Winter Sunglasses

We do have some sunny days in winter, and many of these are glarey too. So, it is important to remember to use sunglasses on those glarey days, for comfort. Low sun angles reflecting off puddles on the road can give you "double trouble" when walking or driving.

The other thing that sunglasses can be useful for is as a wind block. Patients often tell me that their eyes water in cold winds (waiting at the railway station, walking on the beach) and a good pair of spectacles (prescription or sunglasses)can block some of this irritation. Watering is one of the few ways eyes can "defend themselves" - it makes sense when they are diluting onion juice in the eye, but not when they are trying to "wash away" a cold wind, but the eyes aren't logical!

Transitions lenses darken with ultra-violet light, which means that they are ideal to use as both a clear prescription pair and sun-protection too. But they respond better (ie go darker) in cold temperatures. So they are great to give comfortable vision on those cold, clear days, but just be aware that they will take some seconds to clear when you come inside into the warm again. Older folk need to be careful with this, as they often need more light to see well than they did when younger, so will be more disadvantaged when returning to a relatively dark room from outside on a sunny winter's day.

Prescription sunwear, Transitions lenses, Drivewear polarised photochromatic and plano sunglasses...all have their place. And not just in summer, too!