Need Another Reason to Wear Sunglasses: Have you Heard of Pterygium?

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A friend recently told me about a very unique eye surgery she had to have to remove a pterygium.

A what?” I replied. I had never heard of such a thing. But when she explained it, I realized that I had noticed certain people sporting a similar condition in the past.

Pterygium is a growth on your eyeball that starts out attached to your cornea and gradually spreads and grows larger until it covers your pupil. It’s more commonly referred to as “surfer’s eye” and, technically speaking, is a benign growth of the conjunctiva.

The cause: not wearing sunglasses.

My friend explained the condition to me and my response was, “Seriously? Just from not wearing sunglasses?”

Turns out, she was a track star in high school and college. She used to train outside, all afternoon, five days a week in the hot, Texas sun, and never, ever wore sunglasses. Apparently, eight years of prolonged sun exposure, even on her youthful eyes, was too much for them to bear.

It seems that the ultraviolet-light exposure causes the growth. People with pterygium suffer with inflammation, tearing, dry, and itchy eyes. They also often feel like something “foreign” is in their eyes and can even experience bleeding. As pterygium advances it affects the vision and obscures the center of the cornea.

Once the pterygium progresses, surgery is often required to remove the growth.

So, what’s the easiest way to prevent pterygium and make sure this never happens to you?

It’s really quite simple: wear good sunglasses.

Please hear me when I say that not all sunglasses are created equal. I know that bargain “designer” pair you found in the middle of the mall seems like it will do the trick. But, wearing non-ophthalmic quality lenses is risky business. Although they may have thrown a sticker on the front touting sun protection, it’s hard to be sure, that the lenses were really designed to block out 100% of the harmful UVA and UVB rays that the sun emits.

The only way to be positive you are getting the sun protection your eyes needs is by purchasing sunglasses directly from a licensed optical company under the care of a licensed doctor of optometry. But, don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you have to pay a lot more than you would elsewhere. In fact, America’s Best offers fantastic, hard to beat, bargain prices on name brand, designer sunglasses.

Don’t risk pterygium! Buy some discounted but quality-guaranteed sunglasses online here today.

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