Summer Alert: Too Much Sun Can Damage Your Eyes

Sand on your feet, warm summer breeze, its official—summer is finally here! During the hottest season of the year, people often spend more time outdoors which means prolonged exposure to the rays of the sun. Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays may cause serious eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. If it worsens, it could lead to blindness. Annually, around 3.2 million people worldwide become blind aggravated by UV exposure.

To protect our eyes from the long-term damaging effects of the sun, Essilor, the world leader in vision solutions, has launched ‘Seeing the World Better’, a public awareness campaign which aims to promote healthy vision through prevention, protection and correction. Here are a few eye care tips to keep in mind before hitting the beach this summer:

Use sun lenses with E-SPF The heat of the midday summer is three times greater than other seasons. Temperature rises from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius, making UV rays more threatening to our eyes. To prevent eye damage, wear sunglasses with Eye-Sun Protection Factor (E-SPF). E-SPF indicates the overall UV protection of your lenses. It is an objective rating system, with values varying from 2 to 25 for clear lenses, and up to 50+ for sun lenses. The higher the E-SPF of your lenses, the higher the UV protection it brings. Unfortunately, not all lenses, whether clear or tinted, have equal UV protection levels.

While most people use tinted sunglasses during summertime, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee the right amount of protection for our eyes. Sometimes clear lenses have more E-SPF than tinted ones. One of the best clear lenses for sun protection is Essilor’s Crizal Forte® UV, with an E-SPF of 25. It blocks both the front and back side of the lens from harmful UV, thus eyes are protected 25x more than without any glasses.

Wear swimming goggles. According to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) American Eye-Q® survey, 42 percent of swimmers open their eyes while swimming in chlorinated water. While it helps seeing underwater, exposing your eyes to the chlorinated pool water can drastically increase the chance of redness or irritation. To prevent this from happening, use goggles that will shield your eyes from this strong chemical. Goggles can also spare your eyes from contracting eye infection that is caused by improperly chlorinated pools. If you get pool water in your eyes, flush your eyes with warm water to prevent irritation or chemical conjunctivitis. If warm water can’t do the trick, consult an eye doctor immediately to effectively wash out the chemicals by using saline or topical steroids.

See an eye doctor. Before you go on a summer adventure, it is best to talk to an eye care professional for recommendations on how to properly care for your eyes. You can also ask your eye doctor for trusted brands of optical lenses that will give your eyes the right amount of E-SPF.

Caring for your eyes, especially during summer season, is truly important. Harmful UV rays are everywhere so our eyes are always at risk. By following these simple eye care tips, we can protect our eyes while enjoying the great outdoors. So before you head to the beach, make sure to apply sunscreen and keep your sunglasses on.

Piolo Pascual Brand Ambassador of Essilor - Seeing the World Better Campaign

Essilor announced that Piolo Pascual will be their brand ambassador and heading the campaign for “Seeing the world better”.  A sportsman and a known health buff, Piolo believes prevention is the first step towards healthy vision. “Good eye health is a serious matter because it is essential to performing practically all our daily tasks. Without good vision, we can only do so much and this limitation can stand in the way of achieving our goals.”.

 Piolo Pascual who will appear in Essilor’s latest TVC and educational materials. Essilor launched its latest infomercial featuring brand ambassador Piolo Pascual performing various activities – swimming, reading, driving – and how good vision helps him accomplish these tasks effectively. The newest TV ad will air on March 1, at primetime slots on select cable channels.



Seeing the World Better Campaign

“Essilor’s ‘Seeing the World Better’ campaign is our company’s way of helping the world see better by raising awareness about the importance of healthy vision and address the alarming number of visual impairment cases in the country. We also hope that through this campaign, Filipinos will start paying more attention to their eyes so they can see the world in a clearer and brighter view,” Dr. Roleda added.

The campaign have these important messages:

Prevention: Essilor lenses help prevent age-related eye diseases,
Protection: It also helps provide everyday protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays and harmful blue light
Correction: promote the initial purpose of Essilor which is to help correct eyesight.

Dr. Roleda cites the plethora of electronic devices that we are exposed to everyday, which emits harmful blue lights that damage the retina. “Repetitive exposure to blue light posts threat to our eyes. It may cause oxidative damage, and may be responsible for causing age-related macular degeneration, which can result to blindness.” Wearing protective lenses like Crizal Prevencia, she adds, can do a lot in preventing the detrimental effects of harmful blue light. Crizal Prevencia is the only clear lens that selectively filters harmful blue light from gadgets, LED and UV light while letting through the healthy blue light.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays, on the other hand, contribute to the development of cataracts. Wearing Crizal Forte UV lenses can protect our eyes from these harmful rays.

For those starting around age 40, our eyes can gradually lose the ability to focus on nearby objects; this is an unavoidable condition but it can be corrected, says Dr Roleda. “Essilor Varilux progressive lenses offer a smooth transition from distance vision through intermediate vision to near vision. This means that instead of having just two different viewing zones (near and distant), like with bifocals, Varilux provides the most natural vision correction,” said Dr. Roleda.

About Essilor

Founded in 1972, Essilor is a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing ophthalmic lenses, lens coatings and dispensary technologies. Premium eyeglass lenses from Essilor are the result of more than 150 years of advanced research, innovation and technology. A true leader in innovation, Essilor revolutionized the vision correction industry in 1959 with the invention of the world’s first progressive lens. The brand provides consumers and the eye care professionals with quality spectacle lenses, diagnostic tools, services and support in business.

You can also check www.essilor.com.ph for more information about Essilor.