When you decide to go to the beach typically you gather a few things to bring with you:
• Sun screen for your skin
• Water to keep hydrated
• Food to keep your energy up.
Your eyes require just as much protection from the sun as your skin. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation can adversely affect your eyes and eyesight unless you wear protective lenses.
If you spend a lot of your time at the beach you may be at greater risk of eye damage. Here are some short term effects of being at the beach without protecting your eyes.
Exposing your eyes to an excessive amount of ultraviolet radiation over a short period of time causes photokeratitis, which is like sunburn of the eye. Your eyes may become red, teary and extremely sensitive. The effect is usually only temporary, causing no permanent harm to the eyes.
It is recommended that you wear good quality sunglasses with UV protection. It is also recommended that you wear a wide-brimmed hat when outdoors. The sunglasses should block 99 percent to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation and screen from 75 percent to 90 percent of visible light.
It is also recommended that lenses be gray for correct color recognition.
