I cannot stress enough about the use of sunglasses for protection for your eyesight. Now and in the future.
You may not think about this or worry about sight problems at all. Won’t even cross your mind. Or think you won’t have problems at any point. Neither did I.
These are some of the problems that can be caused by direct sun damage.
1. Solar Retinopathy: Damage to the retina from looking directly at the sun, causing vision changes and pain.
2. UV Radiation Effects: UV rays can harm the eye’s surface tissues, cornea, and lens, potentially leading to cataracts and other issues.
3. Photokeratitis: A painful condition caused by damage from UV light exposure to the Cornea often described as a sunburn of the eye.
4. Long-term Risks: Prolonged exposure to sunlight can increase the risk of developing serious eye problems, including macular degeneration and skin cancer around the eyes.
5. Pinguecula and pterygia Pinguecula and pterygia are growths on your sclera (the white of your eye) due to excessive sun exposure.
A pterygium has the potential to spread onto the cornea and negatively impact vision.
To protect your eyes, it’s essential to wear sunglasses that have full protection and block UV rays and also avoid looking directly at the sun.
So is it worth it having those sunglasses that are really cool but offer no protection at all?
100% UV protection or UV400. This indicates they block all harmful UV rays up to 400 nanometers, which covers both UVA and UVB rays.
Polarized lenses aren’t necessarily UV-protective, but they do reduce the glare from reflected light.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION A blue and white towel rests on a sunbed with a coffee cup on top by a pool. An animated baby that looks angry, shakes his fist whilst a thought bubble has pink text stating. People aren’t wearing sunglasses. This changes half way through to pink text of protect your eyes.
2.2 Billion people worldwide have some sort of visual impairment. So the financial organisations realising the blind communities struggle with identification of cards and there orientation is a real step to inclusivity, by making them accessible. Therefore giving the visually impaired their independence to deal with their own finances.
My cash cards each have a different tactile part of the cards design to let visually impaired and blind people know the orientation of the card, where the card would need to be inserted or tapped at the chip end.
3 little raised tactile dots for the Halifax card and a crescent shaped carved indent for Monzo. So they both have different types of tactile designs so I can differentiate between the two when my eyesight progresses fully.
I received my new Halifax card today after putting it in a safe place in my home 🤦🏼♀️ because I went away and only took my monzo holiday cash card with me. I can’t find it… Yet.
So this new one has the raised dots on. The old one didn’t.
Well done to these 2 banks for making this inclusion into a seeing world and making things a little easier, that really don’t take much doing really. Many others do the same and with so many of us with sight problems, we really need to be inclusive with everything as much as we can so we have a level playing field. We live in this world too.
PD 1 A Blue Halifax bank card and a neon bright orange Monzo card, rest on a cream coloured purse with a gold letter C.
PD 2 A close up of a blue Halifax bank card and a neon orange Monzo card showing the 3 raised dots on the blue card and the crescent shaped indent on the orange one.
PD 1 A Blue Halifax bank card and a neon bright orange Monzo card, rest on a cream coloured purse with a gold letter C.PD 2 A close up of a blue Halifax bank card and a neon orange Monzo card showing the 3 raised dots on the blue card and the crescent shaped indent on the orange one.
I’ve been away for a few nights with my buddies and we all had a fab time. Well needed and a long time coming for me, as I hadn’t been to foreign climbs for 15 years! Due to one thing or another.
Certainly different from the seeing world I was in last time I went. I had 20/20 vision back then. Unbeknownst to me, the genetic condition I had lurking inside me. Ready to show itself 5 years later on.
With careful walking and being mindful, (I did notice steps in the part of Tenerife I was in didn’t have any markers or contrasting colours at all to make it easier for visually impaired people to walk down them safely, but there usually was a useful handrail) it was all good and far less stressful in all than I thought it would be.
It also helped that my friend read bits of menu to me, mainly the seafood, tapas section although a breakfast was lovely for a change. The ladies also helped me with the coins in my change, reading prices for things, explained what items were etc.
Euro notes are also so much easier for me to read because the numbers are so big. Bigger than the UKs numbers on our notes anyway.
I also knew that if I came a cropper they would help. Which made the whole thing alot more relaxing for me.
Still alot more concentration, taking time to grasp what was in front of me and trying to process everything from all angles at a steady pace, whilst looking at the floor is an art in itself. I’ve learnt to just give myself a chance and be patient. I can’t rush, as that’s when accidents happen. A far cry from the carefree days of not having to think about all this, but to look at me now you wouldn’t even know I was doing all this just by looking at me. Like a swan gliding along, with the little legs going underneath ☺️.
I know I should get my phone out for reading stuff by myself, my magnifier, or use the Be my eyes app. I did a few times take a photo or a screenshot and zoom for reading a receipt, working our bills out. I should do this all the time. I just used everyone else’s eyes instead as I also trusted them all to be truthful with the amount it stated on the bill.
Now the one thing I always moan on about is my Photophobic eyes.
My sunglasses, coupled with wearing a hat, saved eye pain and glare. A few times I stupidly took them off for a bit in the shade and later on they were hurting, but they honestly saved me this holiday. They aren’t something I would ever wear before, but now I HAVE to. Even in the shaded areas.
I bought a beaded chain for my sunglasses as when we went shopping they were on off, on off, and saved me carrying them and at risk of popping them down and losing them completely. I wouldn’t be able to replace them, as ordinary sunglasses just wouldn’t have the correct protection.
They are essential to me and one of the most important things I own now. No doubt about it. I always have to have them with me.
Has anyone got anymore tips for traveling?
PD 1 A pair of black Cocoon sunglasses placed on a grey mesh sunlounger from the top view. They have a multicoloured string of beads attached to the ends of them to wear around the neck.PD 2 An orange sunset over the mountains in the background. The lights of Los Christianos, Playa de Las Americas, Costa Adeja are all lit up. Steps leading down into the street, the way into the town in the foreground.PD 3 A selfie photograph of myself, facing towards the camera. I’m a white woman with long blonde hair. A black bucket hat on my head. A pair of black cocoon sunglasses on my face. Chairs and tables are behind me. PD 4 A photograph of a receipt I took so I could zoom in and work out the amounts we each spent. The printed text on the receipt is in Spanish and is for A cheese, ham and onion baguette, 3 breakfasts and 4 Lattes in Playa de Las Americas.
One Vision Blog 