Sunglasses do more than just help you see on sunny days. (Photo Courtesy of Ross Lavigne)

By Chris Brown

The eyes have it

Eye safety on sunny days often overlooked

Aug 6, 2020 | 4:31 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – There are many benefits to living where there are 330 days of sunshine each year.

But there’s also a health risk that all too often is overlooked.

During sunny days people usually remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and put on a hat.

But the eyes aren’t always seen as something to be protected.

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Jim Stewart, co-owner of 20/20 Vision Care, says that’s a big no-no.

“You want to protect your eyes from the UV damage it can cause. Some problems of UV, cataracts clouding of the eye is a long-developing thing but it’s going to promote that to go a lot quicker. Skin cancer around the eye or of the eyes themselves. There’s lots of research now that macular degeneration starts to get going a little quicker because of ultraviolet rays and overexposure to ultraviolet rays,” he says.

Stewart adds that by the time you notice a problem with your eyes its too late and so it’s never too early to think about protecting them from the sun

“You need to be thinking about it right from day one. Day one being, 50 per cent of our UV exposure happens by the time we’re 18 years old,” he said. “Protect the kids when they’re younger about UV getting into their eyes. You want a little bit to develop some of the things inside the eyes but the biggest thing is you want to protect against the UV.”

Lenses with full UV protection are the best way to protect your eyes, says Stewart.

“We’ve set up ourselves with Zeiss lens company, all of their lenses are 100 per cent ultraviolet protection and that’s the biggest thing. You can get some UV protection in some lenses but not covering the full spectrum,” he says.

The same holds true for sunglasses.

“The worst thing people can do is get a pair of sunglasses that may not have full coverage and now they put a dark lens in front of their eye, their pupil opens up and lets more UV light in than if they were squinting and didn’t have any on at all,” says Stewart.

And even on those rare cloudy Medicine Hat days, you need to think protection.

“People don’t realize if it gets cloudy, clouds don’t act as a UV barrier,” Stewart says. “You’re still going to get the full UV coming through clouds so you need to be careful even when it’s cloudy. Enjoy Medicine Hat, enjoy the sunny weather safely – protect your eyes.”