Eyewear Tips for Winter Vacationers

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Essilor of America, Inc.

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"The importance of protecting your eyes from the sun's damaging rays during winter vacation activities is often overlooked. People who participate in winter sports should discuss their options for eyeglass lenses with their eye care professional," says Dr. Rodney Tahran, vice president, professional relations and clinical affairs of Essilor of America, Inc., the nation's leading manufacturer and wholesaler of prescription lenses.

A frequent problem for skiers, snowmobilers and others who spend a lot of time in the intense reflected light of snow is corneal sunburn, or photokeratitis, which is often called "snow blindness." A result of short- term but intense exposure to UV-B rays, this condition causes eye pain, extreme sensitivity to light and the sensation of having sand in your eye. While the damage is not usually permanent, it can take a week for the cornea to heal.

To protect your eyes from this kind of sun damage, it is important to wear sunglasses that provide protection from ultraviolet light. According to Prevent Blindness America, sunglasses should block at least 70 percent of visible light. But in areas where light is intense, such as on snow, vacationers should choose sunglasses that block 85-90 percent of visible light.

For patients who participate in winter sports and other active outdoor past times, Dr. Tahran always prescribes polycarbonate lenses. These lenses not only block UV rays, they are also more impact-resistant than glass or conventional plastic lenses.

"Today's high-grade polycarbonate technology has helped create lenses like Essilor's new Airwear(TM) lenses, which are scratch-resistant, resilient and thinner, lighter and flatter than ever before. We now have a comfortable and attractive lens option that also offers good protection from serious eye injury in the event of a fall or sporting accident," he says.

He notes that although polycarbonate lenses are not new, in the last year or so, there have been major technological advances in materials and designs that translate into more benefits for wearers. In short, eyeglass wearers no longer have to give up superior optics and lighter, thinner lenses to get impact-resistance. As a result, polycarbonate lenses are fast becoming one of the most popular choices for all eye glass wearers-for all age groups, active or not.

"Essilor's lens researchers used the same technology that gives compact discs great sound quality to help design Airwear, polycarbonate lenses with superior optics," says Dr. Tahran. "These lenses offer virtually 100 percent UVA and UVB block. The new Airwear combination of design and coating technologies means that the lenses are thinner (up to 35 percent thinner than plastic), lighter (up to 43 percent lighter than plastic) and flatter (45 percent more than conventional plastic lenses). These new-generation polycarbonate lenses may be prescribed to suit almost every eye correction need from mid-range to high, and in single vision and progressive lenses," he says.

Tahran suggests that outdoor enthusiasts discuss tinting and anti- reflective lenses with their eye care professional. Tints can enhance contrast and minimize color distortion. Amber is an ideal high-contrast lens for snow sports where sharp definition of the terrain is important.

Anti-reflective (AR) lenses sharpen visual performance and reduce the glare that can cause eye strain and fatigue. Reflections on ordinary lenses can mean a loss of eight percent of visual transmission. With top-quality, durable AR lenses like Essilor's Crizal(R), eyeglass wearers can recover more than 99 percent of visual transmission. Dr. Tahran also notes that AR lenses can help make the drive back from the ski slopes at dusk or nighttime safer by reducing the glare and distracting double images created by oncoming headlights.

A final word on frames: when selecting winter eyewear frames, Tahran suggests looking for features such as padded or rubber bridges and deep- grooved eyewires, so lenses will not fall out easily. Contact lens wearers also should be aware that contacts alone do not provide sufficient protection for most sporting activities. They should also consider wearing protective sports eyeglasses. Goggles, with adequate ventilation to minimize fogging of lenses, are another suitable option for skiers and snowmobile riders.

Note: Airwear is a trademark and Crizal is a registered trademark of Essilor International.

Dec. 10, 1999