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The celebrated and several A-listers are well-known for wearing their sunglasses indoors and at night.

It’s a bold fashion statement, to say the least, and shows off your brand-loyalty!

More often, sunglasses are seen as a fashionable accessory, but they go a very long way to protect your eyes from sun damage and potential diseases.

Sun worshippers who neglected to use sunscreen in younger years while soaking up the rays for years could potentially be paying a hefty price today.

It makes perfect sense that the thin skin around your eyes and eyelids could burn just the same!

According to recent research, it showed that:

5-10% of skin cancers occur on or around the eyelids, and 95% of UV (Ultra Violet) radiation that reaches the earth is UVA radiation (long-range radiation).

This is the main culprit that could causes cataracts, retina damage, and macular degeneration.
Pinguecula and pterygium are both caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and made worse by chronic dryness or irritation.

On the other hand, UVB (short range) radiation is responsible for sunburn of the eye, wrinkles, and eye cancer.

With these statistics in mind, sunglasses should never be seen as an accessory, but rather as a necessity!

There are many genetic predispositions like fair skin, light eye colour, red/blond hair, and freckles that make you more vulnerable to sunburn risks, however, we are all vulnerable and should protect our eyes whenever possible.

Not all sunglasses will give you the best protection.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, lenses that absorb and block UV rays are a strong defence against eye/eyelid damage and cancer.

So, when investing in your eye health, you should consider getting sunglasses that:

With summer around the corner, here are some practical and useful tips that will help you get all the eye protection you need.

Wearing a hat can shield your eyes and eyelids from up to half of all UV radiation

When you need to take off your sunglasses, make sure you apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher

Be mindful of the clouds: even when there is cloud cover, eye protection is still necessary since the sun's rays may still penetrate the clouds

South Africans have a strong love affair with the outdoors.

We want you to continue enjoying yourselves, but making an appointment at your nearest Vision Works store for a check-up and professional advice is by far one of the best defences against harmful sun damage and loving your eyes.