Sunglasses are primarily associated with summer, and for good reason. The sun shines bright, producing glare from any reflective surface. They are particularly considered a crucial component in beachwear when you spend hours gazing at the glassy waters of the sea or lake. On the road, your sunglasses will protect your eyes from the shimmering windshields, trunks, and hoods of vehicles around you.
Sunglasses are just as crucial to the protection of your eyes in winter as they are during summer. The glare produced when the sun's UV rays bounce off the white snow can be harsher than anything you experience in the hot season. Leaving your eyes exposed to the hard light can have lasting effects on your visual health.
If you plan on doing skiing, snowboarding, or any other outdoor winter activity, you need to prioritize sunglasses. Letting the reflected sunlight hit your eyes from all angles can leave you struggling with snow blindness in the short term and other eye diseases later in life. Investing in sunglasses designed to deal with the light reflected from snow can prove a great saving in the long run.
There are several important reasons you might need sunglasses in the winter:
- Protect Against Sunburn– Over-exposure of the skin to the sun's UV rays can lead to sunburn and, over time, brings the risk of developing skin cancer. The skin around your eyes, especially on your eyelids, is much more sensitive than the skin on your arms, legs, or indeed the other parts of your face. Left exposed this skin easily burns.
- Accompany a Hat– Some argue that the protection offered by hats should also be enough for the eyes. But this is often not the case when the brim is less than three inches wide. While a hat effectively blocks sunlight from above, it is of little help in shielding against the rays reflected up from snow-covered surfaces.
- Protect Your Eyes During Sports– There are many fun activities you and your family will want to engage in during your winter holidays. You will want to hit the slopes for a few days of skiing, snowboarding, sledding, or frozen lake skating. As you frolick about in the snow or ice, you will want to keep your eyes from long and short-term damage. You will especially want to keep your kids from the risk of contracting an eye disease that may linger into adulthood. Furthermore, if you are more comfortable in using contact lenses, check contact lenses plus.
- Less Exposure to UV– Fun as the slopes can be, they bear an increased risk of eye problems. The high altitude of the snow-covered mountains means you're closer to the sun. Your eyes will therefore be exposed to much more intense radiation than at lower altitudes.
- Added Accessory– Whatever outfit you're wearing, it will always look cooler when topped off with sunglasses. They don't even have to be designed by a popular fashion brand.
- Protect Against Dirt/Dust– In addition to keeping harmful UV rays from your eyes, sunglasses also keep dust and smoke particles and small insects at bay. Dirt and dust particles can cause you to tub your eyes and make them red and sore. They can actually scratch your eyes and cause not only pain but permanent damage to the eye itself.
- Prevent Headaches– Depending on how sensitive you are to bright light, sunglasses can help prevent you from developing headaches induced by eye strain. If you tend to develop migraines when exposed to excessive light, those glasses can save you from such unwanted effects.
- Safe Driving– Sunglasses with good UV protection can help keep you safer on the road during winter. Just as your eyes are exposed to plenty of reflected sunlight in summer, your eyes can suffer a lot of glare in winter if left unprotected. In fact, the snow reflects 80 percent of the sun's rays, much more than other surfaces. Driving with your eyes squinting against the glare or suffering intense sunburn can affect your reaction times when incidents happen on the road.
- Style and Protection– A pair of stylish sunglasses can keep your eyes protected while adding a dash of style to your winter ensemble. You can get a pair of polarized prescription sunglasses online to stave off the UV rays while glamming up your look. A little comparison shopping can help you come away with glasses at shockingly low prices.
- Reduce Dry Eyes– Sunglasses can help your eyes maintain moisture. This ultimately protects against dry eyes that can be a nuisance in the winter.
Joys of Winter
Taking the precaution of giving your eyes adequate protection during winter will free you to revel in the joys of outdoor winter activities. You will have less to worry about in terms of your health both in the short and long term. You will also have the opportunity to spruce up your winter look in the process.
