National Tailgating Day – Wear Those Shades!
Happy National Tailgating Day – but while you are out there enjoying a juicy brat by the grill, be sure to have those sunglasses on your face as protection for your eyes! Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, but their most important job is providing protection to your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. The sun can be just as harmful to your eyes as it is on your skin, without proper protection.
Ocular diseases caused by overexposure to sun include:
Cataracts – clouding of the eye’s lens that can blur vision. 20% of cases are caused by extended UV exposure.
Macular Degeneration – resulting from damage to the retina that destroys central vision. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Pterygium – a tissue growth over the white part of the surface of the eye that can alter the curve of the eyeball, causing astigmatism.
Ocular Melanoma – occurs when eye pigment cells’ DNA is mutated causing them to multiply out of control and collect within the eye.
When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation.
Now go enjoy your bratwurst!
