Eyeballs

Rob_Webb

Rob_Webb

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We all know about the dangers of sunlight/UV damage to skin - but can eyes suffer too? Wearing sunnies /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif obviously helps alleviate strain on the day but are they also helping prevent trouble in later life?
 
Yes. Leads to general degeneration of the eyes, especially the retina, as well as cataracts. Don't think they can be sold in NZ but not all sunglasses stop UV - need to stop both A and B UV.

Think sun also encourages the tissue growth that can grow out from the corner of the eye and if not removed will eventually cover the retina and pupil. Forgotten what it is called but wifey, who spent her childhood in the tropics, had to have it removed from both eyes when she was in her 30's - a very painful afterwards type op.

{Edit: remembered the tissue growth thing and checked it out - is pterygia and the book says Pterygia are more common in sunny climates and in the 20-40 age group. Scientists do not know what causes pterygia to develop. However, since people who have pterygia usually have spent a significant time outdoors, many doctors believe ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun may be a factor. In areas where sunlight is strong, wearing protective eyeglasses, sunglasses, and/or hats with brims are suggested. While some studies report a higher prevalence of pterygia in men than in women, this may reflect different rates of exposure to UV light.. I don;t think this pronblem is widely known about but fairly common here in NZ and other high UV climes.[/i]}

All assumes one lives somewhere where sun is frequent - does not apply to most forumites who seem to be in the UK /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

John
 
if you look in the lounge you will see this subject has been aired in the entry - reflections on blindness
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
of course it is a good subject to discuss, and here is as good a place as any, but you will find various views there already
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
an important point to ponder is the reflected light entering the eyes, an often fogotten danger /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
trends and the ego - centric,
in choosing shades, they ought to hug the skin completely arund the eye area.
no good if they are uv a + b 100 % blah if they leaave a gap for reflected light to bounce under.
but who wants to wear 'jacki o's' ?, most prefer 'cheap' jobbies,
I've seen people wearing 'novelty shades' and when remarked upon they quip '' they're alright for 3 quid''
hmmmm....... If I paid 70, 80 or more for a pair am I dumb?
It's not snobbery , it's technology ( and a little style), one of the few body parts that cant be replaced cant be scimped out on. Just a p.o.v.
 
Interesting.
I was in a high street opticians at the weekend specifically to buy a pair of prescription sunglasses for the boat and driving. I had already selected "pilot" shaped frames from the cheapie £50 rack but the young wummin poured scorn saying they were "old".
She was full of praise for skinny wee frames with a designer name which barely covered the eyes.
I stuck to the gun and ordered the pilots and spent more for polarising film, but do these people know what they are doing?
 
IMHO, the £1-£3 jobbies are definitely suspect - at that price, I wouldn't trust a 100% UVA/UVB claim, and the seller certainly won't have tested them.

I don't think it's necessary to pay £70+ for a pair, though - the buggrit factor is far too high when they go over the side or get stepped on! Having said that, my favourite SGs are a pair of Randolph aviators I inherited. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Sailing in the tropics, I could see the advantage to the wraparound styles, but I'm unconvinced of the real need in the UK. The 1% that sneaks round the outside and into the eyes is, IMH (& totally unqualified) O, not too much of a problem.
 
All sunspecs sold in UK should carry a CE mark and should therefore be 100% opaque to UVA and B. For sailing in our current sunny weather you should protect as much as possible so wrap around or aviator shapes are indeed safer from that point of view. However - and there always is a however - wrap around lenses are not possible in all prescriptions for technical reasons to do with lens thickness and distortions and very large sunnies weigh more so are less comfortable so get worn less. If you wear specs normally then 'Transitions' lenses (plastics lenses that change colour) are probably the most practical solution - and are what I use myself.
We don't see pterygia very often in UK but they are widely associated with living in the tropics and with dusty environments - both good reasons for eye protection.
It's not often that I know what I'm talking about on this forum but as it's thirty five years to the day that I took my last Final exam in optometry, the profession that pays for my sailing, then I think I'm just about qualified. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Ghost,

I don't think your mad for spending that much on a decent pair of sunglasses.... I would be suprised if most of the participants on here don't also have decent sunlasses too..... I know I do... there my eyes, and they need looking after... I was once told by an optician friend that good sunglasses are up to 3 times more effective than cheap ones in their ability to stop UV A and B, with their performance being far in excess of UK requirements....

Just read Riojasailors response..... my friend did also go on to say that is about the coating, not the glass/plastic, and that cheap ones tend to have slightly more 'variable' coatings, and that the coating can get easuily damaged, whereas the good ons have a much more consistent coat, of generally better quality material, and are far more resistant to damage..... maybe you could confirm this, or contradict it, and tell me that i've been led up the garden path!
 
The best sunglasses I found for sailing - I got in the States at Walmart - I don't know if Asda sell them here. They are sold in the fishing section and are sold as 'fishing' sunglasses.
They are heavily polarised and come in a choice of styles (2)
They cost about $9 a pair and I always buy half a dozen pairs when i go, that way when i tread on them or lose a pair overboard its not too painful.
They are great on board and remove all the glare
 
Once I was doing a delivery for a 'mate' of mine with him on board, he had only been sailing for about three years and 'knew it all'. kept forgetting tho' that when you gybe you should inform the others on board.
One particularly violent gybe, the mainsheet, quick as a rattler whipped my jaw, acrss the face etc. taking my brand new bosch & lombes' straight over the side and cutting my brow, turning to look at him to see him laughing asked ''what ya larfing at?''
''haw haw the way your shades went flying''
I wanted to chin him, but that was'nt fitting...
I took out my knife and drew it parrallel with the boom along the foot of his main.....left a neat surgical stripe about a foot and a half long.
stopped the fu**er laughing, and from then on he had to sail with his wife, THAT was fitting..
 
I wear "Glacier goggles" (I think they are called) Popular with ice climbers and polar explorers. Not only do the legs wrap round the ear making them very secure but they have leather side shields that keep out errant light, wind and spray, great for skiing too!
metalframeglaciers.jpg


Only cownside is coming home looking like a racoon (unless you fancy racoons)

Regards
Cameron
 
Gill are good value...

Gill have some reasonably-priced (£30) lightweight sunglasses with genuine Polaroid lenses and a good wrap-round design. They are very comfy to wear and protect the eyes from wind too. They also float!
9473-Gill--Sunglasses-Black-t.jpg
 
I always used to wear cheapy sunnies, often buying them at a garage or other suspect outlet.

A few years ago I asked SWMBO for a decent pair for my birthday, perfect gift as I couldn't justify coughing up the cash on myself.

I got a really nice pair of Ray Ban from Costco. I have to say now, once you have worn a decent pair of sunglasses the cheap ones are just that, cheap. Decent lenses make an amazing difference and then there is the good feeling that you are definitely protecting your eyes.
 
Cheers guys - sounds like I really should take more care to wear my sunnies when on the water esp. here in NZ where we have some of the highest UV rates in the world. Under the revised classification system I remember the UK forecasters getting a bit excited when the index got to 7. Here it regularly reaches 11-14. Booming business in melanoma removal.
 
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