Oct. 12, 2022
Do your patients have an understanding of the importance of wearing sunglasses year-round, even in cloudy weather? Here is what a recent poll revealed about how and when consumers wear sunglasses.
Despite the sun’s year-round presence, 39 percent of Americans mistakenly believe sunglasses are only for summer, according to new research conducted by OnePoll for Maui Jim, and summarized by Talker.
The study of 2,000 Americans looked at people’s awareness of how to take protective measures to keep their eyes and body safe.
While a majority of respondents are the most careful in the summer (72 percent), 68 percent claim they take protective measures every time they go outside – even if for a short period of time.
Half of Americans spend upwards of five hours outside in the sun every week (51 percent) with those in the Midwest (60 percent) and west (53 percent) most likely to spend longer than five hours outside per week.
When it comes to their daily dose of sun, a third of respondents (34 percent) didn’t know they shouldn’t be spending more than the recommended 30 minutes outside in the sun every day.
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While their western counterparts get more sun, those in the northeast are more likely to wear sunscreen (56 percent) and tie with Southwesterners (63 percent) to wear sunglasses when going out for everyday chores like errands.
However, two-thirds of respondents know that being out in the sun, even for short periods of time, can be damaging to your eyesight, and a similar percentage know it’s important to wear sunglasses even when it’s cloudy (64 percent).
Still, nearly half of respondents who drive admitted they don’t always wear sunglasses when driving during the day (49 percent), and just a quarter knew that yard work has an effect on their eyes. Similarly, only 24 percent knew that playing sports can affect your eyes.
Two-thirds of people have ignored signs of eye strain like watery eyes (20 percent) and headaches (19 percent) without realizing they’re related.
Forty-four percent experience symptoms of eye strain at least once a week, with some of the least well-known symptoms including sore neck/shoulders (25 percent) and difficulty concentrating (28 percent).
“It’s critical to recognize the many environments and activities that can cause eye strain, both outside and indoors,” explains Diego de Castro, senior director of brand marketing at Maui Jim. “It’s important to protect your eyes wherever you are, with the help of everything from polarized sunglasses to blue light filtering eyeglasses. Whether you’re spending time outside in the sun, taking a walk on a cloudy day, watching TV, or reading in a dimly lit room, our lives are full of moments where we exhaust our eyes and could opt for some extra protection.”
