Sunglasses are not just for the summer in Meltham
Most of us do not think about UV in winter. We live in the UK where daylight hours are short and it is cold. On winter days especially snowy winter days UV levels can be very high. On snowy days UV is reflected from the surface of the snow giving us a double dose of UV, and so UV protection is even more important.
Polarized sunglasses give the ultimate help from sun glare. They stop reflected light from dazzling us as well as reducing brightness and giving UV protection. The reflected light in winter often comes from the snow or the sun reflecting off a wet road. This makes it easier to see especially when driving or walking into that low winter sun.
Stay safe in the sun, even in winter
There are also health benefits to wearing sunglasses in winter. UV is associated with cataract development and also causes the delicate skin around our eyes to age more quickly. In extreme cases overexposure to UV can cause snow blindness (photokeratitis). This is a temporary but very painful loss of vision due to UV damaging the cornea (the clear coat over our iris and pupil), effectively a sunburnt cornea. It does heal in 24-48 hours but better to avoid it and your risk is higher on a sunny snowy day.
On a bright windy day sunglasses can protect us from the wind drying our eyes leading to the eyes becoming irritated and sore.
Help reduce eyestrain
Sunglasses can also reduce eyestrain. On a bright day our pupils try to constrict to reduce the light entering the eye so we can see clearly without dazzle. When our pupils cannot constrict enough it leads us to screw our eyes up to reduce the light further this can give headaches and eyestrain. With sunglasses on the light is reduced already so our pupil can do the work of keeping the light filtered more effectively.
So keep those sunglasses handy in the winter do not pack them away with your shorts! If you need new sunglasses or specialist sunglasses with your prescription in come along and see us at Allegro Optical Opticians. We offer a full range of sunglass options including polarized. To book your consultation call 01484 907090
