5 Tips to Protect Your Eyes This Summer

June 28, 2021

5 Tips to Protect Your Eyes This Summer

Most people tend to overlook eye protection, unaware there are two types of damage including UVA and UVB. UVA rays penetrate deep, causing damage to the macula, the part of your retina in the back of your eye. UVB rays don’t penetrate as deep but can still damage your cornea and lens.

This type of damage can lead to many eye issues, including:

Macular degeneration
Cataracts
Pterygium
Cancer of the eyelids
Corneal sunburn

Here are 5 ways you can prevent damage and protect your eyes this summer:

1. Wear Sunglasses

When shopping for sunglasses, make sure they have “100% UV protection” or “UV400”. To protect your eyes even more, opt for a style that wraps around the sides of your eyes to keep rays from reaching your eyes from the side.

2. Wear a Hat

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat in addition to the sunglasses will offer you maximum protection. A hat blocks about half of the rays you are exposed to, and will also protect you from rays that come in from above or around your sunglasses.

3. Avoid Peak Sun Hours

Although mid-day is when most people like to enjoy the sun, this is also when the sun can be most harmful. When you are outside, be sure to wear your hat and sunglasses as well as sunscreen between 10 AM – 4 PM. Staying in the shade as much as possible is helpful as well.

4. Never Look Directly at the Sun

Looking directly at the sun can cause major damage to your eyes, even with sunglasses on. The most common form of damage is retinopathy, retina damage caused by solar radiation.

5. Cloudy Doesn’t Mean Safe

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Sun rays still pass through haze and clouds, so wearing eye protection is always important.

Enjoy the weather and protect your eyes this summer!

Trust ZiekerEye Ophthalmology for leading-edge solutions in vision care. Call us at 518-450-1080 or use our convenient online Request an Appointment form to connect with our scheduling team.