After a prolonged winter, spring is finally here, summer is only weeks away and millions of people are taking to the outdoors. They are doing more yard work, gardening, hiking, walking, sight-seeing, going to the park and amusement centers, the beach, lake and river. Let’s not forget just laying out in the sun by the pool, beach or in the backyard. I’ll admit that I used to love to lay in the sun by the pool in the backyard and since I have spent most of my life outdoors, I always had a dark tan, something so many others seek after.

Basically, it’s time to get outdoors as much as possible and that requires some precautions.

We’re all used to hearing about taking measures to protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun because of skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer. We are warned to wear long sleeves, long pants, a hat and wear a good quality sunscreen and re-apply the sunscreen on a regular basis.

But what about your eyes? Do they need protection?

Simple answer is YES but the wrong protection can be just as dangerous as no protection.

Sunlight is healthy and all of life is dependent upon sunlight, but like everything else, too much of a good thing can be unhealthy. Too much sunlight on unprotected eyes can increase the risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and pterygium.

Cataracts are the clouding of the lens of the eye and one of the leading causes of blindness in many third-world countries. It is estimated that about 20% of the cases of cataracts are caused by prolonged exposure to the harmful Ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Macular degeneration is where the cells in the central part of the retina begin to decay, die or become damaged. This is THE leading cause of blindness in the United States and it is believed that prolonged exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays increases the risk of macular degeneration.

Pterygium refers to a growth of tissue that covers the white part (sclera) of the eye. It can lead to a re-shaping of the curvature of the eye which causes astigmatism and the need for corrective lenses.

For many years, and still today, you can go into many drug stores and department stores and buy a pair of inexpensive sunglasses, thinking that will help protect your eyes. If you do this, be warned. First and foremost, you need to look for sunglasses that have UV protection, but even then, you have to be careful. The UV protection on many cheaper sunglasses is not nearly as strong as needed to fully protect your eyes. The darker lenses can cause the pupil to open wider, allowing more light into the eye, but if the UV protection is not sufficient, wearing those cheaper sunglasses may actually be causing more damage to your eyes than if you were not wearing sunglasses in the first place.

They now know of 2 different types of UV rays – UVA and UVB and you need to make sure the sunglasses you select protect against both. Remember, with sunglasses, you often get what you pay for and cheap sunglasses often don’t have the full protection you need.

Second, choose a pair that fits your face. The more coverage the better. Wrap around sunglasses do help block out more harmful UV rays and helps protect the eyes from particles like sand and dust.

Third, look for polarized lenses. This helps reduce the glare from water, snow and the sun.

You may also want to consider whether the lenses are shatterproof, especially you are active.

None of us like spending more for something if we can help it but trying to scrimp when buying sunglasses could end you costing you a lot more in the long run.