Anti UV Color Lenses and Sun Protection
Do you know that two kinds of color lens exist on the market? It’s possible to find regular contact lenses with the purpose of making your eyes beautiful by changing their color and/or correct the vision. The other kind of color lens has the same functions but it is also capable to protect your eyes from the sun by being anti-UV. Contact lenses with anti-UV protection are perfect for people practicing outdoor activities and sports.
Just as you have to protect your skin when you expose yourself to the sun, for example on the beach when you apply sun block on your body, you will also have to protect your head from the sun by wearing a hat or a cap. But as our eyes are important too, we have to protect them, you can choose to block the UV of the sun with sunglasses but you can also choose to protect them with anti-UV contact lenses. In some areas where the sun is very strong, it is very important to do the right thing. Sun ultraviolet (UV) can be harmful to your eyes if you are not protected, it can cause damages to your eyes like cataract and can be irreversible like the degeneration
of cornea which can lead to blindness.
Anti-UV contact lenses are a good alternative for people who need to wear contact lenses with or without correction, to be protected from sun UV when they stay outdoor for a limited time. Soft circle lenses cover a larger part of the eye than hard contact lenses which are more efficient to protect your eyes from UV. Hard color lenses can block sun UV including UVA and UVB up to 90%.
if you use to practice outdoor sports with glasses or sunglasses you might be annoyed to wear them. Anti-UV contact lenses are the best solution to feel free again, no need to worry to loose your glasses or sunglasses anymore while practicing your favorite sport. To practice some sports like bike riding it will be an advantage not having to wear glasses with your helmet anymore, because glasses can reduce your area of vision. Different tones of anti-UV layers are available, from dark to pale, the tone that you choose determine how strong will be the UV protection. With this kind of contact lens you will protect your cornea but also your iris and your pupil. Some versions of contact lenses have photo-chromic filters and are anti-glare or polarized.
UV contact lenses are a perfect gear to avoid risk caused by the sun and avoid sun related conditions.
For people practicing sport as ski or snowboard anti-UV lenses won’t be enough to protect your eyes. In the mountains UV rays are 10% stronger every 1000 meters of altitude. Sailing sports are also exposed to high level of UV due to the reflection of the sun on the water. In these cases your eyelids and the white part of your eyes (sclera) are not protected against the high level of sun dangerous UV, so it will be necessary to use sunglasses in addition to your circle lenses.
As you noticed, most of the time it is possible to be well protected from the sun UV with your contact lenses without the need to wear sunglasses. In only few extreme cases you’ll need to add sunglasses to your circle lenses to be 100% protected.
