Traveling to new places can be quite a treat—after all, exploring new destinations or revisiting beloved locales is a great way to take a break from our daily lives. Despite this, your safety should still be a priority while on vacation. Our previous article on solo travel safety lists tips like researching your travel destination, avoiding risky activities, and carrying a medical kit as some of the best practices you can follow to avoid injuries and accidents while you’re away. However, it can be easy to overlook your eye health in the process.
When spending time outdoors, may it be a daytime city tour or staying at the beach, you can expose your eyes to harmful ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. This type of light can cause eye sunburn and increase your risk of developing cataracts, which worsens your vision over time. Wearing protective eyewear like sunglasses can help block harmful UV rays from entering your eyes, which is why they should be part of your travel essentials.
But how do you know if the pair you’re using is perfect for your vacation needs? Here’s what you can consider when buying a pair of sunglasses for your next trip:
100% UV Protection
When you’re going to the beach or high up in the mountains to hike during your vacation, your eyes are at risk of being exposed to too much UV light from the sun. Wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection can reduce your risk of developing vision problems by keeping a good amount of UV light from entering your eyes. Be sure the label on your sunglasses certifies 100% protection from UV rays. If you’re buying a new pair, look to reliable brands like Ray-Ban and Burberry that are more likely to comply with industry standards for UV protection.
Prescription sunglasses
Switching between sunglasses and prescription glasses can be inconvenient when you’re on vacation. You may use clip-on sunglasses to attach to your frame or use transition lenses that gradually darken outdoors. However, clip-ons can be fragile and prone to breaking, and some transition lenses may take longer to adjust outside. For convenience, it’s best to get a pair of sunglasses with prescription lenses, which can block 100% of UV light while still catering to your vision needs. For example, you can get them with single-vision lenses for reading up close or progressive lenses for seeing at multiple distances. If you buy them online, you can opt to add sunglasses tints to existing frames for a fixed rate. You’ll also have plenty of options to consider, ranging from models like the Tommy Jeans TJ0090 to Pink Ribbon’s Primrose, so you can choose a pair that perfectly suits your vacation aesthetics and overall preferences.
Polarized lenses
Sunglasses with polarized lenses have a special filter that prevents harmful light from penetrating into your eyes by elevating your surroundings’ contrast. This effectively reduces glare or the reflected sunlight from surfaces such as water, glass, and snow. When concentrated, the intense light can cause eye discomfort, eye strain, and reduced visibility. Choosing the right sunglasses is crucial to avoid vision problems like photokeratitis, or sunburn of the eyes. To check if your sunglasses have polarized lenses, tilt them by 60 to 90 degrees. If the lenses shift to black, they’re safe to use at the beach or in the snow, where glare is prevalent. Oakley’s PRIZM polarized lens technology has developed sunglasses, like the Holbrook, that specifically reduce glare with the help of a lens dye that is engineered to filter out harmful light.
Extra coverage
The more you cover your eyes, the better they are protected. Vacation-friendly and stylish designs like aviators, round sunglasses, and cat eye sunglasses will all have a larger surface area that provides your eyes and the skin around them ample protection from UV light. Aside from maximizing how much you can shield your eyes, they’ll also protect the delicate skin around them to prevent discomfort from related conditions like sunburn. DIFF Eyewear’s Sandra is a great option if you want to be assured of extra protection for the skin surrounding your eyes.
Going on a trip requires tons of preparations. Keeping in mind the things you need to bring for your extra protection can greatly benefit your overall experience and health.