Important information for contact lens wearers: ACUVUE Contact Lenses are available by prescription only for vision correction. An eye care professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by your eye doctor. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. If one of these conditions occurs, remove the lens and contact your eye doctor immediately. For more information on proper wear, care and safety, talk to your eye care professional, call 1-800-843-2020, or download the Patient Instruction Guides.

How to protect your eyes from the sun without sunglasses

molecule: An electrically neutral group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in the air is made of two oxygen atoms (O2), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O).

Light can become polarized when reflecting off flat surfaces like puddles and pavement. Polarized sunglasses can then specifically block out those polarized light waves, reducing the glare that reaches a driver’s eyes.

Light is made up of waves. They wiggle as they zip through space. They can wiggle up and down, left and right, and any angle in between. Light is polarized when its waves all wiggle at the same angle.

#Unlike sun protection for the skin, the UV-blocking ingredient in ACUVUE contact lenses is incorporated into the material permanently—it won’t wear off. It's important to remember that sunglasses are still an essential part of protecting your eyes from UV. Since both provide partial protection, ACUVUE contact lenses and sunglasses are intended to go hand-in-hand.

UV lightexposure to eyes treatment

Light can also become polarized as it passes from one type of material into another. This is a process called refraction. And light can become polarized when it bounces, or scatters off atoms as it passes through a substance. This happens to moonlight and sunlight that travels through Earth’s atmosphere.

filter: (n.) Something that allows some materials to pass through but not others, based on their size or some other feature. (v.) The process of screening some things out on the basis of traits such as size, density, electric charge. (in physics) A screen, plate or layer of a substance that absorbs light or other radiation or selectively prevents the transmission of some of its components.

Protectionfrom ultraviolet radiation anatomy

angle: The space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet.

What blocksUVrays on Earth

Another way to polarize light is to pass it through a filter. Such filters are made up of molecules that are all aligned the same way. This allows only light waves wiggling at specific angles to pass through. For example, some sunglasses contain polarizing filters. These glasses help reduce the amount of reflected light — or glare — that reaches a wearer’s eyes. That can block out glare from roadways or puddles to help protect drivers’ eyes and allow them to see more clearly.

Without tools like sunglasses, humans typically can’t detect the polarization of light. But other animals can. Examples include mantis shrimp, fiddler craps and some beetles, birds and fish.

Light can become polarized when it bounces off of a surface. The amount that it is polarized depends on the angle at which the light hits the surface. It also depends on what the surface is made of.

I accidentally looked at aUV light

Maria Temming is the Assistant Managing Editor at Science News Explores. She has bachelor's degrees in physics and English, and a master's in science writing.

‖Reward amount dependent on ACUVUE product and quantity purchased and if you are a new wearer. Must get an eye exam and purchase from participating provider. Original receipt required. Valid thru 12/31/23.Rewards paid in the form of an ACUVUE brand Prepaid Mastercard. Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted in the U.S. issued by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Your use of the prepaid card is governed by the Cardholder Agreement, and some fees may apply. This is not a gift card. Please note that prepaid cards are subject to expiration, so pay close attention to the expiration date of the card.

#Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye.WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long-term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care practitioner for more information.

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glare: Also called direct glare, it is light that travels directly from a light source and into someone’s eyes. It reduces the ability to see at night. Direct glare is one of three types of light pollution.

What do scientists use to senseUV lightin space

UV lightexposure to eyes symptoms

Light sources from lamps to stars typically give off light waves that wiggle at a range of different angles. This jumble of waves is known as unpolarized light. Polarized light, on the other hand, is unjumbled: its waves all wiggle the same way, at the same angle. (For help picturing this, check out the artist’s depictions at 1:30 in this PBS video.)

refraction: The change in direction of light (or any other wave) as it passes through some material. For example, the path of light leaving water and entering air will bend, making partially submerged objects to appear to bend at the water’s surface.

Though damage to the skin from UV rays is more well known, your eyes are also vulnerable to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Too much can even lead to cataracts and other eye complications. That's why ACUVUE includes UV blocking in every lens.

*Free trial contact lenses available only from participating eye care professionals. Exam and fitting fees not included.

Sunlight reflecting off water, for instance, can become polarized. The incoming light waves from the sun wiggle all different ways. But the light waves that bounce off the surface of the water are all mostly wiggling at the same angle. Pavement is another surface that can polarize reflected light.

mantis shrimp: A marine animal related to crabs and lobsters. Mantis shrimp use armlike body parts to kill prey. They are often multicolored and have a very complex vision system.

UV light protectionglasses

beetle: An order of insects known as Coleoptera, containing at least 350,000 different species. Adults tend to have hard and/or horn-like “forewings” which covers the wings used for flight.

Founded in 2003, Science News Explores is a free, award-winning online publication dedicated to providing age-appropriate science news to learners, parents and educators. The publication, as well as Science News magazine, are published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education.

polarization: (in physics) The condition — or creation of a condition — in which rays of wavelengths of light exhibit different properties when viewed from different directions.