Are Sunglasses Necessary In Winter?

Wearing sunglasses in Champaign IL can help protect your eye health. Sunglasses are even important in winter! Knowing how sunglasses protect your eyes and why it’s important to wear them in winter can help you avoid eye diseases. Here’s what you need to know about this important issue.

How Sunglasses Protect Your Eyes

Sunglasses protect your eyes by filtering the UV rays from the sun. UV rays can increase your risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts. UV rays can also do temporary damage to your eyes, similar to a sunburn. This condition is called photokeratitis, the inflammation of the corneas.

Why Sunglasses Help In Winter Too

The sun can damage your eyes in winter as well as summer. In fact, one of the ways that people get photokeratitis is when sunlight bounces off of snow and reflects back into the eyes. That’s why it’s important to wear sunglasses when participating in winter outdoor events like skiing, snowboarding and hiking.

Best practices for wearing sunglasses in winter:

• If buying non-prescription sunglasses, check the label to see that the sunglasses you’re purchasing will filter UVA and UVB rays.
• If you’re buying prescription sunglasses, double check with the clerk at the eye doctor to ensure that the glasses you’re buying will filter out these rays.
• Keep multiple pairs of prescription sunglasses on hand, so you’ll always have sunglasses when you need them.
• Keep your sunglasses protected in a case so they won’t get scratched. This will make wearing them more rewarding.

Get Your Pair of Prescription Sunglasses Today

If you wear prescription glasses but don’t have sunglasses, now is the time to buy some! Make an appointment with your eye doctor in Champaign IL today to get your new prescription sunglasses.