Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sunscreen For Your Eyes

Did you know that sunglasses are like sunscreen for your eyes? Cheaper sunglasses may mask the brightness of the sun but they don't in fact protect your eyes from the harmful UV Rays. When considering items to save or splurge on, sunglasses without a doubt fall into the splurge category. A good pair of sunglasses (saying you don't sit on them or run them over) can last you YEARS. Let's break this down mathematically...

Say you spend $40 on a cheap pair of sunglasses that only last you a couple of months, compounded over 20 years, that's $800 on glasses you would be spending on top of trips to the eye doctor for eye glasses/contact lenses as a result of the lack of UV protection.

However, say you spend $120 every four years on a good quality pair of sunglasses with optimal UV protection. That equates to about $600 over 20 years and you won't be needing to constantly be worrying about your vision fading as a result of direct radiation from the sun.

Given those two options, the choice is easy: SPLURGE and save your eyes! Don't forget! Unlike singlasses, we only get one pair for our entire lives.

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Friday, January 22, 2010

UV Radiation and Your Eyes

Many people have heard of UV Rays and that they can be harmful to not only your skin but also your eyes. However, most people don't know the specific effects UV Rays have on vision.


UV Rays can cause eye damage, including cataracts and blurred vision. Many factors contribute to how sensitive your eyes are to the sun:

  1. Time of day - Your eyes are most susceptible to damage when the sun is highest in the sky, typically between 10am and 2pm.
  2. Altitude - Picture this: the higher up in altitude you go, the closer you are to the sun... and thus, the greater impact UV Rays have on your eyes.
  3. Geography - We all know that things heat up as you get closer to the equator, as does the severity of UV Rays.
  4. Medications - Make sure you read the bottle of your prescriptions and OTC medicines to see if they impact your eye sensitivity.
Long story short, don't go hiking the northern Andes mountains between 10am and 2pm while taking birth control... Kidding aside, live your life and enjoy the outdoors. Just make sure your eyes are protected!

For optimal protection while being active outdoors, try to find sunglasses with 100% UV protection with a close-fitting style. We highly recommend brands such as Costa del Mar and Oakley for our active outdoors customers.

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5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing Sunglasses

Raise your hand if you have the winter blues?


Don't worry. You're not alone. The good news is that Spring is just around the corner, which means more time spent outdoors and SUNSHINE. More time in the sun means you will want to protect your eyes from those pesky UV rays in style.

Below are 5 questions to consider when selecting the right sunglasses for Y-O-U:

  1. Will I be wearing my sunglasses for fashion or function?
  2. Do they need to stay firmly on my head during wear?
  3. What color frames am I looking for?
  4. Will the lenses need to be prescription?
  5. What is my budget for purchasing new sunglasses?

Once you have the answers to the above questions, you will be able to narrow your search significantly and find the pair of sunglasses that works best for you.

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