May is Healthy Vision Month

The Bad News: Just like a sunburn on your skin, repeated short-term damage to the eyes over the years can result in serious long-term damage, such as cataracts, growths on the surface of the eye and even a rare eye cancer called squamos cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva. 

The Good News: When worn with a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses, UV-blocking contact lenses can offer an added measure of protection against UV rays that sneak in from the sides of sunglasses or reflected up from surfaces like sand, water, grass and pavement. 

The Lynchpin:  40 million Americans wear contact lenses and if their contact lenses don’t offer the highest levels of UV-blocking available (which in fact, most don’t), they’re just missing out.  

The Solution: Look for the gold standard -- only the ACUVUE® OASYS® and ACUVUE® ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses carry the American Optometric Association’s Seal of Acceptance for UV-Absorbing Contact Lenses.   They block more than 90% of UVA and 99% of UVB rays that reach the lens. 

The Resource: For more information and guidance on protecting your eye from the sun, you can go to www.HealthyWomen.org to download Fast Facts for Your Health: The Sun & Your Eyes: What You Need to Know, a free educational resource from one of the nation’s leading independent health information sources for women.