Most of us know how damaging sun exposure can be for our skin, but did you know that the sun is even worse for our eyes? Our eyes lack the ability to protect themselves from Melanin, the substance that creates a sun tan. That is why it is important to always wear sun glasses during the day. If you wear prescription glasses you should make sure that they include the proper UV protection. This is most important for children, since we get most of our sun exposure in the eyes before age 18.
At Laria Eye Care, our Miami eye doctors recommend photo-chromatic (Transitions or Sunsensor lenses) for 2 reasons. They work based on how much ultraviolet radiation is present and therefore they protect your eyes even on cloudy days. Most of us forget to put on our sunglasses, especially children. If you have Transitions, they automatically protect you without you even realizing it. There are only two downsides to Transitions lenses. First, they don't darken very much in our cars since our windshield blocks UV. Second, some people may feel that they don't get dark enough. In this case, we can make prescription sun glasses for you with polarized lenses.
Polarized lenses are so far the best option for sun protection when we want to wear a dark sunglass. Besides protection from UV light, the sunlight is only allowed to pass through the lens in one single plane, or axis. Thus, this type of lens eliminates glare and reflections of bright surfaces to a great extent. It is the best option for skiers or other snow sports as well as boating or any outdoor sports. Polarized lenses eliminate the sun reflection of the surface of the water, allowing you to see into the ocean or lakes easier and reinforcing your detection of different depths and colors in the water.
Furthermore, the company transitions recently developed a lens that becomes dark as well as polarized in the sun. This allows for the benefit of a normal clear lens at night and a polarized sunglass in the sun.
In our Miami eye care office, we can manufacture Transitions and polarized lenses of all prescriptions and provide you with the visual health and comfort that your eyes deserve.
Effects Of The Sun On Your Eyes
Wrinkles and skin cancer on the eyelids
The sun causes wrinkles since it damages skin and also since sunlight makes us squint so much. Excess UV overtime cause mutations in the skin that lead to superficial types of skin cancers that are generally not metastatic but can cause lessions that need to be surgically removed.
Pterygium/pinguecula: UV can cause abnormal inflammatory tissue that grows next to or over the cornea of the eye. Not only does it look bad cosmetically, but it can severely decrease vision if it is allowed to grow too much. Surgery is indicated in such cases.
Cataracts
The lens of the eye turns cloudy causing vision loss. Literally the sun heats the eye causing protein to denature similar to when we fry an egg.
Macular Degeneration
The macula is the only part of the eye that sees 20/20. Macular Degeneration is the second leading cause of permanent blindness in the US. It mostly occurs over the age of 65 and more predominately in Caucasians who lack Melanin in their light colored eyes. UV exposure through a lifetime can accelerate a genetic predisposition to develop this condition.
Schedule your next Miami eye exam at Laria Eye Care Today!
Lianette Laria, OD
On Facebook at Laria Eye Care