For decades ‘being smart in the sun’ campaigns have raised awareness about the dangers of sun exposure. But do we protect our eyes as much as we protect our skin, particularly when our eyes are 10 times more sensitive?

Risk of UV damage to the eyes

Even on cloudy days, we should wear high protection sunglasses to reduce the UV radiation reaching our eyes.  This is to protect ourselves from eye diseases such as degeneration of the retina, damage to the cornea, cataracts, skin cancer around the eyes and macular degeneration.

Children and young adults can be more vulnerable to sun-induced eye damage. We receive 80% of our lifetime’s exposure to UV before our 18th birthday, so developing good eyewear protection habits should start early.

Quality UV protection

We prescribe high quality sunglasses with a high eye protection factor. Look for the mandatory labelling on sunglasses to identify the level of protection. We generally recommend lens category 3 classification for a high level of sun glare reduction and good UV protection. With prescription sunglasses you can protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, reduce glare and maximise your vision, all without sacrificing on style. 

Sports specific eyewear can enhance performance whilst protecting eyes from harmful UV rays and injury. Sports specific coloured lenses highlight colours, alter light levels, enhance clarity and reduce glare. 

UV – Know your risk

An eye examination is the best way to monitor your family’s overall eye health with the objective of maintaining good vision throughout life.

As part of our comprehensive eye examination, we will look for any signs of sun damage along

with other eye conditions. Often, we will pick up on eye health changes before you notice any changes to your vision.