Most people own a pair of sunglasses, and quite a few of these will have more than one pair. Some people see their sunglasses as an essential item of fashion, whereas others would take the view that sunglasses are there just to wear in the sun. You may see someone falling in love with a pair of designer sunglasses they have just purchased, wear them constantly for a couple of weeks and then discard them without a seconds thought, forgetting about them all to soon. It's no good just throwing them into a corner- sunglasses are very important to overall eye health and should be worn appropriately.

Ideally, sunglasses should be worn at all times whist outdoors, to help protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and radiation (which by the way are also a risk in winter, despite the cold temperatures). More often than not though, most people are either unable, or simply unwilling to wear sunglasses at all times while they are outdoors, but there are certain situations that necessitate the wearing of sunglasses. You could be in a certain location or be taking part in a particular activity that warrants the wearing of sunglasses and if you don't wear them at other times, it would be hugely important to wear them at these particular times.

Obviously the summertime would cause the most problems for your eyes as the sun emits about three times more UV radiation at this time of year than at any other. Hence it could be said that in the summer you are three times more likely to have damage done to your eyes by UVA and UVB rays than in any other season. As well as this though, there are obviously more reasons why sunglasses would be more important to wear at this time of the year.

As the summertime is warmer and brighter than any other season, people tend to spend more time outdoors at this time of year than any other. Conversely, in the warm weather people tend to splash on the sun cream to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun- but what about the eyes? Are they not as important as the skin? You certainly can't rub the sun cream into your eyes to protect them can you? No- so putting on a pair of sunglasses is the way to go!

Some people may experience increased photosensitivity after taking certain medications and this heightened sensitivity to light and particularly sunlight causes a great deal of discomfort. Wearing sunglasses alleviates this problem making life a bit more bearable for the unfortunate sufferers.

Hitting the ski slopes is always a lot of fun- lots of snow and lots of cold. Sunglasses would be the last thing on your mind at times like these but you would be making a big mistake. The sun may not be warm or shine as brightly as other times or places but the damage that can be caused to the eyes is large. Snow has the unfortunate effect of reflecting the suns glare straight into your eyes, risking eye burn if they are not protected.

Taking to the water is not without its problems either. Whether you are water skiing or surfing you must take precautions. Water has the ability to reflect the suns glare, just as snow does. It may not be to the same extent but it's certainly enough to cause damage to the eyes.

The bottom line is that your eyes are important- more than important. They are vital! Be sensible and protect them when you're out and about- you may just have something to be thankful for in years to come.