Why You Should Wear Sunglasses around the Backyard Swimming Pool

By now, you've certainly heard that you should be wearing sunscreen to combat skin cancer, even for a quick dip in your backyard swimming pool. You may be wondering if you and your family should be worrying about protecting your eyes as well. The quick answer is yes.

Strong sunlight can be harmful to the eye's surface, just as it is to skin. This can contribute to cataracts and macular degeneration later on in life. Since sunlight reflects on the surface of water, this can make it even more intense around the backyard swimming pool. Therefore, it is important for even children to wear eye protection.


What sunglasses are best to protect the eyes?

Look for sunglasses with large frames or even better that wrap around the eye; this helps not only protect the surface of the eye but the surrounding delicate skin. As far as the lenses go, look for sunglasses that block 99-100% of the sun's ultraviolet A and B rays.

What about when you're actually in the water?

When swimming, you'll want to look for a pair of goggles that provide the same function as sunglasses. Instead of just getting a pair that look cool, try to find swimming goggles that absorb ultraviolet A and B rays.