Sunlight and your Eyes
As a California girl born and raised, I love the sun ☀️ and its benefits - including mood enhancement and stress relief, not to mention vitamin D production for improved bone heath and sleep quality.
But as a physician 👩🏻⚕️, I also know that too much sun can cause harm. For the eyes 👁 specifically, UV radiation can increase your risk of cataracts (clouding of the lenses inside your eyes), cancers (like melanoma), macular degeneration, and damage to the surface of the eyes (like growths called pterygia or “burns” similar to sunburns on your skin).
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends wearing 100% UV blocking sunglasses 🕶 (which means UV A and UV B blocking) and/or wearing wide brimmed hats 👒 whenever outdoors (even if it doesn’t seem sunny. UV light can penetrate clouds! ⛅️)
Your eyes show the strength of your soul, so protect them! If you ask me, it’s the perfect reason to invest in a cute pair of shades...! 😎
