13
Dec 2013
Protecting Eyes While Enjoying Winter Sports
Winter brings the ski season in many parts of the world as well as the right conditions for all sorts of outdoor snow sports. When we get away for an incredible weekend ski adventure, we know how important it is to pack warm coats and hats, gloves and snow boots, and maybe even a scarf. While these measures protect us from the obvious threats of winter elements, it’s also important to consider how the cold weather and activities it brings can pose a threat to our eyes.
Photokeratitis is the medical term for snow blindness. This is when the snow reflects the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
A heavy snow can reflect up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays skyward. If our eyes aren’t properly protected, they can suffer acute and cumulative damage from exposure to these rays.
Snow blindness can leave a victim with temporary sensitivity to light, and a feeling of having something stuck in the eye. If the eyes are not regularly protected from UV rays, the threat of cataracts and macular degeneration increases later in life.
The odds only get worse with frequent bouts of snow blindness.
Protection from UV rays while enjoying winter sports is especially important for children. A child’s eyes are still developing and have less than half the protection from UV damage that an adult’s eyes have. It’s important to protect children’s’ eyes with proper sunglasses or goggles in snowy environments.
Choosing the proper sunglasses and goggles for winter sports is important, and there are several factors to consider.
1) Be sure to only purchase sunglasses which protect against both UVA and UVB rays. You can also purchase prescription lenses.
2) Consider eye injury from impact in addition to light damage. Goggles provide not only protection from the sun’s harmful rays, but also from impacts during sports and winter adventures.
There are a myriad of options for goggles, it just depends on what you want to spend and your specific needs. They come in varying light blocking capabilities determined by what percentage of light is allowed through. Goggles are available with differing venting options, anti-fog coatings, mirrored lenses, polarized lenses, etc., and once again, prescription lenses are a viable option. You can also get them with interchangeable lenses for different purposes.
We should never take the health of our eyes for granted. Remember these basic tips to keep your eyes healthy and safe this winter season. If you are experiencing issues with your eyes or vision or would like to explore your options for improving the health of your eyes, one of our expert eye professionals is happy to help.
You can visit us online at https://www.spektaclessandiego.com to learn more about issues that affect eye health or give us a call at 760-452-2895 to schedule an eye exam.
