Eye Safety Tips For The Weekend Warrior

Many of us work long hours and have little time for activity during the week. But when the weekend comes, it’s time to go out and play!

Eye Protection Is Important In An Active Lifestyle

Whether you’re a passionate runner, avid climber, or someone who enjoys the occasional round of golf, it’s important to remember to protect your eyes when you’re on the go. It is estimated that 40,000 sports-related eye injuries occur every year in the United States. The good news is, 90% of those accidents are avoidable.

Choose The Right Protection For Your Activity

No matter what activities you participate in after putting in a long week of hard work, it’s important to wear the right vision protection. Here are a few sport-specific suggestions:

Hiking and outdoor activities: Sturdy street-wear sunglasses with UV protection

Running or Bicycling: Sturdy street-wear frames with polycarbonate or CR-39 lenses

Racquetball: Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses

Squash: Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses

Swimming and pool sports: Swim goggles recommended

Tennis (singles): Sturdy street-wear frames with polycarbonate or CR-39 lenses

Tennis (doubles): Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses

Find Eyewear With Proper UV Protection

While there isn’t an increased risk of eye injury in every sport, all outdoor sports have one common threat to our vision health—UV rays.

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Ultraviolet or UV rays are emitted from the sun and prolonged exposure can do lasting damage to our skin and our eyes. Health risks of continued UV exposure include:

cataracts—a clouding of the eye’s lens,

photokeratitis—a temporary but painful sunburn on the surface of the eyes—also known as snowblindness, and

skin cancer—a common form of cancer which can even develop in our eyelids and in the skin surrounding our eyes.

The sun also provides other risk factors to our vision health. Continual exposure to blue light–another harmful portion of the solar spectrum–has been found to cause macular degeneration. Even a few hours in the sun can hamper our eyes’ ability to adjust in the dark, making it difficult to drive at night after a day outside.

We Can Help Protect Your Vision

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete, it’s important to take the necessary steps to protect your vision health. As your lifelong vision partner, we’re committed to protecting your vision and whole body health so you can continue to enjoy your active lifestyle. If you have any questions or you’d learn more about custom made eyewear, schedule an appointment to come in and see us or leave a comment below!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.