It’s now mid July and summer is well and truly underway, we’ve had a few weeks of good quality sunglasses wearing weather and as usual the British Summer has turned a bit wet and windy, hopefully this will soon pass and we’ll have the great weather back again.
Of course, with this summer sun comes the hidden dangers such as UV damage to both our skin and eyes. Just like UV damage to skin can cause cancer, UV damage to eyes can also be extremely harmful and is responsible for causing cataracts, macula degeneration, pinguecula, pterygia and photokeratitis. Thankfully, we’ve come up with a list of 10 great summer eye care tips to help ensure you know how to protect your eyes from the intense summer sun.
1). Buy sunglasses with UV protection
Make sure your sunglasses offer 100% UV protection to protect your eyes from harmful UV damage. You will find that all sunglasses from the designer brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada and Oakley will offer UV protection as standard.
2). Wear sunglasses even when cloudy
Even if our summer days are suffering from significant cloud cover you should always remember to wear your sunglasses as UV damage can still occur even when it’s cloudy.
3). Wear larger style sunglasses
Larger style sunglasses offer more eye coverage than sunglasses with smaller lenses ensuring better protection from the sun. Sunglasses such as shield or wrap around style are great at limiting the amount of sun that can enter your eyes from around the edges providing the fit is good.
4). Choose sunglasses with polarised lenses
Polarised sunglasses are great at reducing glare from reflective surfaces such as water or wet surfaces making them perfect for sporting activities or driving. Normal tinted or graduated sunglasses while offering UV protection will still leave you squinting and in some discomfort during these harsh conditions.
5). Choose sunglasses with photochromic lenses
Sunglasses with photochromic or transition lenses darken on exposure to UV light making them great for both low and bright light conditions. We can provide prescription lenses in your glasses with a photochromic coating, perfect for both indoor and outdoor use!
6). Maintain your glasses
Your sunglasses should always be well protected when not in use and maintained to ensure they are kept free from frame damage, dirt and scratches, this will ensure that your sunglasses last longer and are more comfortable to wear. Scratched or dirty lenses can cause discomfort as you are likely to notice blurry patches in front of your eyes instead of clear vision which can cause eye strain. If your lenses do become badly scratched, don’t forget we’re able to reglaze your glasses for a small fee depending on your requirements.
7). Buy prescription sunglasses
If you have a prescription we highly recommend choosing a pair of designer sunglasses suitable for prescription lenses such as the Ray-Ban 3025 Aviator or the 2140 Wayfarer, we can then take these sunglasses and change the lenses to new lenses with your personal prescription and choice of tint. Great for clear vision throughout the summer.
8). Keep a spare pair
We recommend that you always have a spare pair of sunglasses handy just in case you lose or break your favourite pair. This will ensure you always have protection from the sun in times of emergency.
9). Keep hydrated
The recommendation is to drink 2 litres of water day to prevent dehydration, more if it’s hot or you are doing exercise. While drinking plenty will help prevent headaches and dry skin caused by dehydration, it will also help to keep your eyes from drying out and feeling tired.
10). Avoid the midday sun
We recommend, when possible, avoiding the midday (11am – 3pm) sun, this is when the sun is at it’s strongest and the highest levels of UV damage occur. If you do happen to venture out at this time of day for a period of time always ensure that you wear sunscreen, a hat and your sunglasses.
Do you have any other tips? If so, please feel free to share them below…
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