Today we have a huge amount of information at our fingertips regarding the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays (UV) and how prolonged, unprotected exposure to UV can lead to skin damage, eye tissue damage and even cancer. For this reason, the medical community has made it a priority to stress the importance of wearing sunscreen when we’re in the sun for extended periods of time. In Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley where we are at higher altitude (even closer to the sun and these harmful UV rays) sunscreen offers various degrees of UV protection by filtering out or “blocking” the harmful, invisible UVA and UVB wavelengths of light.
The same, serious approach to protecting your skin also needs to be applied to your eyes and their exposure to UV rays.
UV protection is critical to eye health
Here in Northern Colorado eye exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause damage to your eyes. Given time, UV exposure can be a contributing factor in multiple serious age-related eye conditions or diseases. For this reason, wearing lenses with maximum UV protection is of the utmost importance. UV rays are always present outdoors—on sunny days, cloudy days and every day in between.
The lens treatment of ultraviolet protection is unique in that it is built into the makeup of the lens. It does not have to applied and reapplied like sunscreen. Having glasses that contain 100% UV protection gives your eyes the best protection from UV rays the their damaging effects every time you put them on. Remember, although UV is invisible to the human eye, it is always present, here in Northern Colorado and around the world. Your lenses, therefore, should always provide 100% UV protection.
The most important thing you need to know about UV glasses is this: Make certain that your eyewear provides near or exactly 100% UV protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Any eyewear that has a lesser percentage of UV protection is less than ideal for the short and long-term protection of your healthy sight.
Learn More about UV Rays and Eye Protection
For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please call 970-204-4020 or click on the link on the side of the page.
