You have probably heard a lot about sun safety including the importance of wearing sunscreen and staying out of the sun when it’s hottest and sunrays are the strongest. However, the common safety advice usually does not tell you how to protect your eyes. The sun’s rays are extremely powerful, so it is just as important to protect your eyes as it is your skin. Without proper eye protection, you can develop eye diseases later in life. Researchers say that 80 percent of a person’s sun exposure occurs before he or she turns 18 years of age, so it is especially important for kids to take care of their eyes.

How can the sun damage your eyes?

The sun’s rays, called UVR (Ultraviolet Radiation), come in three forms: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC rays are very harmful, but fortunately, the atmosphere gets rid of them before they can affect our bodies. UVB rays can cause sunburn on the cornea and photokeratitis, a growth on the cornea called pterygium, and cloudy vision called cataracts. These rays can also lead to cancer in the eyes and can cause adults to need reading glasses. UVA rays can damage the retina, which is the thin membrane in the back of the eye, and can also lead to cataracts.

Many of these negative effects of sun exposure do not become apparent until later in life, so it is important to take good care of your eyes when you are young to ensure you will have good vision and be a healthy adult.

Some eye problems do not wait to appear; their symptoms show immediately. For example, photokeratitis (inflammation of the cornea) and photoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the white part of the eye), two conditions that show up from too much UVR in one day. The temporary effects of over exposure to the sun sometimes last only a few hours or days.

Looking at the sun too much is not the only way sun can damage your eyes. When the sun reflects off certain surfaces, the reflections can also be harmful. While most ground such as water, soil, and grass only reflect about 10 percent of the sun’s rays, snow reflects almost 80 percent! The sand on the beach even reflects 15 percent. These reflections often go straight into your eyes because you are more likely to look at the ground than directly into the sun.

Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., the sun’s rays are strongest and do the most damage. If you can, avoid being in direct sunlight for extended periods of time during these peak hours.

How do you protect your eyes?

Sunglasses are a common solution but not all sunglasses work the same, so it is important to be educated and make smart choices. Here are some things to look for when picking a pair of sunglasses:

• Check that the label states that a minimum of 99 percent UVA and UVB rays are blocked (although 100 percent blockage is ideal).
  
• Sunglasses that have large lenses and wrap around the face provide the most protection because they block the most sunlight, especially around the edges of the eyes.
  
• The best lenses are the darkest and grayest. They block the most rays.
  
• Wear a hat with a brim along with sunglasses for even better protection.
  
• Choose sunglasses that are not so dark that they make it hard to see or that make everything different colors and interfere with vision.

Some contact lenses also act like sunglasses, and they make sure that rays do not enter the edges of the eyes (unlike sunglasses, which can allow rays to enter the sides).

What are the different kinds of lenses?

• Clip-on lenses attach to regular glasses. They can be useful, but sometimes they fall off or scratch the lens of the regular glasses. They can also let rays enter the eyes if they are not completely attached or if there are any gaps.
  
• Photochromatic lenses change color according to the brightness of the light and the temperature. They can be helpful for people with glasses because they don’t have to have a separate pair of glasses for indoors and outdoors. One problem is that it sometimes takes a little while for the lenses to change color, which could not be fast enough.
  
• Polarizing lenses lessen the amount of glare, so they are good for drivers of cars or boats.
  
• Gradient lenses are different colors in different parts of the lenses. These can be useful if they are darker at the top because the rays are coming from overhead.
  
• For kids especially, the best kinds of lens are made of a material called polycarbonate. These lenses do not break or shatter very easily.

It is your job to take good care of your eyes and protect them from the sun so that they can serve you for many years to come.