From a young age Australians are educated about the dangers of sun exposure to their skin, but what about the sun’s impact on our eyes? Quality sunglass UV protection year-round is the best solution for protecting your family’s eyes from the risk of eye disease and related vision loss. Read more below about UV eye protection.
Sunscreen for your eyes
Research by the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation found that your eyes are 10 times more sensitive to UV than your skin.^ That’s why sunglasses are so much more than a fashion accessory. They’re essential in protecting our eyes from glare and damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays in the same way that sunscreen protects our skin. While the sun is an excellent source of vitamin D, too much exposure of UV radiation can contribute to eye conditions and diseases including cataracts, ptergium, and cancer of the skin around the eye.
Rain, hail or shine – UV eye protection is always needed
Have you been thinking of sunglasses as a summer accessory? Think again. Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world, which means UV rays and dangerous glare can be just as harmful to your eyes through the cooler months of the year. That’s why year-round protection is essential to maintaining good eye health. Dangerous UV rays can hit your eyes as they reflect off wet surfaces, roads, pavements and snow.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, look out for wrap-around sunglasses with glare minimising polarisation that sit closer to your face, for maximum protection. Your local expert optometrist can advise you about the right pair depending on your lifestyle.
Kids & teens are most at risk
Did you know that children are more sensitive to UV than adults? We receive 80% of our lifetime’s exposure to UV before our 18th birthday, so developing good eyewear protection habits from a young age is vital. While the need to protect our skin from UV has been ingrained in us with the Slip Slop Slap campaign, research shows that only 32% of Australian children are protecting their eyes from harmful UV, as compared with 57% of Australian parents^.
Eyewear protection for the whole family
The good news is that the advanced eyewear technologies available to us today offer better protection than ever before. This includes polarised sunglasses for reduced glare and visual discomfort and the convenience of prescription sunglasses.
Our optometrists have access to the best products in UV eye protection from around the world. Speak to your local optometrist about the most appropriate UV protection options for you and your family.
Find your nearest optometrist now
^World Health Organisation, Fact sheet No. 261, July 2001 ^‘Global Solar UV Index: Australian measurements, forecasts and comparison with the UK.’ Gies, Roy, Javorniczky, Henderson, Lemus-Deschamps and Driscoll, Photochem Photobiol, 2004. ^The Skin Cancer Foundation, Australia ^Childhood sun exposure as a risk factor for melanoma: a systematic review of epidemiologic studies. ^Whiteman, Whiteman and Green, Cancer Causes Control, 2001. ^‘Evaluation of the performance of photochromic spectacle lenses in children and adolescents aged 10 to 15 years’ – Lakkis and Weidemann, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, July 2006.