Your future might be bright, but that’s not the only reason you’ve gotta wear shades. 

Oof, see what not wearing sunglasses on a midday walk on a gleamingly sunny-but-there’s-snow-on-the-ground day does to me?  Causes me to make awkward references to ’80s pop songs.  The UV rays must have shorted out a synapse or two.  Or 25.

What happened was that about 3 weeks ago, I lost my sunglasses.  My prescription sunglasses.  The ones I’d managed to hold onto for almost 7 years.  The first week, I spent hunting furiously for them.  The second week, I spent in denial.  The third week, I got myself in for an eye exam and ordered a new pair.  Next week, they’ll be in.

While all this was going on, I’ve been leaving my house without the soft, safe protection of my treasured polarized, UV-protecting lenses.  And the effects have not been good.  Not only am I squinting a lot (which causes wrinkles), but the skin around my eyes has gotten irritated and dry from sun and wind exposure (the eye doc instructed me to use hydrocortisone to treat it).

And those are just the outside problems.  Inside the eye, dangerous UV rays from the sun can cause early development of cataracts and a host of other vision-hampering problems.  Remember, those rays are out there, even on cloudy days, and even in winter, when the sun is farther away from the Earth.  Sunglasses are a 365-day-a-year must.

There is an upside to this healthy living tip.  It’s fun to pick out sunglasses!  And optometrists will tell you that fabulous sunglasses are preferable because if you look good, you’re more likely to wear your sunglasses regularly.  So go for it (I did….I can’t wait for my shmancy new shades to come in)!

(image via: http://www.fyeocastro.com/)

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