Five Reasons you Should Wear Sunglasses in the Winter

Our Pacific Northwest winters are often rainy and gray, so it might not seem like you need to protect your eyes from the sun. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Sunglasses, especially those with UV protection, should be worn year-round to help protect your vision. Let’s learn more.

UV Protection

Even on a cloudy day, sunglasses with UV protection are one of the best ways to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. Your car’s windshield offers very little UV protection, so we recommend you add sunglasses to your driving routine during daylight hours.

Sunglasses protect your eyes from sunburn, cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer.

Keeping out Wind and Debris

If you’re active in the winter, sunglasses are particularly helpful when it comes to keeping wind and debris out of your eyes. Especially if you are a contact wearer, you want to avoid exposing your eyes to the cold, dry wind of winter, as this can cause your eyes to become dry and uncomfortable.

We recommend a pair that fit closely and wrap around to help protect your peripheral vision.

Prevent snow blindness

Without proper protection, the glare from the sun off the snow can cause “snow blindness” or photokeratitis.

Water and snow are the most highly reflective surfaces, and while the sun might not be fully visible during the winter, being near the snow increases the amount of UV radiation you receive.

This is in addition to the fact that winter sports like skiing and snowmobiling take place in higher altitudes, where the sun’s rays are stronger.

Reduce Eye Strain

Because sunglasses reduce the amount of light that reaches the eye, they help to reduce eye strain. Your pupils control how much light reaches the retina, at the back of the eye.

The retina is very light-sensitive.

In very bright conditions, like skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing, the pupil can’t constrict enough to reduce light to a comfortable level. This is where your sunglasses play a key role. They help to reduce the brightness and keep your eyes comfortable.

As you consider the pair you want to wear for your next winter outing, we recommend a pair that is comfortable and provides 100% UV protection, against both UVA and UVB rays.

Winter can be a fun and exciting season in the Pacific Northwest, and if you need help finding the perfect pair of sunglasses, visit us today. We have plenty of sunglasses in stock that offer the right protection.