08 Jul How Do I Protect Myself from UV Rays?

How much do you know about UV Rays?

As you may know, UV rays can cause damage to your skin and hair. But did you know even your eyes are at risk to UV radiation? While damage likely won’t occur immediately, long-term exposure can cause your eyes to lose their strength.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to protect your vision, skin, and hair from UV rays, and it doesn’t take that much effort. Read on to learn a few quick and easy ways to protect yourself from UV rays.

Wear Sunscreen to Protect from UV Rays

Wearing sunscreen is one of the best and fastest ways to protect yourself from harmful UV rays. Especially with children, it’s important to apply and reapply sunscreen throughout the day.

In general, the best kind of sunscreen is SPF 30 or higher. Dermatologists suggest this as it blocks around 97 percent of UVB light.

Keep in mind that sunscreen isn’t just for the beach and avoiding sunburns. You can protect yourself from skin damage from the sun by using lotions with SPF in them.

Keep Sunglasses on Hand

Did you know that 5-10 percent of all skin cancer starts around the eyes?

That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to wear polarized sunglasses with UV protection whenever you’re outside. A combination of sunscreen and sunglasses will keep that sensitive skin protected.

On a more obvious note, sunglasses will help your eyes by keeping UV rays out of them. UV rays can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye-related issues that develop over time.

Put a Cap on It!

While sunglasses will protect your eyes, you will also want to protect the rest of your head and other sensitive areas. On easy way to do this is to wear a hat.

A hat will help protect your eyes while also keeping the sun out of the rest of your face. It’s best to wear a full-brimmed hat to protect the back of your neck and your shoulders, but unless you’re planning to be in the sun for a long time, a regular hat or sunscreen will likely do the trick.

Be Reasonable in the Sun

Staying inside probably isn’t the first thing you want to spend time doing all summer, and you don’t have to in order to avoid skin cancer. However, to keep your skin and eyes healthy, you can protect yourself by spending time in the shade and inside.

If you have to be outside for long periods of time, take the previous tips to avoid any harm. The last thing you want to do is cause long-term damage, and sunburns aren’t any fun either!

Protect Yourself from UV Rays Today

Hopefully this article has given you a few ideas on how to protect your eyes from UV rays. While you can take many more extreme efforts, chances are that these simple tips will be able to protect your eyes for years to come.

Schedule an eye exam with us this week, or visit any of our optometry offices to try on sunglasses today!