When Exactly Should I Be Wearing Sunglasses?

Sunglasses play an important role in protecting your eyes from
potentially harmful UV rays This invisible form of energy takes
the form of radiation which can damage your eyes if they are
overexposed But the pertinent question is, how much protection
do I need? Or stated differently, when exactly should I be
wearing sunglasses?
One of the major determinants about deciding whether a
particular situation calls for the use of sunglasses is the
environment in which you are in Rather surprisingly, UV
exposure is greater on the snow, as well as on sand, pavement
and water, than in more green environments We often imagine a
park at high noon to be some of the most dangerous conditions
for UV exposure But in fact, environments in which your
surroundings are reflective, such as snow and water, provide
some of the most perilous situations This is because in such
situations, the amount of UV is not easily absorbed by the
greenery around you, but rather hits the ground and is reflected
back up towards your eyes This means that you have UV light
approaching your eyes both from above and from below
Another dangerous situation, in which you should always be
careful to wear sunglasses, is when you are at high altitudes
UV rays are filtered out in the atmosphere This essentially
means that the gasses between you and the sun which are trapped
within the earths gravitational pull filter out ultraviolet
light before it reaches your eyes In high altitudes, however,
the concentration of those filtering gases, as well as their
thickness, is significantly reduced As a result, light rays are
significantly stronger, and thus the presence of UV is much
greater at higher altitudes
Time of day, is of course, also one of the greatest determinants
of UV risk UV rays are directed from the sun As a result, it
should seem obvious that the risk of UV exposure is greatest
when the sun is strongest, during the hours between 10am and
4pm At these times the UV rays are more direct and as a result
their effects on your eyes are significantly stronger
Consequently, it is key during these periods to take necessary
precaution and wear sunglasses when outside
Weather is another often overlooked factor when determining
whether or not to wear sunglasses It seems intuitive that if
the sun is out, then UV rays are stronger, and as a corollary,
if the day is overcast the risk of UV exposure is virtually nil
This is not the case however Rather, UV rays quite easily
permeate clouds, rain, and the like This means that an overcast
day is no indication that UV rays are any less intense on that
day By contrast, it is often more important to be contentious
about wearing sunglasses during such days as we are often not
cognizant of the UV risks we are facing and may take risks with
our eyes as a result
After learning about the dangers of UV radiation exposure to
your eyes the question becomes, not if I should be wearing
sunglasses, but rather when should I be wearing sunglasses?

Tags | conditions, dangerous, gasses, gravitational, green, overexposed, pertinent, question, rays, result, time, ultraviolet