Protect your eyes
Thursday 19 June 2008
We all worry about the effects that the sun can do to our skin, but our eyes also need protecting too.
Shades Day
20th June sees Shades Day which aims to raise funds to train guide dogs and also raise awareness about protecting our eyesight. It’s a good excuse to wear some cool shades all day – rain or shine!
On the Shades Day website you can register and donate £1 which will be used to raise funds to train guide dogs. It’s not too late to involve your school or college in the fundraiser.
Summer daze
Now that its summer, sort of, you’ll probably want to bathe in as much sun as you can. We all know that too much sun can be bad for your skin but did you know it can also damage your eyes? Exposure to certain kinds of light like ultraviolet can be dangerous and can cause eye disorders including:
- Arc eye – a burning feeling
- Cataracts – a ‘clouding’ in the lens which partly or fully blocks light.
- Cornea damage
- Age-related macular degeneration – the macula of the retina thins and sometimes bleeds, leading to a loss of sight.
Eye care
If you are outside during the day and the light is so bright that you have to squint or turn your head away from the sun then you need to wear your sunglasses.
The best way to protect yourself is to stay out of sunlight but of course, this is practically impossible, so the next option is to buy a pair of good-quality sunglasses. Cheap or fashionable oversized sunglasses might look cool but make sure they are also giving you some sort of protection.
In the shade
If you’re going to invest in a new pair of sunnies, here are some things to look out for:-
- The CE mark – to show they meet safety standards
- Brown and amber lenses give extra protection if you have blue, green and grey eyes
- Shatter proof lenses
- Shades which block out most or all UV light
- Scratches on the lens – look for another pair which are scratch free.
Free tests
Our eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of our body to avoid problems in the future it’s worth starting to look after them now. Try to go for eye tests every two years. The tests are free if you are under 16 or under 19 and in full time education - so take advantage!
Guide dogs
Shades Day is also about raising awareness of how guide dogs help those that have been affected by eye disorders. Guide dogs find their way around anything which may block or injure their owner. Find out more about how they are trained and what they do in our n2k article.
Last year’s Shades Day saw McFly supporting the cause and the band even had guide dog puppies named after them. Watch the moment the band met their puppies!
