On day one, while I was relaxing at the swimming pool, I struck up a conversation with a Los Angeles couple whose five year old daughter was swimming with them.  I noticed that the parents were wearing prescription sunglasses but the child was not wearing sunglasses at all.  Our conversation led the parents to the realization that they needed to be more aware of their child’s visual well being.  They were unaware that 80% of learning was through the eyes.  They were unaware that 80% of a person’s lifetime visual exposure to ultraviolet light comes before the age of 18. They were unaware of the long term effects UV light has on eye health.  They were going home and would make an appointment for their child with an eye doctor, her first and most important appointment.

Day 2 was actually an eye opener for me.  Having left my prescription glasses in my hotel room, I left to do a day’s worth of shopping with my wife carrying only my polarized sunglasses.   Sunglasses are a necessity when you are in the desert.  But when you are going in and out of store after store after store you soon realize that having your transitions eyeglasses with you is just as important.  Transitions lenses change from light to dark depending on the amount of UV exposure.  Indoors they are clear and would have allowed me to see more efficiently while shopping.  Yes, even eye doctors forget to take their glasses with them on occasion.  And by the way, I really do not like shopping.

Traveling through the mountains and desert in New Mexico on Day 3, I truly appreciated my polarized sunglasses.   My preference is Maui Jim sunglasses because of the way this lens minimizes reflections coming from the lens itself.  Mine are prescription but they are available as non-prescription as well.  We arrived in Taos after a detour to Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos, the home of the atom bomb.  The color and contours of the mountains can only be appreciated by those who have good visual quality.  Unfortunately, there are many travelers who don’t realize they are not seeing well because they have not had their eyes examined.  If you know one or more of these people, enlighten them about the importance of an eye examination.

This is what I do when I am not in the office.  I travel and I think eyes. I love my time off yet I am constantly reminded of why I became an optometrist.  That is, to directly or indirectly help people see their best so they can see the world too.  Enjoy your time off when you get some.   In the meantime, have your eyes and those of a loved one examined.

Perhaps we will see each other on our next vacation.

Joel Kestenbaum, OD

www.optixeyecare.com

image credit Kamal H

It’s official.  Sunglass season is here.  But is there really a sunglass season?  The answer is: there is and there isn’t.

Ultraviolet light (UV A and UV B) is present in winter as well as summer.  Since people spend more time outdoors in summer, sunglass sales boom in spring.

Which sunglass is right for you?  Although most people concern themselves with the cosmetics of the frame, it is the lens that is the most important part of eye protection.  Not all lenses are alike.  There are sport lenses, golf or tennis lenses, biking, hiking, or skiing lenses, driving or fishing lenses and general-purpose sun lenses.

Some of the sunglass designers include Oakley which has multilayered, multicoated lenses.  Maui Jim is known for their polarized, multilayered, non-glare lenses.  Ray Ban has been the sunglass standard for many years and is probably the most well known.  Rudy Project is known for their high quality sports lenses.

Designers such as Bvlgari, Calvin Klein, Dior, Tiffany, Carrera and a host of others have made their own protective lenses in their high fashion sun wear.

Did you know that ultraviolet light exposure could be higher in the winter?  The sun is lower in the sky.  The trees are bare.  The snow is on the ground.  The glare and reflections may be higher than in warm weather.  And as we well know, where there is more sun glare, there is more ultraviolet light.  We know this because we sunburn in a shorter period of time at the beach or pool than in the backyard.  The same goes for UV glare in the winter.

More glare = more UV.

So why do more people think they only have to wear sunglasses in the warm weather?  The answer is education, education, and education.  As eyecare professionals, it is our job to educate our patients regarding UV eye protection in all seasons.  I like to think that for the last 25 years or so, my staff has been doing a good job of this.

So if you want information about which sunglass is right for you, stop by Optix Family Eyecare Center for a free consultation.  At Optix, we are very proud to be one of the largest providers of sun wear on Long Island.

Have a great summer.

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum