Save Yourself From Summer Health Hazards

May 11, 2009 — -- Oprah Winfrey's favorite doctor, Mehmet Oz, tells you how to put your best face forward for the upcoming sunny season by revealing his top tips to avoid summer health hazards.

With only two weeks until Memorial Day, you don't want to miss this opportunity to protect yourself. Find out why sunglasses are about more than just a swank fashion statement and how hats can help you stay safe under the sun. Check out the good doctor's advice below.

Sunglasses are crucial because too much sun can damage your cornea. That damage can lead to cataracts, and hurt the retina, leading to macular degeneration.

When you buy sunglasses, price doesn't matter, but protection does. There's no correlation between price and quality.

You want sunglasses that block 99 percent of UVB rays and 50 percent of all UVA rays.

Wraparound and shatterproof sports sunglasses provide excellent protection if they have UV protection. These will also cover and protect the skin around your eyes, where we often forget to put sunscreen.

Be sure children wear sunglasses, too, and that their shades have UV protection.

This kind of damage is cumulative and children's eyes are most susceptible to UV damage because their eyes' lens has not yet begun to cloud.

Remember that UV damage is possible year-round, not just in the summer. You can still get damage on a cloudy day. And just as with fair skin, light colored eyes may need stronger protection because they have less pigmentation.

Finally, you also should ask for UV coating on your prescription glasses.

Hats help hair, but they are not adequate to protect the eyes. Remember that much sun is reflected back up to the face from sidewalks or the beach and this light hits more directly, rendering hats useless.

It's important to wear sunglasses with the proper protection as well.

Sun exposure isn't all bad. It's a key source of vitamin D. Even with that benefit, sun exposure should be limited to 15 minutes.