Preventing Sun Damage

Many people are unaware of how the sun’s damaging rays can affect your eyes. Most of us would never go outside without sunblock. Likewise, you should protect your eyes from the sun every time you go outside.

UV and Blue Light

Long-term exposure to both Ultra-Violet (UV) light and visible blue light can permanently damage the eyes. Most damage to the eye from UV exposure happens when we are young. Blue light damage, however, continues throughout our entire life.

The following eye diseases and disorders can be caused by sun damage:

• Macular Degeneration - AMD is the #1 cause of vision loss, and is made worse and often caused by blue light exposure.

• Cataracts and Cancers - Cataracts and cancers develop over time from UV exposure. Each time you go outside without eye protection, you increase your risk of these diseases.

• Pterygium - Pterygium, also known as Surfer’s Eye is just one of the growths that can show up on the eyes of teens and adults who spend a lot of time outdoors.

• Snow-Blindness - also known as photokeratitis, this occurs when your eye is sunburned by UV reflections off of snow, ice, sand, or water. ​​​​​​​

Protecting from Sun Damage: Transitions

Most blue-light filtering AR coatings only block 8-10% of blue light and offer little in the way of UV protection. Transition lenses, however, have 20% blue light filtering indoors and a whopping 85% blue light filtering when they are outdoors. Transitions are the best way to protect yourself from damaging sun-rays when you are unable to switch into sunglasses. You can also combine your Transition lenses with a blue light blocking anti-glare coating for even more protection!

Not All Sunglasses are Made Equal

Did you know over 80% of sunglasses sold in retail spaces do not protect from sun damage?

• Glasses with spray-on UV coatings will wear off, but the best sunglasses will have UV protection embedded into the lens. When purchasing lenses, look for a label that says “100% protection against both UVA and UVB light” or “100% protection against UV 400.”

• Many glasses advertise polarization. Polarization stops glare, but will not help you with blocking UV.

• Don’t forget about blue light! Many sunglasses block UV light but not visible blue light! Blue light penetrates your eye all the way to the retina and can be severely damaging. Look for amber-colored sunglasses that are able to block UV and blue light. As a bonus, amber sunglasses make objects more distinct in hazy conditions when compared to gray sunglasses.

Here at Brandon Eyes, we only have sunglasses that are designed to meet the strictest standards for coverage against UV sun damage, blue light, and glare.

Protecting your Eyes: Macular Pigment Supplements

You may have heard that Macular Degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness later in age. Our Macula contains Macular Pigment, which are phytonutrients that protect your retina from blue light, and other damage. Fruits, vegetables, and salmon are great natural sources of nutrients your body uses to turn into Macular Pigment. For those with low levels of Macular Pigment, we offer Vision Elements Early Defense Supplements. These supplements can help your body to replenish it's Macular Pigment and preserve your eye health as long as possible.