especially advise investing in this style for children, as their pupils are bigger than adults, allowing more light in and they generally tend to spend more time outside during summer, making them more vulnerable to the effects of UV exposure.
Have you ever been driving, playing a round of golf, or strolling along a beach, only to still be squinting or even blinded by bright sunlight streaming into your eyes? This is what we call horizontal glare, which bounces off flat surfaces like tarmac, water or snow and reflects straight into our eyes. Polarised sunglass lenses act to eliminate this glare and also provide 100% UV protection, so your eyes feel less strained, and you can enjoy higher contrast, enhanced depth perception and comfortable vision all day long, wherever you are. This could be the perfect solution for those of you who spend a lot of time outdoors or play sports!
Another sure-fire way to protect your eyes this summer for your peace of mind is to ensure you attend regular eye exams. An eye exam can help us to detect changes in your vision and even early signs of eye conditions and diseases like cataracts, meaning we can act fast to find the best way to preserve your vision and eye health. If you notice your vision is blurred or misty, or that objects appear less colourful, you could have cataracts. Blurry central vision, difficulty recognising faces or straight lines appearing wavy are all signs of macular degeneration. In either case, you should contact us to book an appointment for an eye exam straight away.
Whether you’re looking to invest in a new pair of sunglasses for summer, or need advice on your eye health and vision, why not visit us to see how we can help you? With a wide range of sunglasses from top brands and state of the art testing equipment for eye exams, you can rest assured your eyes will be in good hands at our opticians in Bognor Regis!