You may think that you no longer need to wear sunglasses now that winter is fully upon us, but that isn’t necessarily true. Our Calgary optometrist discusses 3 reasons why you need to wear sunglasses, even during the colder seasons.
Your eyesight is one of your most valuable senses, which is why it’s important to pay close attention to the health of your vision, especially as the weather becomes colder and the days become darker.
In fact, just a few simple steps can help you protect your eyesight and keep you seeing clearly through the snow. These include:
- Staying away from heaters to prevent dry eyes
- Talking to your optometrist about using saline eye drops to keep your eyes adequately moisturized.
- Visiting your optometrist for your annual eye exam
- Wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays
Our Qualified Optometrists Ensure Your Eyes Stay Healthy Throughout the Year
At Sunridge Eye Clinic, our team of qualified optometrists are passionate about providing comprehensive vision services including dry eye care, glaucoma testing, children’s eye exams, and contact lens fittings, to keep your eyes healthy and vision clear throughout the year.
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3 Reasons Why You Must Wear Sunglasses During the Winter
If sunglasses keep your eyes safe from the sun in the summer, then they are twice as important during the winters. Why? Studies have shown that winter brings with it a double threat to the eyes.
During the winter, sun rays still carry the same UVA and UVB rays as they do in the summer, but in snowy regions, the threat to the eyes is doubled as snow acts as a reflective medium for the rays.
Here are 3 reasons why you must wear sunglasses during the winter:
1. Sunglasses Protect Your Eyes From Glare
During the cold season, snow coats almost every surface of our environment, and this can lead to extremely bright reflections of sunlight, which in turn can cause glare that may seriously impair your vision. This is especially dangerous while you’re driving or skiing.
Get the ultimate protection with polarised lenses: Talk to your optometrist about how polarised lenses can protect your eyes from glare, provide more comfortable vision, and shield your eyes from dangerous reflections.
2. Sunglasses Filter The Sun’s Harmful UV Rays
Whether it’s in the summer or the winter, constant exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) has been linked to certain ocular conditions such as:
- Cataracts
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- Eye cancer
Quality sunglasses will filter harmful UVA and UVB rays and work towards lowering your risk of developing these conditions and vision loss.
Keep the wrinkles at bay: In addition, sunglasses provide excellent protection for the skin around your eyes, preventing wrinkles and premature ageing caused by UV rays.
3. Sunglasses Act as an Important Barrier
Winters can be very windy, and as a result, you may have dust and debris flying into your eyes and causing painful, and potentially dangerous, corneal abrasions. Sunglasses will act as a wind barrier and prevent any debris from entering your eyes.
Consider this: Close-fitting, wrap-around style sunglasses are particularly effective at preventing these injuries. In addition, some sunglasses come with special hydrophobic lenses that repel dust, water, and oils, to keep your vision absolutely clear.
Contact Us
To find out more about how our optometrists can help keep your eyes and vision clear and comfortable in winter, and all year long, contact our eye clinic at 403-280-7518 or fill in our online contact form.
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