There was always that one guy that wore his sunglasses all the time. Some thought he was the recluse hiding behind his shades. They laughed when he came out in the dead of winter still with the sunglasses on. What was with the sunglasses in the winter? Was it a fashion statement? He was probably the guy who was just trying to set the trend. Sunglasses in the winter, come on, who ever heard of such a thing. Clearly this guy was off his rocker. Certifiable. After all, it was winter, it was cold, what damage could the sun do when it was so unbelievably cold outside? Well, the truth is, the sun can do quite a bit of damage, even in the winter.
Think back to the last snow fall. Living on Long Island you don’t have to go back that far in your memory. Remember when you walked outside after storm passed and you got to see that incredible sight of snow as far as you can see, undisturbed. It was beautiful. So beautiful you probably had to avert your eyes. It wasn’t the beauty that was getting to you, it was the sun. The snow and ice all over everything turned the entire world into one giant mirror to reflect that sunlight. It might be cold, but the sun is still doing its thing, except now, instead of the light being absorbed by the asphalt and the grass and dirt and cement, it is being reflected up at you. You have probably noticed how bright everything looks after a snow storm has passed. It is bright because your eyes are getting bombarded with light. The guy with the sunglasses is looking smart now.
There are several benefits to wearing your sunglasses in the winter. Besides reducing the glare of the sun off every possible surface, your sunglasses can protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. Just because it is cold, doesn’t mean the sun isn’t harmful to your eyes and exposed skin. Thanks to the cold weather, you are mostly covered, so you don’t have to worry about sunburn, except for the exposed areas, like your face. However, your eyes are always exposed and despite the temperature, exposure to UV rays does damage to your corneas. Exposure also accelerates the process of cataracts, not to mention, the wrinkling and pre-mature aging of the delicate skin around the eyes.
All that glare and bright light can also cause your eyes to overwork and strain causing headaches. The additional light can also have an effect on your vision. There is an optimum amount of light your eyes need to properly function, too much or too little and your vision is diminished.
Join the cool kids and help to be a trend-setter. Make sure you are protected and make sure your kids are protected! Break out those sunglasses, and if you don’t have a good pair, come on down to Spectacular Eyewear and we will get you all set up.
