#146: How to Protect Your Eyes from Cold Winter Air

February is the coldest month of the year in most parts of the US. It's colder than January or December, so it's important to talk about how to protect your eyes from the cold winter air.

Dry eyes are already sensitive to temperature changes and wind.  The cold air really irritates dry eyes, and it usually makes them water. That's your body's protective mechanism to defend against the irritant of the cold.  The best way to protect your eyes while outdoors during the winter months is to wear sunglasses or goggle that will cover your eyes from cold or wind.

Once you're back indoors, you can also rinse them with preservative-free artificial tears to clear the irritants.  I previously covered everything your need to know about the best sunglasses when you have dry eyes here.  Let's discuss the three most important things about choosing a sunglass in the winter time.  The 3 things are: Protection, Tint, and Style.

Protect Your Eyes From UV Rays

Let's talk about protecting from the Ultra Violet (UV) rays, just because the sun isn't shining doesn't mean the UV isn't getting through the clouds. And, if there is snow on the ground, then that UV is reflecting backup into your eyes. Wearing a lighter pair of shades on cloudy, rainy, or snowy days is still very important. 

UV light, as you all know, is damaging to our bodies. It's what causes sunburn on our skin.  In the eyes, it also causes problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. Protecting our eyes from the sun will reduce these vision problems later in life.

When you pick a pair of sunglasses, you want to make sure that there's the sticker on the lens, that says 98% UVA/UVB.  Here the higher the percentage of UV blocking, the better. Usually, it is easy to find sunglasses that provide a significant amount of UV blocking power.

Also, if you wear prescription glasses, you can have UV protection added to your clear lenses to protect you. The UV protection is actually clear. It has nothing to do with the color of the tinted sunglasses. So, you can add a clear UV protection to your prescription glasses without having to add a dark tint as well.  How awesome!!

What about polarized lenses?

You may have heard of these. They block glare and increase contrast. They help you with the functionality of your vision. Polarized lenses make your vision clearer when you're around water or snow without significantly distorting color. They can also help to reduce eyestrain especially in bright light.

If you live in somewhere sunny, polarized lenses are great. Cutting the glare will help images to appear sharper. It will increase your clarity. If you value having the best vision possible, in all circumstances, then polarized lenses are for you.

TINT

Tint refers to the color of the lenses.  I usually recommend to my patients to go with either the gray or brown as these are the most natural. A gray tint has its advantages as it dims all colors across the spectrum equally.  A brown lens will distort your color perception more towards the reds.

            Brown Lens                                                           Grey Lens

Yellow lenses are great when you are skiing.  This tint increases your perception of details. These lenses not only cut glare in the daytime, but they also enhance contrast at night. Some people enjoy wearing this type of lens while driving at night.  But, if you are in the snow, yellow lenses are wonderful  They increase contrast to help you navigate uneven terrain.

Intensity of the Tint

The intensity of the sunglasses is just how dark are the lenses.  You can base this from personal preference depending on how sensitive your eyes are to light. I do recommend you use at least 60% intensity. Many dry eye sufferers tend to be light sensitive as well.

You may choose the intensity of the lens tint based on your eye color. Brown eyed people tend to have more pigment in their retinas to absorb the light.  Whereas, lighter eyed people have less pigment and are more sensitive to bright light.  Since I have blue eyes, I like my lenses as dark as possible.  Otherwise, I find myself squinting in bright light, which causes wrinkles.  Who wants wrinkles??

FRAME STYLE

When talking about the style of sunglasses, size really matters. You don't want tiny sunglasses because the light will get in around the side.  The best styles for sunglasses are: wraparounds and fit overs.

Wraparound                                   Fit Overs

In regards to wintertime, wraparound and fit over sunglasses are best to protect your eyes from cold wind as well. This style also provides better peripheral vision. 

In the winter time, you want a bigger frame that may have wide side shields or a wraparound that would actually protect your eyes.

Wraparound lenses gives you better coverage from blocking the wind. They are great to use when you're wearing contact lenses or if you don't need a prescription at all.  It is difficult to use wraparound glasses if you need them to be prescription.  In this case, you can use a wraparound frame with a prescription insert.  The don't want the power of your lenses to be significantly curved as it will distort your vision and possibly cause eye strain. 

The other option, if you need to wear a prescription is to do a fit over sunglasses. These sunglasses go right over your regular glasses. They're very convenient.  You can just take them on and off and continue to have your prescription glasses in place. In addition, fit over sunglasses usually have both side of top coverage.  They are the best at blocking UV light which may be coming from above, from the side, or straight ahead.   

CONCLUSION

These are the best tips enjoy the outdoors this winter season while protecting your eyes and staying comfortable. Winter is filled with fun things to do outside and just use these guidelines to enjoy yourself. It wouldn't hurt as well to keep some artificial tears on hand, just to give your eyes a refreshing drop when you come back indoors.

When choosing a pair of sunglasses this winter keep in mind these factors:

• UV protection - the more the better
• Polarized lenses - will increase contrast in snow or bright light
• Grey tinted lenses - give less color distortion than other colors
• Yellow tinted lenses - are great to sharpen your vision on snowy days or uneven ground
• Intensity of the tint - at least at 60%, but go darker if your eyes are sensitive
• Size of sunglasses - the bigger the better
• Style of sunglasses - wraparounds or fit overs will provide the best protection from sun and wind by blocking from the side and top 

There you have all the necessary elements to look for when choosing a pair of sunglasses for winter wear. And, don't forget to keep some artificial tears handy to rehydrate your eyes when you come in from that dry, cold air.  Check out the ultimate guide to artificial tears if you don't already have a favorite tear.