If you think the sun’s powerful UV rays only affect your skin, you’re missing a critical point. Sunlight can be just as damaging to your eyes, and it’s not just during the summer that you have to worry. The winter sun can affect your eyes, also, even on cloudy, overcast days. In fact, snow reflects up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays, putting skiers and snowboarding enthusiasts at particular risk. Oklahoma residents have both hot sunny summers and unpredictable, often snowy winters to deal with.
How UV Light Affects your Vision
UV rays aren’t visible to the eye, so you don’t know when you’re being exposed. Suffice it to say that if you’re outdoors, you’re being exposed to some degree of UV light, even during the winter. UV light is more intense at higher altitudes and during the middle of the day, from around 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Some medications, including diuretics, tetracycline and sulfa drugs, can increase your sensitivity to UV rays.
UV light can be divided into three parts:
- UV-C Rays — These, the highest-energy UV rays, are mostly filtered out by the earth’s ozone layer before they reach the earth’s surface.
- UV-B Rays — These rays have a longer wave length than UV-A rays and are responsible for sun tans (and sun burns.) UV-B rays are also linked to skin cancer, wrinkles and premature aging.
- UV-A Rays — Though they have lower energy than UV-C and UV-B rays, UV-A rays can pass through the cornea of the eye and reach the retina and lens, where they can do damage. Overexposure to UV-A rays has been linked to some forms of cataracts.
Long-term exposure to UV rays can lead not only to cataracts, but macular degeneration, skin cancer around the eyes and other eye disorders, so it’s important to protect your eyes each and every time you spend time outdoors.
Protecting your Eyes from the Sun
The EPA recommends protecting your eyes from UV rays by using a combination of a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses that block between 99 and 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays. Those who wear contacts should wear UV-blocking contact lenses. For extra protection, choose wrap-around glasses that also offer peripheral coverage.
Not all sunglasses are created equally. Many are simply stylish, but don’t offer UV protection. That’s why it’s important to read the labels carefully or consult your optometrist about which sunglasses to wear. Protective sunglasses don’t have to be expensive. They just need to be designed to filter UV rays.
Don’t leave your eyes unprotected from the sun this winter. Ask your OKC optometrist to fit you for sunglasses that keep the sun’s damaging rays from reaching your eyes.