We all know that its important to protect our skin from the damaging rays of the sun, but did you know your eyes need protection as well?
"The best way to protect your eyes is to wear sunglasses," advises Dr. Alan Kozarsky, an opthalmologist.
Because sunglasses help block harmful ultraviolet light from entering our eyes. So by wearing them;
"You're preventing benign and cancerous growths on your eyelid, on the surface of your eye, you're helping to prevent cataract and you're probably decreasing the probability of getting macular degeneration," Kozarksy says.
Dr. Kozarsky displays a model of the eye. When you don't wear sunglasses UVA and UVB light
"Goes thru the cornea and it gets absorbed by the natural clear lens of the eye."
The lens can change and turn cloudy and that's called a cataract.
The sun can also damage the back of the eye, the retina, leading to macular degeneration or loss of central vision.
When shopping for a pair of sunglasses:
- choose ones that block 100% of uva and uvb rays and
- look for wraparound styles
And don't forget children. They need to wear sunglasses too.
"I tell people they should feel naked if they're not wearing their sunglasses," Kozarsky says.
(Holly Firfer for CNN's Health Minute)
