Ah, summertime! We have every excuse to ditch the daily routine and have some fun in the sun. But those same rays that warm our skin and buoy our spirits can be harsh on our eyes. Jerry York, an optician in Basking Ridge, gives expert advice on how stylish sunglasses are important allies in keeping our eyes healthy.
What are the benefits of wearing sunglasses?
Wearing sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV protection can delay many eye diseases, in particular cataracts. The most common cause of treatable blindness, cataracts cloud and yellow the lens of your eye, leading to progressive vision loss. This is common as we age and treatable by surgery but shielding your eyes from these harmful rays can delay the progression.
Other threats to eye health from UV radiation include macular degeneration, which is caused by cumulative UV damage to the central portion of the retina, and corneal sunburn, which is a painful burning of the cornea that is seen in hikers and skiers since the sun is more intense at higher altitudes and reflects off water, snow and ice. It can also cause skin cancer on your lower eyelid, where there is the most exposure.
Beyond the health benefits, sunglasses are fashionable and can look great with any outfit.
What sunglasses are best for summer activities?
Both Polarized lenses and tinted lenses will protect your eyes in the same way if they have 100 percent UV protection. However, polarized lenses are coated with a vacuum-sealed laminate that filters out glare and are more comfortable. Reducing glare is an important safety consideration when driving—especially on long road trips. People who fish also appreciate how polarized lenses cut the glare off the water surface, allowing them to see a few feet deeper.
What lenses are best for summer sports?
Polarized lenses also can improve your performance in summer sports, specifically small-ball sports like golf and tennis. Polarized lenses come in brown, gray and green, which all reduce brightness but have individual benefits. Brown lenses, which have an amber hue, give you high contrast; gray lenses do not affect your color perception. Green lenses are the best of both worlds as they share features: They provide better contrast than gray lenses and better color accuracy than brown lenses. So, brown lenses, would be good for golfers since the high contrast allows them to see knolls on the green better and would help people who do target practice see with more acuity. Gray lenses, which preserve colors in their natural state, are best for photographers.
Maui Jim High Transmission, a greenish-brown lens that my customers love, and the Oakley PRIZM line are great for golfers and tennis players.
How can people protect their eyes in the pool or at the shore?
The polarized lenses will protect you from the UV rays reflecting off the water. Swimmers should protect their eyes from chlorine and salt water. We make prescription swim goggles that can help keep eyes safe.
You clearly love your line of work. How did you get into this profession?
I began my optical career at 21, working at a large eyewear chain store in the Bridgewater Commons Mall. A few years later, in 2002 I started working in my father’s practice here in Basking Ridge. I bought the business in 2012.
What do you enjoy most about the Somerset Hills?
The people in Basking Ridge are wonderful. For example, during and after the pandemic, when supply chain issues made doing business difficult for everyone, my customers were understanding and loyal. I’m very grateful for that.
I live in Bernardsville with my wife, Michelle, and son, Gavin, 14, and believe in serving our community. I am a board member of the Ridge High School Hockey Association and visit the homes of senior citizens at various senior living communities in the surrounding areas to provide optical care.
When I’m not working, I enjoy playing and watching hockey and traveling to watch Gavin play hockey and lacrosse.
See the latest fashions and the services offered at GeraldAYorkoptician.com.
"Reducing glare is an important safety consideration when driving—especially on long road trips."