Parents take better care of themselves than their kids

Any parent would want to took after their child's health at least as well as they look after their own. But a parent can only do this if they have the right information.

Kids are not being protected from UV radiation

According to a new report issued by The Vision Council in May 2012, this is not happening when it comes to keeping eyes healthy by protecting them from harmful UV radiation. The report shows that while 73% of adults do wear sunglasses, only 58% of them make their children wear sunglasses.

UV exposure over time causes eye disease and vision loss

The report suggests that too many people still do not understand the serious damage that UV exposure can have on your eyes. Even fewer realize that it is cumulative exposure over time – which happens on both sunny and cloudy days – that leads to vision threatening diseases. One such disease, macular degeneration, leads to permanent vision loss and their is no cure.

The solution is to wear sunglasses and regular eye glasses with proper UV protection. Kids need this more than adults because the lens of a child’s eye is not as good as blocking UV rays as the lens of an adult eye.

What cataracts and macular degeneration look like

Wearing sunglasses is a serious preventative health measure. Here is what macular degeneration can do to your vision:

UV damage also causes cataracts. Here is what cataracts can do to your vision:

The right lens technology makes the difference

It is also important to realize that not all lenses are the same at blocking UV rays.  Even lenses that claim 100% UV protection actually don't deliver on that promise.  However, newer lens technologies are tackling that problem and provide much better UV protection.  To learn more read our previous post on new UV lens technologies.

The myth of "100% UV Protection" eyeglass lenses.

Image: NASA

In honor of May as UV Awareness Month, See for Life is going to bust one of the biggest UV myths out there.  But first, if you want to learn more about UV exposure and eye health, read our post on UV basics and the diseases that UV exposure causes, just click here.

Lenses for glasses and sunglasses often tout "100% UV protection".  Does that mean that no harmful UV rays at all enter you eye?  No.  It means that the lens blocks all the UV rays that hit the front of the lens.  However, recent studies have shown that UV rays still enter your eyes because up to 50% of your UV exposure comes from rays that reflect off the back of the lens (the side closest to your eye) and into your eyes!  On top of that, we get 40% of our UV exposure on cloudy days.  So even if the sun is not shining bright, there is still lots of ultraviolet radiation pouring into your eyes even if you have standard UV protection lenses.

This means that so-called "100% UV protection lenses" only really give you around 50% protection.  That's better than nothing.  But there are new lens technologies on the market that can take care of all that reflected UV light so that you really do have total UV protection (or close to it).

The only lens that we are aware of that gives you total UV protection is the Crizal Forte UV lens (and other Crizal lenses that have the advanced UV protection). Here is a diagram that explains how it works.

You may think that you are not getting enough safety bang for your buck when you buy sunglasses.  And you would be right.  But there are some things you can do to get more out of your sunglasses.  Many sunglasses (even by the big designers like Gucci and Versace)  can accept prescription lenses and your eye doctor will be able tell you which models these are and how you can order them with custom lenses - the kind of lenses that you can get with technology like Crizal Forte UV. 

Of course, if you wear glasses normally you can get prescription sunglasses with Crizal Forte UV.  However, if you have perfect vision you can order your sunglasses with "plano" lenses, which are lenses that have no vision correcting power.  You can even take your old sungalsses to the optometrist and get new Crizal Forte UV lenses put into them.

UV exposure is very dangerous and over time it can lead to vision loss from diseases like cataracts and age related macular degeneration.

Here is what vision is like with macular degeneration:

Here is what vision is like with cataracts:

To learn more about UV exposure, read our post on UV basics here.

Download our UV education brochure by clicking on the image below.

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Product of the year - Optifog anti-fog lenses

Can we call 'em or what?  This blog has written before about Optifog anti-fog lenses and how much we love them. 

Now, Canadian consumers have proven us right and voted Optifog lenses the product of the year in the personal comfort category.

Apart form the fact that Optifog lenses work so well (you can hold them up to a steaming cup of coffee and they won't fog up) they have a hilarious advertising campaign.

Read the press release announcing Optifog as the winner here.  Here are some interesting facts and stats about foggy lenses from the press release:

Over half (52 per cent) of survey respondents admitted that they had experienced an embarrassing – and potentially dangerous – moment when their glasses have fogged. This includes walking into something (27 per cent), failing to recognize a familiar face (21 per cent) and tripping or falling down due to foggy lenses (14 per cent). Despite still needing to see, 33 per cent of respondents have removed their glasses while walking due to their lenses fogging up, while 19 per cent did so while working.

Finding a solution to foggy lenses is critical to continued safety and productivity, no matter the activity.  “Fog can be a problem for glasses wearers year-round. Foggy lenses can occur when drinking a hot beverage or even working, especially in jobs where safety or precision are important, such as a surgeon wearing a mask,” said Dr. Lawrence MacAulay, of Armstrong Optometry in Armstrong, B.C.  “Initial consumer feedback about Optifog™ has been incredible. It’s given glasses wearers a new found freedom; they love being able to see clearly without worrying about fog.” 

Optifog has been quite popular in the few months that we have carried it at our Vancouver optometry clinic.  Patients seem satisfied and they are exited to konw that there is an option for them to avoid those embarassing moments when their lenses fog up while on a date, with colleagues at work or in any number of situations.  In a city like Vancouver, where it is usually cold outside and warm inside, fog is a daily battle.

Foggy lenses can lead to some very embarrassing moments.

Foggy lenses are a major irritation. Fog happens all the time and it is a pet peeve of many eyeglasses wearers.  Walking into a restaurant when its cool outside can fog your lenses and make you look and feel like a nerd if you are with someone you are trying to impress. In the summer time the same thing happens when you leave the restaurant for the warm outdoors.

Ever go for a jog in your glasses? The heat from your body will fog your lenses and might cause you to trip, fall or step in something gross.

If you are a cook, if you use a dish-washing machine, heck if you wear glasses period, you have felt the interference of fog. That's why Optifog lenses are so great. They actually work exceptionally well and they stop the fog just as advertised.  You can hold them right up to a humidifier spewing steam and they will stay totally clear.  In my opinion, they are the best recent advance in lens technology because thye effectively solve a common, irritating every-day problem.

They also have a really funny advertising campaign. Check out these three short commercials featuring some embarrassing foggy moments.