Sunglasses

What is the Importance of Using Sunglasses?

Sunglasses are a type of eyewear designed to protect the eyes from sunlight. Today, most doctors emphasize the importance of using standard sunglasses, especially after surgeries like LASIK and PRK, as the eyes require special care.

Additionally, if you wish to read something outdoors in sunlight, snow and water reflect the surrounding light toward the eyes. Therefore, in places like the beach or during activities like skiing, more light is reflected from the environment toward the eyes, making it necessary to wear sunglasses.

Why do we need sunglasses?

You don’t need to look directly at the sun to harm your eyes; ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are reflected off sand, snow, rocks, water, and all surfaces around us toward the eyes, causing significant damage.

UV rays from the sun can lead to conditions like presbyopia and cataracts, and even corneal burns that can cause blindness. Recent studies have shown that prolonged exposure to sunlight without protection increases the likelihood of developing eye diseases.

Ophthalmologists recommend that if you plan to spend long hours outdoors or if you’re using sunlight for tanning, you must be equipped with a hat and appropriate sunglasses.

Engineers, workers, welders, and even people who use tanning lamps or solariums should wear sunglasses that absorb UV rays.

Excessive exposure to sunlight or artificial UV light sources can cause burns in the outer layers of the skin, such as the cornea and conjunctiva, resulting in something similar to a sunburn on the surface tissues of the eye. The likelihood of this damage is higher in environments that reflect UV rays, like water and snow.

Although superficial eye burns are painful, they usually improve on their own within one to two days. However, prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause damage to the deeper layers of the eye.

Cataracts, or lens opacity, which accounts for nearly half of eye disorders and affects millions of people annually, is closely linked to sunlight and UV exposure.

Macular degeneration, another form of retinal damage that occurs with aging at the center of the visual field, is the leading cause of blindness in older individuals and is linked to exposure to UV rays and intense blue light.