Links - Learn more about WearSurfglasses.com, Surf Sunglasses, and protecting your eyes.
We offer the widest selection of surf sunglasses and always at the best prices. Don't believe us? Here are links to other retailers to facilitate your comparison shopping. If you don't find a better deal, please return to WearSurfGlasses.com to purchase.
Ocean Sport Sunglasses - Based in Spain
Murray's - Murray's is the American distributor for Barz
Barz Optics - Based in Australia
Sports Optical - Makers of the finest prescription sports lenses
Tony's Favorite Surf Videos
Derek Rabelo - Derek is a blind surfer, check out this and all his other YouTube videos.
Laird Hamilton at Jaws - The best big wave clip ever
Surfers and Eye Damage
Too much sun will damage your eyes and reflection off the water doubles these problems. No one would spend a day on a boat without sunglasses and a growing number of surfers are wearing surf sunglasses. Typical damages to the eyes of surfers are, sunburnt eyes, pterygium, cataracts and macular degeneration.
Article: Health Issues for Surfers
Eye Sunburn
Blue and green eyes are most susceptible to sunburn but even dark eyes can get sunburned. The result is sensitivity to light and a dry, itchy burning sensation. It hurts and leads to permenant damage.Article: Is it possible to sunburn your eyes?
Pterygium
Surfer's Eye (Pterygium conjunctiva) starts as a benign growth on the inside of the eye. In the initial stages it is irritating. As it grows it can come to cover the pupil, greatly disturbing vision. Treatment for pterygium is scraping / cutting the growth off your eyeball (very painful). Often the growths reappear after surgery. The best solution is prevention.
Pterygium on Wikipedia
Pterygium: Southern Cross Medical Library
Cataracts
Cataracts cloud the lens of the eye and obscure vision. They can be treated with surgery or avoided by wearing sunglasses.
Cataracts on Wikipedia
Cataracts on E Medicine Health
Macular Degeneration
Many (but not all) studies say that too much sun exposure is a component factor in macular degeneration. Macular degeneration damages the center of the retina disrupting the central part of the field of vision. It makes it difficult to recognize faces, read, etc.
The Eye Digest: Macular Degeneration
Eye Loss Due to Physical Trauma
The founder of WearSurfGlasses.com says:
I was hit directly in the eye with the nose of my surfboard. The surfboard did not hit me hard but it was enough for my eyeball to explode! The lens and other parts of my eye were lost into the sea and my retina suffered irreparable damage. I now have a glass eye. If I had been wearing surf sunglasses I would have been fine. So....