The 27th of June is National Sunglasses Day, an awareness day to celebrate and share the importance of wearing UV protective eye wear to protect your vision. To support this cause, Specsavers Ópticas are offering a free UV checking service in store to allow residents to check the protection that their sunglasses are giving their eyes.
Francisco Jurado, Director of Specsavers Ópticas in Torrevieja explains, “UV rays can damage our vision as well as our skin. Prolonged UV exposure has been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, and even some types of eye cancer. Sunglasses are not just fashion accessories, so it’s particularly important that you wear a good pair that offer high levels of UV protection.
Unfortunately, not all sunglasses provide sufficient protection from damaging UV rays, so make sure your sunglasses conform with agreed safety standards. Look out for CE (European Community Standard), BSEN1836 (British Standard) or UV400 markings and aim for a pair that offer 80 percent light reduction.
Wearing sunglasses that do not meet the European industry standard protection of UV380 rating, especially those with dark lenses, is more damaging to the eyes than not wearing any at all. Dark lenses make the pupil dilate and let in more harmful rays than if you weren’t wearing them, because without the glasses the eyes would naturally squint to keep the rays out. This is why we’re offering UV protection checks in store, to make sure your eyes are properly protected from the sun this summer.”
There are five Specsavers Ópticas stores on the Costa Blanca offering the UV check service, in Javea, Calpe, Benidorm, Guardamar and Torrevieja. Visit www.specsavers.es to find your nearest store.
