Tips To Protect Your Eyes From The Sun

The sun contains 99.8% of the solar system's mass, is 4.5 billionyears old, and reaches surface temperatures of nearly 10,000degrees Fahrenheit-a pretty impressive resume, not to mention itessentially sustains life here on earth.But did you know that light from the sun can bleach the retina'sphotosensitive pigments, causing temporary blindness?Damage to your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays iscumulative and can cause pteryguim (tissue growth on the whitesof the eyes that can diminish vision) and age-related maculardegeneration (deterioration of a part of the retina).In addition, UV rays are the biggest culprit in the formation ofcataracts. The World Health Organization estimates there are 16million people worldwide who are blind as the result of cataracts,and as many as 20% of the cases may be due to UV radiationexposure.The best way to protect your eyes from the sun is to stay out ofit! But since that isn't likely to happen, with a littleprotection and common sense, you can enjoy the beautiful outdoorsto your heart's content.What to look for in a pair of sunglasses:
1) Look for a label that tells you how much UV protection thesunglasses offer. Ideally, your shades should block 99% to 100%of UV radiation.

2) Close-fitting sunglasses help block light more effectively:look for wraparound shades or large lenses.

3) Dark colored sunglasses don't necessarily protect you better.It's a special coating on the lens that makes them safe, not theirdarkness.

4) Gray, green, and brown lenses usually give better protectionthan other colors.

5) More expensive shades may be more fashionable, but they don'tprovide more protection.
Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses. Besides making you lookpretty slick, a good pair of shades can provide protection fromthe sun's harmful effects!