Protecting Your Eyes - Why Sunglasses Are More Than Just a Fun Accessory

I was recently invited to a blog webinar put on by the Vision Council about the importance of sunglasses.  I wanted to take an opportunity to share a little more about what I learned, because I think it is something that is extremely important to be aware of.
UV rays are harmful - we hear about this all the time and the importance of wearing sunscreen to protect our skin - but what about your eyes?  You can't exactly put sunscreen on your eyes, so that is why we have things like sunglasses.  The problem though is that a large majority of people don't wear sunglasses on a regular basis and they are exposing their eyes to potential sunburn and more serious long lasting issues such as cataracts or macular degeneration.  I have a family history of cataracts and Nate's family has a history of macular degeneration, so this is something that we have concern about. 
The risks don't stop when the sun is behind clouds either - you can still get UV rays when it's cloudy or it's winter.  I know I'm guilty of forgoing sunglasses on a cloudy day, so I'm going to work on changing that.  Also, not enough of us are doing enough to protect our children's eyes - in the report provided by the Vision Council, they stated that of the parents they surveyed, 33.7% said that they never put eye protection on their children and 41.5% said they sometimes did.  I would fall in that 41.5% category.  Oliver isn't crazy about wearing sunglasses so that is just something I'm going to have to work on with him, especially with how much he loves to be outside.
Thankfully the Vision Council is helping me in making it a bit more fun.  They provided me with a Sun Safe Swag Bag in exchange for my sharing this information on the blog and some of the things included will definitely help me teach Oliver about being safe in the sun - we received a beach ball and a frisbee and a fun picnic blanket and they also sent a pair of sunglasses for him and for me as well.  I have already been wearing mine - they're comfortable and stylish at the same time, but most importantly, they do a great job of protecting my eyes.  According to the Vision Council, most people choose comfort and style over protection - but you can have both if you're willing to look into it a little bit!  I think it's worth it to spend a little more to protect your eyes - they're the only pair you're ever going to have, you owe it to yourself to protect them!

There is some really great information from the Vision Council here that explains in much more detail the affects of UV rays and the importance of protecting your eyes.  It's definitely worth a read.   Thank you again to the Vision Council for inviting me to be a part of this intuitive and for the awesome Sun Safe Swag Bag, we'll be getting lots of use out of all of these items this summer!