Will staring at the sun damage my eyes?
Ah, the sun. Master of heat and light for our tiny little blue marble we call home. The sun may provide millions of benefits, but it is also a terrifying force of nature. Just like the ocean and my great aunt, the sun is not something you want to tangle with unprepared.
This is especially true when considering your eye health.
Why is staring at the sun bad?
The sun has a unique power to damage your eyes while you’re completely unaware of it through the magic of ultraviolet (UV) rays. My great aunt has a similar power, but it’s gastrointestinal damage and I guarantee you will be completely aware of it.
UV rays don’t often cause immediate irritation or pain, but after a while, the damage can be irreversible. If you stare at the sun for long enough, you’ll develop a sunburn on your cornea. Just like regular sunburns, there are degrees of trauma based on intensity of the sunburn. Symptoms of a sunburned cornea can range from awkward tan lines (joking) and mild irritation to temporary blindness.
Unfortunately, that’s the best outcome of staring at the sun. Not only is the outer layer of your eye being assaulted by UV rays when you stare at the sun, but you’re also subjecting your retina to extensive damage. Your retina is a mass of light sensitive tissue at the back of your eye which processes visual information.
UV rays and your retina are not friends. They are mortal enemies. Because UV rays are jerks. Every second you stare directly into the sun; you’re subjecting your retina to incredible amounts of UV radiation. Stare long enough (less than 100 seconds!) and you’re now dealing with permanent vision damage.
Your retinas provide you with the wonderful power of vision, please don’t deep fry them in UV rays.
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Prevention
Luckily, preventing cornea sunburns and retinal damage from the sun is simple. It just requires a little bit of planning before embarking on any sunny adventures.
The simplest and easiest way to protect your eyes is through eyewear. Most contact lenses and glasses come with at least some level of UV ray protection. You still can’t stare at the sun with them on, but it will help protect them on a day-to-day basis.
Sunglasses and transition lenses are a step up for eye protection. They are specifically designed to reduce eye strain by dimming light and providing UV protection. Plus, if you opt for sunglasses, you can be protected in style with a pair of The Framery's sunglasses. Did we just plug our own glasses brand? Yes, yes we did.
Lastly and most crucially, don’t stare at the sun under any circumstances. A quick glance by accident or staring at animal-shaped clouds in the sky is okay, but any sustained eye contact with the sun, or any kind of contact with my great aunt’s casserole, is never recommended.
With everything you can do online these days, it only makes sense that you can renew your contact lens prescription. How do online eye exams work? How long is a prescription good for? Find out when yours expires and how to renew it within minutes. Don’t let an expired prescription leave you squinting. Can you get contacts without a prescription? No. But all is not lost. Find out more about getting contacts. Everything you need to know about online vision exams
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