As we get older, we tend to learn more about the best practices for health and beauty. There are night creams for your skin’s aesthetics, certain vitamins and supplements you may be incorporating into your diet, and extra health screenings you may be taking part in. However, what about your optic health? Our eyes age, too, which can cause more vision problems than you may know. One important way of taking care of your eyes as well as the skin around your eyes as you age is wearing sunglasses. If you’re over 40 and want to know more about why wearing sunglasses is so important as you age, here’s what you need to know.
Repeated exposure of your eyes to UV radiation from the sun can cause medical conditions that can be very serious. UV rays can cause cataracts, which is a clouding of your eyes. It can also cause macular degeneration, which causes the retina to degenerate and can lead to vision loss, especially in those over 60. Additionally, UV radiation from the sun may cause pterygium, which is a membrane that can cover your eyes, affecting vision. Wearing a pair of sunglasses can protect against the UV rays that cause these damaging effects. If you’re getting up there in age and depend on a pair of bifocals in your everyday glasses wearing, you may want to invest in a pair of dual-focal sunglasses that will give you the best visibility possible.
In addition to all of the many medical conditions that may result from your eyes’ exposure to the sun’ harmful UV rays, these rays can also damage your skin and lead to the symptoms of premature aging. UV rays can lead to dark spots, wrinkles, and other visible signs of age around your eyes. This is especially important around your eyes because the skin in this area is thin and highly sensitive. Wearing sunglasses will protect you against these rays just like SPF sunblock would, so it’s important to utilize both when you’re trying to battle the physical signs of age.
When we don’t wear sunglasses, we often find ourselves squinting our eyes in an attempt to protect them from the sun’s brightness. When you squint repeatedly, you can actually cause wrinkles to form around your eyes more quickly than if you were not squinting. If you make a habit out of wearing sunglasses each day, you can remove the need to squint and, thus, reduce the probability of developing premature wrinkles because of it.
It’s important to wear sunglasses all the time, not just during the summer when you’re hanging out outside or lounging at the beach. The sun’s UV rays can do just as much damage during the chillier fall and winter months as they can during the rest of the year. Investing in a good pair of sunglasses is the perfect way to keep your eyes protected and looking young.
