More than 24.4 million Americans aged 40 and above suffer from cataracts. A cataract is a medical condition that affects the eye. The term cataracts refer to a case whereby one has cloudy eye lenses. This significantly impacts one’s ability to see. This statistic depicts the dire situation around visual health for people globally.
Visual health is a vital part of overall body health. While many people are taking significant strides toward ensuring their visual health is good, some are still not doing so. Some of the common strides taken to ensure one has good visual health are having regular optical checkups, using prescribed medication for existing conditions, using spectacles to correct visual defects, etc.
People who have still not yet taken strides towards working on their ocular health attribute this to various reasons. One of the most common reasons mentioned is that the expenses incurred from the various measures for improving visual health are high. While most of the measures are expensive, some are pocket friendly and significantly help one improve visual health and prevent certain conditions.
The use of prescription sunglasses is one of the pocket-friendly measures of improving optical health. Prescription sunglasses offer numerous benefits. People who are not conversant with the concept of prescription sunglasses often question why they should get them. This article highlights some of the reasons why you should go for prescription glasses if you are working on your ocular health.
- Glare Reduction
People who enjoy outdoor activities often have one common complaint when outside during sunny hours. Glare hinders one’s ability to see well when outdoors. Glare occurs when sunlight hits a shiny surface. When sunlight hits the shiny surface, it causes a harsh light that hurts one’s eyes when trying to see.
Glare is a very common complaint. While glare hindrance can be relatively harmless while sporting and engaging in other outdoor activities, they can also cause accidents in some cases. Sunlight glare was linked with a significantly high risk of being involved in car accidents. While cars have visors to protect drivers from harsh light caused by glares, the visors only protect the driver from glares coming from specific angles.
Prescription sunglasses offer complete protection from sunlight glare. Prescription sunglasses are equipped with polarized lenses. Polarized lenses are a type of lens that has a light-filtering chemical applied to them. The chemical molecules are aligned in a specific manner to ensure most of the extreme sunlight does not pass through,allowing only vertical light rays to pass through. This prevents glare from shiny surfaces such as tarmac and mirrors from reaching the eyes.
Some prescription sunglasses have designs suited for use during outdoor or sporting activities. Such prescription sunglasses offer glare-reduction capabilities without compromising the comfort of the person. Prescription sunglasses are also a common recommendation for people who work under direct sunlight using heavy machinery. Prescription sunglasses help avoid cases of work accidents in such workplaces.
- Clear Vision
Currently, more than 4 billion adults require prescription glasses to get crystal clear vision. When one requires prescription glasses for clear vision, they are often faced with numerous challenges during sunny days. Some wear sunglasses over their prescription glasses to ensure they can see clearly while also protecting their eyes from the sun.
Prescription sunglasses offer people who use prescription glasses an opportunity to have clear vision outdoors without having the discomfort of wearing additional sunglasses. When buying prescription sunglasses, submit your prescription from your optometrist.
The lenses of the prescription sunglasses are then fitted with your specific prescription. This allows one to have clear vision while also getting protection from the sunlight when outdoors on sunny days.
- UV Ray Protection
While exposure to the sun offers several health benefits to the human body, it can also cause some negative effects. The sun emits UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. While they are all UV rays produced by the sun, they are categorized differently based on their penetration power. These ultraviolet rays from the sun are harmful to the eyes.
There is a common myth that on cloudy days, the UV rays from the sun cannot impact one’s eyes. This is far from the truth as UV rays from the sun are not blocked by clouds but scattered. Visual conditions caused by exposure to UV rays are quite common because it’s easy to not realize when the sun is damaging your eyes.
Prescription sunglasses have a UV coating on the lenses. The UV coating is the component behind the ability of prescription sunglasses to block UV rays from reaching one’s eyes. The prescription sunglasses are also equipped with a reflective coating component on the front side of the lens.
The reflective coating applied on the lens reflects sunlight. This reduces the number of UV rays reaching the lens. The combination of the UV coating and reflective coating on prescription sunglasses offers impeccable protection from UV rays. This helps prevent one from getting medical conditions caused by exposure to UV rays, such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and pinguecula.
When buying prescription glasses meant to offer protection from UV rays, you must ensure they are labeled as so. Oftentimes, people assume that polarized prescription sunglasses offer UV protection too. It is also important to keep in mind that different lenses offer different levels of protection against UV rays. You should consider this when buying your prescription sunglasses.
- Debris Protection
The eyes are particularly vulnerable to many elements when one is outdoors. Common elements such as dust and pollen are common causes of eye irritation. In some cases, the irritants can cause severe allergic reactions or ocular conditions.
Prescription sunglasses offer a much-needed layer of protection for the eyes. With prescription sunglasses, the eyes are safe from dust, pollen, flying insects, etc. This protection level is particularly essential for people participating in sporting events.
Conclusion
The benefits enjoyed from prescription sunglasses are enough reasons to get yourself a pair. Their protection from UV rays while allowing you to see clearly will impact your ocular health positively. Your eyes will thank you!
