UV Dangers: How to Protect Your Eyes from the Sun?
Israel's warm, summer climate brings approximately 300 sunny days per year.
Due to our geographical location and climate conditions, when we're outdoors, our eyes are exposed to intense solar radiation for extended periods.
The most harmful radiation from the sun is ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which damages the eye and surrounding tissues. The damage occurs from the radiation's effect on the skin, lens, and retina of the eye.
What hours should we avoid sun exposure?
The most dangerous hours are when the sun is at its peak:
Between ten in the morning and four in the afternoon.
During these hours, the radiation reaching Earth is strongest because the distance
the rays travel through the atmosphere is shortest.
Here are some simple tips to help you maintain eye health:
- Protect your eyes even on cloudy and overcast days
While most of us are careful to protect our eyes on sunny days,
UV rays are harmful to eyes even on cloudy days. Therefore, it's important to wear quality sunglasses and protect your eyes from UV exposure even when it's overcast.
- Pay attention to the time of day
The sun's intensity peaks from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. During these hours we're at the highest risk for sun damage to our eyes!
So especially during peak hours, you want to protect your eyes as much as possible.
- Beware of reflections
Light that reflects off surfaces that bounce back the sun's rays like roads, bodies of water, windshields, glass, windows and more. Therefore it's critical to protect your eyes while driving and be especially careful of reflections that amplify radiation's effects on your eyes.
- Smart in the sun, big head
A wide-brimmed hat helps protect eyes from sun rays and reduce potential eye damage. Besides the eyes, the hat also helps protect facial skin, neck, and chest from heat damage.
- Sunglasses - only high quality
The cherry on top. Quality sunglasses offer 100% protection from UV rays. It's recommended to invest in quality glasses from a trusted brand and not compromise on quality.
