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UVB Blocking Sunglasses & Vitamin D
Q :
by kirk from victor, New York
Dr. Mercola, If we get our vitamin D from the sun, and most of that through our eyes- Will my UVB blocking sunglasses ('Eagle Eyes' they are awesome) inhibit my vitamin absorption? I am a 37 yr old millwright mechanic with 5 children and 2 grandchildren, and I really appreciate your news letters. I am hoping your advice will give me more time with my family. Thank you sir for your endeavors. Kirk Klug from Victor New York

A :
Answer (Published   April 01, 2007 )
 
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Last week's video on the relationship between sun exposure and cancer was our most popular video ever. We had more than 100,000 views and would have had more but all the traffic crashed our servers.  Good problem to have as more people are getting the truth so they can Take Control of Their Health.

If you haven't watched the cancer video yet please do.

The UVB blocking sunglasses will NOT interfere with you absorbing vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced from cholesterol that is your skin and then it is absorbed from your skin into your bloodstream.  So if you are swimming you can certainly get a sun burn but you will not absorb very much vitamin D as the water will instantly wash it off.

Also if you use sunblock you are blocking the UVB that will cause your skin to produce vitamin D.

But even though the UVB blocking sunglasses will not interfere with vitamin D formation I do believe they should be avoided. First of all I don't advise that you wear sunglasses in the first place as they block some of the 1500 wavelengths that are essential to health.  It is important for these different radiation levels reach your retina as that is a direct extension of your brain and is an incredible brain nutrient.

About the only time that wearing sunglasses is appropriate is when you are skiing or on the ocean when there is simply so much sunshine that you need to block it out.

Having said that you need to have common sense. You don't want to be staring at the sun and you want to have reasonable sun exposure.  It is just like Goldilocks, you want just the right dose, not too little and not too much.  That amount varies for nearly everyone based on a variety of factors, such as age, sex, time of year, cloud cover, latitude, altitude, antioxidant levels and many other factors.

The Other Two Questions Addressed in This Video:

Cancer Risks Due to Long Term Vitamin D Deficiency

Night Lights for Children

 

 
 
   
 
 
Comment     ( 22 Comments )

 
 +9 Points    
Author of the Article
BY annapavlova42   
Author of the Article April 01, 2007
Post Reply
Dr. Mercola, I agree with you completely in the lack of use of sunglasses.

Majority of my life I wore sunglasses, and as time went on, my eyes became more and more senitive to light.  Two years ago, I had read an alternative article on eyes and sunglasses.  At that point I had decided to for go sunglasses and begin to take better care of my eyes.  I  trained myself not to squint when I was out in the light and sunshine and keeped on telling myself, my eyes feel great, the sun and light do not bother my eyes. 

It did not take a long time before  my eyes began  strengthening up and my vision became clearer. Of course this was not the only step I took to gain better health.  I also consume superfoods, exercise, work, take vit. minerals and have a completely healthy life style.  

I also would like to thank you for all of your suggestions in the past, present and future.  ...
 

 
 +6 Points    
 
Author of the Article
BY Steve Rogers   
Author of the Article April 03, 2007
This is my first post!  I really love Dr. Mercola's newsletter and all the health info. 

So I have largely boycotted my full-strength prescription glasses in the last 8 months and about a month ago I went to get my checked and I my prescription went from -1.25 to -1.00.  I have been dabbling in natural vision improvement over the last few years and I believe the highest my prescription ever was was -1.75.  I know that my prescription has been getting weaker every time a go to get my eyes checked since I have been taking care of my eyes, i.e. not subjecting them to relentless close work at the computer without much blinking or taking eye breaks.  I do have my half prescription glasses (-0.50) which I bought for a astounding $16.50 from www.9dollareyeglasses.com which would have cost over $100 in a normal store and I wear +1.00 reading glasses for computer work to help give relax my eyes (i.e. not make them have to works so hard to focus on near objects).  Plus I love my RestBiz computer software from http://www.littlehummingbird.com/software/restbitz/ that reminds me to take a break at the computer (it's free)
But anyway... I haven't been wearing sunglasses either.  I can see almost 20/20 in daylight especially when I am driving.  Night driving I sometimes wear my half prescription.  
 
Here is a great resource for natural vision improvement:
http://www.iblindness.org/intro/howbegan.html

I wonder though if my skin can get sunburned then I assume the tissues in my eyes can also get "sunburned".  I am guessing that moderation is the key.  So yes I should get some good unfiltered sun exposure, but not to excess. 

PS. Does anyone know of any scientific studies that claim that sunglasses are bad?  I would really like to see some data.. I'm an engineer.
...

 
 +5 Points    
 
Author of the Article
BY alm260   
Author of the Article April 15, 2007
I was just curious why Dr. Mercola is squinting so much in this video.  He looks tired.

It's interesting that I saw Dr. Mercola as a patient four years ago and come to discover that my pancreas weren't functioning correctly and he had asked me if I wore sunglasses when I'm outside and I replied, "Always!" which was an indication to him relating to my pancreas.  Interesting!

I try really hard when I'm out walking to not wear them and not to squint so that my eyes can absorb the sun's rays.  But when I drive and it's sunny, I need to have them on.  Otherwise I squint so much I get a headache.

Also, comment on the sleeping in darkness... years ago my husband cut out pieces of heavy cardboard that we place in our windows every night, pull down the thick blinds and our room is completely dark to sleep in.  We sleep so much better this way and have even had good comments from guests when they spend the night that they sleep better at our house then they do at home because of this.  It really makes a difference!...

 
 +4 Points    
 
Author of the Article
BY smack   
Author of the Article April 04, 2007
To answer Steve Roger's question of whether there are any scientific studies that claim sunglasses are bad. The answer is yes.

One of my relatives worked for the government doing military research. They did a study on eyesight and sunglasses (among various other types of eye protection devices). The conclusion of the study was that one could see best by simply squinting. Wearing eyeglasses was actually worse than not wearing them as far as being able to see things was concerned. I don't know if that study was published.

I also read another study where they found that wearing UV-blocking sunglasses prevented your body from producing a substance that provides protection against sunburn. They concluded that it was healthier to not wear sunglasses. Unfortunately, that was long ago and I can't find the data.
...

 
 +1 Points    
 
Author of the Article
BY Steve Rogers   
Author of the Article April 03, 2007
The best way of de-sensitizing your eyes to the sun (that I know of) is by a techique called sunning (a Bates technique).  The way you do it is go outside, close your eyes and look at the sun and just do that for a minute and as you get used to it you can do it for longer periods of time ( like 5 minutes).  This really helps me so that I no longer need to squint unless the sun directly in my view.  It's good to practice it daily if possible.

   My wife though is sensitve to sunlight, but in her case it my be genetic b/c her pupils are more open than most people.  That is why she always has red-eye in pictures (with the flash used).  But who know perhaps sunning could help that.

More on sunning:  http://www.causeof.org/bates_sunning.htm

Good luck!...

 
     
 
Author of the Article
BY BRflamingo   
Author of the Article April 03, 20