Wear a sunhat, sunglasses all the time in the summer sun

At about age 50, I was shocked to learn that it’s important to wear sunglasses all the time when you’re in the sun to protect eyes from developing cataracts.

Throughout the years, I (and my insurance company) always paid more to go to an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor, rather than an optometrist.

And, none of them ever told me about the need to protect my eyes from the sun. Finally, I read about it in a brochure at the ophthalmologist’s office.

I bought a pair of prescription sunglasses when I just graduated from college and was headed to Australia. I lost them and didn’t want to spend that much money again. Plastic sunglasses that clipped on my glasses didn’t work well, giving me headaches, so I just didn’t wear any.

Now I’m wearing sunglasses that fit over my regular glasses.

In addition, you also need to wear a wide-brim hat when you’re in the sun. It’s important to shade your face, head, ears, and neck.

I started wearing wide-brim hats during the summer because a health care provider told me that I had a precancerous spot on the tip of my nose. Fortunately, she was mistaken, but it’s still important for me and everyone to wear a sunhat all the time in the sun.

It’s surprising to me that so few people wear them.

When my daughter comes to visit from Madrid during the summer, her friends say they can find us at the beach because “your mom wears a big sunhat.”

Everyone should wear one.

The photo above is of one of the few people I saw at the beach this summer wearing a sunhat.

It’s one of the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for sun safety.

So, male and female consumers, let’s see those sunhats and sunglasses.

Copyright 2015, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist