Summer is here, the time when people grab for their shorts, bathing suits, and sunglasses. As it turns out, however, the sunglasses are doing more harm than good. Nevertheless, each year in America it is estimated that consumers purchase some 86 million pair, totaling around $1.7 billion dollars. Little do they realize that sunglasses are harming their vision, including raising their risk for macular degeneration, a disease the National Eye Institute reports is the leading cause of blindness in the country.
“We have been sold on the idea that sunglasses help protect our eyes, but that is simply not the case,” explains Dr. Edward Kondrot, founder of the Healing The Eye & Wellness Center. “Worse yet, often times sunglass wearing is actually harming the eye and leaving people with vision problems.”
Dr. Kondrot recommends that people only wear sunglasses if they will be out in the sun for a prolonged period of time, engaging in something like boating or desert hiking. Otherwise, he recommends that people avoid wearing sunglasses altogether, for a number of reasons, including:
· When people put dark sunglasses on, they cause the pupil to unnaturally dilate in the bright sunlight. A normal pupil will dilate in a dark environment and constrict in bright light, preventing the unwanted UV light from entering the eye. When people put dark sunglasses on, it dilates the pupil instead, allowing the UV light to enter.
· A small amount of UV light is needed to maintain eye health. Brief exposures to UV light can strengthen your eye, while a complete lack of it may lead to macular degeneration. Because we are not getting enough UV light and are becoming more sun phobic, many people are also becoming vitamin D deficient.
· Many people purchase dark sunglasses in the belief that it will keep out unwanted UV light. In truth, darkness actually has nothing to do with protecting against UV light. Sunglasses must have a UV blocker in order to block out the sun. It is also possible for completely clear lenses to filter out 100 percent of the UV light.
“If you look at children, you will see they are fine outside without sunglasses,” adds Dr. Kondrot. “Yet adults can’t go minutes without them. They have caused their eyes to become dependent on them unnecessarily. Start by going without sunglasses for an hour per day while outside. This will strengthen the eye and get you back on the track toward eye health.”
Dr. Kondrot is the author of three best-selling books, including “10 Essentials to Save Your Sight” (Advantage Media Group, July 2012), and president of the Arizona Homeopathic and Integrative Medical Association. He has founded the Healing The Eye & Wellness Center, located just north of Tampa, Fla., which offers alternative and homeopathic routes to vision therapies known as the “Kondrot Program.” The program focuses on such conditions as macular degeneration, glaucoma, dry eye, cataracts, and others. His advanced programs have helped people from around the world restore their vision. The center sits on 50 acres of land and features a 14,000-square-foot state-of-the art complex, an organic ranch, jogging trails, swimming pool, hot tub, and more. For more information, visit the site at www.healingtheeye.com.
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