July is UV Safety Awareness Month – How to protect your eyes
Here’s something that surprises almost every patient we tell: a dark pair of sunglasses with no UV protection is actually worse for your eyes than wearing nothing at all.
Why? Because the dark tint makes your pupils dilate – opening wider to let in more light – while the UV radiation passes through to the structures of the eyes.
And by the time the damage shows up, it’s often too late to undo.
What UV Rays Actually Do to Your Eyes
Most people know that UV radiation causes sunburns and skin cancer. Fewer people realize it does serious, cumulative damage to your eyes too.
The short-term risk is photokeratitis – essentially a sunburn on your cornea. It’s painful, causes redness and watering, and can temporarily affect your vision. If you’ve ever spent a long day at the beach, on a boat, or near water without eye protection and felt like you had sand in your eyes afterward, that’s what happened.
The long-term risks are bigger. UV exposure is a known contributor to cataracts, the leading cause of vision loss worldwide. UV damage has also been linked to macular degeneration, pterygium (a fleshy growth on the surface of the eye), and even cancers in and around the eye.
The key word here is cumulative. Every unprotected hour adds up over your lifetime, and the damage is irreversible. You won’t feel it happening until it’s already done.
How to Tell If Your Sunglasses Actually Protect You
Not all sunglasses are created equal. Here’s what to look for when buying a pair – for yourself or your kids.
Look for “100% UV protection,” “UV absorption up to 400nm,” or “UV400” on the label. If the label doesn’t mention UV protection at all, don’t buy them.
Don’t trust the tint alone. Lens darkness has nothing to do with UV protection. A clear lens can block UV rays with the right coating, while a dark lens from a gas station rack might block none. Color and darkness are about comfort and glare, not safety.
Polarization is not the same as UV protection. Polarized lenses reduce glare from reflective surfaces like water and roads, which is great for driving and fishing, but polarization alone does not block UV rays. Some polarized lenses include UV protection – check the label to be sure.
Bigger is better. Oversized frames and wraparound styles block UV from entering around the sides. The more coverage, the better the protection.
Add a hat. Even the best sunglasses can’t block light that comes in from above the frame. A wide-brimmed hat paired with UV-rated sunglasses is the most effective combination.
What We Recommend at DeVito Eye Care
Our optical team can help you find sunglasses that actually protect your eyes – not just look good (though we can do both). We carry frames with verified UV protection and can fit prescription sunglasses for patients who need corrected vision outdoors.
We also offer photochromic lenses (transition lenses) that darken automatically in sunlight and clear up indoors. For contact lens wearers, some daily disposable lenses include built-in UV blocking as an added layer of protection – though they don’t replace sunglasses since they only cover the cornea, not the surrounding tissue.