This Summer, Don't Forget Your Sunglasses

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- While you're soaking up the summer sun, remember to protect your eyes and wear sunglasses.

It's an important step in sun protection that most people aren't taking.

Only about one-quarter of people regularly wear sunglasses, and Dr. Mark Pyfer with Wills Eye Hospital hopes people will see the light when it comes to the importance of protecting eyes from the sun.

"People have heard about snow blindness, and I think there's a misconception as to what that is. Basically, that's a sunburn to the surface of the eye caused by the ultraviolet light reflected off the snow. The same thing can happen in the summertime with reflections from the beach, or especially on the water," Pyfer explained.

Exposure to bright sunlight can also cause cancer, cataracts, and eye growths. Dr. Pyfer says protective lenses don't need to be expensive, dark, or polarized. They just need to have UVA and UVB protection.