Outdoor recreational and sports activities are an important aspect of everyday life, and the exercise involved is beneficial to overall health. But such activities raise the risk for ocular trauma, and being outdoors translates into greater potential UVR and high-energy visible light exposure. And while there is increasing public awareness of the need to protect the skin from solar radiation, equal awareness of the need for ocular protection is sorely lacking.
Protecting the Eyes From UVR Exposure
Since the potential ocular threat from UVR is a constant, ocular protection from UVR should also be constant. This need for protection becomes even more compelling under conditions where UVR exposure increases. Any regular participant in an outdoor sport, including (but certainly not limited to) skiing, swimming/watersports, fishing, baseball, cricket, soccer, volleyball, track and field sports, long-distance running, biking, in-line skating, hunting, bird watching, and hiking is susceptible to higher levels of UVR exposure and at a correspondingly greater risk for ocular consequences of such exposure. For this reason, eyewear providing 100% UVA and UVB protection is highly recommended during outdoor sports and recreational activities.
In those sports—particularly contact or high-velocity ball sports—where ocular trauma is also a risk, the combination of impact-resistant protective eyewear with complete UVR protection is required.
In addition to ocular protection, the appropriate eyewear can also improve quality of vision, promote visual comfort and convenience, and enhance performance by titrating light (photochromic lenses) and decreasing bothersome glare (AR-coated lenses). The specific protective eyewear design recommended will vary with different sports and the relative need for ocular protection. Options range from simple sports glasses, to wrap-around goggles, to half- or full-face shields, with all options available in impact-resistant, UVR-blocking lens materials.
There are many others who spend considerable time outdoors as observers and not players or who simply enjoy being out in the sun; they are also at risk and will benefit from eyewear providing UVR protection. They deserve and will appreciate the visual comfort and convenience that eyeglass lens enhancements like photochromics and AR coatings offer to maximize their visual experience.
Almost all clear eyeglass lenses, with the exception of crown glass, offer some degree of UVR protection; however, not all provide at least 99% protection. In addition, since clear lenses remain clear despite the level of illumination, they cannot compensate for variations in lighting conditions, so that with intense light and glare, visual discomfort develops. Fixed-tint lenses (the standard sunglass), clips, and shields reduce excessive light and provide UVR protection. Not all lenses provide 100% UVR protection though, and because the tint is fixed and does not decrease under conditions of diminished illumination, vision becomes impaired with dim light and contrast sensitivity diminishes. Photochromic lenses automatically block 100% of UVA and UVB and titrate and modulate light depending upon levels of illumination (being activated by UVR), in so doing providing prn (as-needed) complete UVR protection, preserving or enhancing contrast, decreasing glare, and promoting visual comfort and convenience for the wearer.
To learn more about UVR and Healthy Sight, click here