Eye Health: Protecting Your Eyes from Damaging UV Rays This Summer

I wrote this review while participating in an Influencer campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and received a promotional item from Mom Central to thank me for participating.

My family and I all need some type of vision correction.  My husband, my daughter Bella and my son Sam all wear glasses and I wear contacts.  Ava is still pretty little and we haven't seen anything wrong with her eyes yet.  Eye health is something I think about regularly.  After all, our vision is so important to all of us!  Well this summer we all need to think about protection from the sun.  Everyone always thinks about protecting their skin from the damaging UV rays from the sun, but what about your eyes?  

This summer we are planning tons of outdoor activities.  I will be armed with sunscreen, sun hats and umbrellas to keep my kids protected from the sun.  I guess one important thing that I have overlooked is  their eyes.  Bella and Sam wear glasses and it is hard for them to see without them.  I never realized the importance of a good pair of sunglasses until I read this article from Acuvue about the sun and your eyes.

I learned a lot from this article.  For example did you know that when the days get longer from Spring through Fall, the incidence of eye exposure to UV rays is actually greatest earlier and later in the day - not in the middle of the day like you might have thought.  

I also learned that while direct sunlight can be extremely harmful to the eyes, reflected UV rays (i.e., from water, grass, sand) can be even more harmful! With all of this harm that can come to our eyes this summer, we need to find good eye protection for ourselves and our family members. This protection can be found in the right type of sunglasses and can start with UV blocking contact lenses. I wear contacts and was thrilled to learn that my Acuvue contacts are Class 1 UV blockers and offer the most protection for my eyes.

UV blocking contact lenses can provide an important level of additional protection from UV exposure. Not all contact lenses offer UV protection, and, of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels. ACUVUE® is the only major brand of contact lenses which blocks approximately 97%of UV-B and 81% of UV-A rays as standard across the entire range of its products.  Although UV-blocking contact lenses are beneficial in helping to protect against harmful UV rays entering into the eye, long-term clinical studies have not been done to show that they directly reduce the risk of any specific eye disease or condition.  I am glad to know that my eyes are getting this great protection from the sun.  I wear UV blocking ACUVUE contacts and also wear sunglasses when I go outside!

The best sunglasses should say that they block 99% of UV rays and should have lenses large enough to completely cover the eye and prevent as much light as possible from entering through the edges of the glasses.  Wrap around sunglasses are best.  Our children are at greater risk of eye damage than we are, so it is very important to protect their eyes this summer by arming them with big brimmed hats and sunglasses!  Children have larger pupils which allows more light into their eyes. 

I really want to urge my readers to read this article, so that you are prepared this summer with the correct eye protection for yourself and your family.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.