5 Reasons “You Should Wear Sunglasses In The Winter.” Sharing guidelines for using your sun blocking eyewear to protect your eyes and the skin around them from the sun.
5 Reasons You Should Wear Sunglasses In The Winter can help you become aware of the sun’s dangers.
As we learn more about how dangerous the sun is when you are exposed for longer periods at a time, what can you do?
Well-fitting sunglasses are the foundation of your sun blocking wardrobe. A hat with a 3-inch brim and your sunglasses are important, summer and winter.
Sunglasses, your sun hat, and your sunscreen will get you started in the right direction.
Your sunglasses reduce glare, protect from UV rays, and help protect from air and wind-blown irritants. Add to these 3 important reasons, how they reduce sun-caused headaches and eyestrain. Sunglasses protect vision and allow safer driving on bright sunny days.
1. Your Sunglasses Will Reduce Glare, A Reason To Wear Sunglasses In The Winter
During the winter, precipitation can coat every surface in water, snow, and ice. We have some wet weather in our part of the world that can be dangerous. Not as much as lots of areas, but the issue with wet weather?
We are not accustomed to wet and icy conditions. Don’t tell the neighbors, some of us don’t always drive well in it. So having sunglasses for driving when we have snow? You can’t safely leave home without your sunglasses.
The resulting extremely bright reflections can easily cause glare everywhere. This can severely limit your vision.
This kind of reflective glare is particularly dangerous for you while driving. Even snowmobiling, and skiing. The glare reflecting from moisture and frozen moisture over everything is deceptive.
Too often the reflections are distorted and if you are moving, can turn dangerous. It can be hard to know if the walkway if you are walking, or the roadway if driving is clear.
Good quality sunglasses dramatically reduce your glare to provide a safe and more comfortable vision for your activities.
Polarized lenses are particularly effective at protecting your eyes from these dangerous reflections.
Quality sunglasses don’t have to be expensive. Shop carefully, checking that there are 98 or 100% blocking of the UV rays.
Polarized lines are good as well as they help with reflections on surfaces. Make sure to check the labels and descriptive hang tags to make sure you are getting good eye protection.
2. Here is How Sunglasses Protect from UV Rays
Your sunglasses will protect you from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Overexposure to UV from the sun rays is associated with the development of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Cataracts are the result of your eyes getting too much exposure to the sun.
Doctors tell us that the UV rays will usually damage your corneas first. Your eyes respond to this overexposure by growing a scab over your corneas.
This scab will begin to allow you a lesser quality of sight and soon make seeing difficult. It can seem that you are trying to see in a dimly lit room.
Most of us have cataracts as we get older, but too much sun can make you need this surgery when you are younger. Wearing your sunglasses in summer and winter can slow down cataracts.
Most quality sunglasses block 100% of harmful UVA, UVB, and UVC rays.
Choosing frames that have oversized lenses or a wraparound design will help protect the skin around your eyes.
Providing excellent protection to the delicate skin around your eyes helps protect you from wrinkles and premature aging caused by UV rays.
When the sun glares off the snow, the issue is compounded. This alone makes wearing sunglasses in winter essential for long-term eye health.
3. Your Sunglasses Will Protect Eyes from Wind, Dust, and Debris.
Wearing your sunglasses will create an effective wind barrier.
This does 2 things, it will protect your eye and reduce the evaporation of natural moisture. Keeping your eyes moist will help keep your eyes comfortable.
Wearing sunglasses also helps keep contact lenses from drying.
Sunglasses can also prevent windblown particles from causing corneal abrasions. This is important here where we live. When the wind blows, the allergens in the air also cause problems.
I have been surprised that close-fitting, wraparound-style sunglasses are particularly effective. You would have thought it would have been apparent how this style works at preventing injuries from wind, dust, and debris.
Some lenses even have special coatings that repel dust, water, oils, fingerprints, and lotions to aid in keeping eyes safe and vision streak-free.
4. Reduce Headaches And Eyestrain By Wearing Your Sunglasses.
The pupils in your eyes control how much light reaches the light-sensitive retina in the back of your eye.
When the light is dim, your pupils dilate to allow as much light in as possible.
When light is bright, the pupils in your eyes constrict to prevent too much light from striking the retina.
In extremely bright conditions, the pupil cannot constrict enough to bring the light exposure to a comfortable level. This causes squinting in an attempt to further reduce the amount of light entering your eyes.
Squinting and the constant constriction of pupils lead to headaches and eyestrain.
Wearing your sunglasses will help reduce the amount of light that reaches your eyes. In turn, this increases comfort and reduces the painful side effects of fatigue.
5. Wearing Sunglasses In Winter Improve Vision
Your eyes require just the right amount of light for good vision and long-term health.
Having too little light is as bad as too much.
Excessive glare, such as that from the sun hitting off the snow, causes light-induced “bleaching” of the retinas. This light-induced event also reduces your ability to see.
This is referred to as snow blindness, and can last just seconds or maybe longer. It is not permanent. If you are driving or moving in any form you could have an accident. Even just walking!
For these reasons, quality sunglasses are important for healthy eyes and improved vision. You can find reasonably priced sunglasses with a bit of patience. Make sure to read the labels, and that they fit your face and head.
When shopping for your sunglasses consider buying as high quality as you can. Take better care of them.
Lifestyle Shift: Sun Blocking Tools
Only a few years ago sunglasses were usually considered only a fashion accessory. Made you look cool, or whatever. Sure they did that, but a major tool in my sun blocking wardrobe? I didn’t even consider it!
Learning how important it is to protect your eyes from the sun just wasn’t a part of my conscious plan. However, the more I thought about it, and visited with our dermatologist, the more important sunglasses became.
As I began to consider how to help my family do a better job of taking care of their skin, I realized we all wore sunglasses. Not the younger ones, but all adults.
The younger ones had sunglasses, we were just not very helpful to remind them to wear them. They must learn early in life to protect their eyes, just like their skin. So even though I thought we were improving?
I realized we are still struggling to change some lifestyle habits. We are learning to use our sun blocking tools, but are not pros yet.
The stakes are pretty high. Will too much sun exposure make you a candidate for cataract surgery? Mine did! So all that business of thinking I was not going to pay for the times I ignored the safety protocol of fun in the sun.
Cataracts Macular Degeneration And Pterygium
These 3 conditions are more likely to occur if you expose your eyes to excessive amounts of UV radiation. (Spend lots of time out in the bright sun without sunglasses or a sun hat.)
Sunglasses offer great protection against ultraviolet radiation.
Wearing them is an easy way to minimize your risk of developing these problems.
A cataract is a condition in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded. This leads you to blurred vision.
Macular degeneration occurs due to a particular type of retinal damage that ruins central vision.
Pterygium is an overgrowth of tissue on the white part of the eye that can sometimes cause astigmatism and blurred vision.
Wearing sunglasses with an oversized lens or wrap-a-round style blocks more sun from your face and eye area. Adding your 3-inch wide brim hat will further protect your head, face, neck, and ears.
Cancer Prevention
Skin cancers are found on the eyelids. Additionally, some cancers of the eye are associated with excessive UV exposure.
By wearing a pair of sunglasses that offers adequate protection from UVA and UVB radiation, you can cut your risk considerably.
While preventing skin cancer is what made me look at sun blocking clothing, I have become aware of our need for eye protection as well.
Skin cancer can be quite aggressive, and we can get too much sun so easily. We must become aware of the occasions when we get too much sun, and move on with protecting ourselves.
As we become aware of the need for being responsible for ourselves. And how much sun we are exposed to! No wonder parts of my skin already are paying the price of neglect.
Use your sunscreen to help your sun blocking clothing do a complete job of protecting your skin. If you haven’t invested in sun blocking clothing with the finishes or weaves that work so well, at least cover your skin.
Sunglasses Can Make You Look Younger
I can hear you now! How can sunglasses make you look younger? Could you be missing an easy “youth hack?”
Besides the fact that a hot pair of shades makes pretty much anyone feel younger on the inside. They can also make you look younger on the outside.
One reason for this is that while you are protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays? You’re also protecting the delicate skin surrounding them.
End result? This can mean fewer wrinkles and saggy skin around your eyes. So you will look younger as you age, leading to a more youthful appearance over time.
Remember it is our lifestyle that has allowed us to get too much sun. We can change the negligent attitude about protecting our skin and become more careful.
What Is Your Risk For Skin Cancer? Higher Risk Individuals Need the Extra Protection.
Some people are at higher risk of complications associated with excessive UV exposure to the eyes.
If you meet any of the following criteria, take extra care to protect your eyes from harmful UV radiation. Protective sunglasses are needed:
Have you had cataract surgery?
Do you take medication that causes photosensitivity?
Did you inherit light-colored eyes or light or red hair?
When you are in the sun do you freckle easily? Please remember to wear your sunglasses and your sunblocking hat. Give your skin a chance to be healthy, and skin cancer-free.
You Can Protect Your Eyes On A Budget
Sunglasses protect your eyes and are available for every style and budget.
Consider all of the benefits to the health of your eyes from wearing sunglasses regularly. A carefully chosen pair can add to your sun blocking toolbox.
Also, it’s easy to find a pair regardless of how your budget allows you to spend on them.
There are hundreds of styles to choose from on a very frugal budget or a high-end designer budget.
A great pair of sunglasses can make you look more hip, stylish, or even mysterious (if that’s your thing!). So have fun with selecting a great pair – it’ll be well worth it in more ways than one!
Sunglass Etiquette
Were you aware that there are some rules for wearing sunglasses? Maybe more like social awareness guidelines?
As we are realizing that we should be wearing our sunglasses more, we could be guilty of being rude! Your sunglasses may become a normal fixture on your face. Read through the rules at the link above to make yourself aware.
I have to admit I was guilty of some unintentional rudeness! Now I know!
I hope we don’t have to sacrifice social interactions for keeping ourselves safe from too much sun!
Sami’s Take On “5 Reasons You Should Wear Sunglasses In The Winter”
Having fun in the sun has always been a part of my life, and my family as well. We are learning that we may have had too much fun along the way.
We are all having more skin cancers as my kids are getting more mature. My mom didn’t have skin cancer until she was in her late 70s. I fully expected that to be when I needed to pay attention!
However, the exposure during the years we were boating and water skiing caught up with us. We were not careful, I was not careful and found myself in the dermatologist’s office way too early!
My husband has already had a squamous carcinoma that resulted in some reconstruction after mhos surgery. My kids have all had to have squamous carcinomas removed as well. No reconstruction yet for them.
You can have fun in the sun, but you do have to protect yourself. It is the awareness that will help you make lifestyle changes.
Make sure you and your family have some sun blocking tools to work with. Awareness is a good tool. Wearing your sunglasses. Your sun blocking hat. Don’t forget the long sleeve loose-fitting shirt.
Wintertime can surprise you. Be ready to notice all the times you are not protecting your skin. Now that you know, you will be surprised.
Stay safe in the sun, and have fun but don’t forget to protect your skin.