Total Protection at the Brickyard

This weekend brings the 16th running of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Having been to the race and to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a few other races, including the Indy 500, I have many fond memories of the Speedway and the event.  One of my favorite memories is going there with a college friend of mine and selling earplugs.  With the noise of the cars at such high decibels, most people attending the race need earplugs for protection.  This was pretty obvious and we made quite a bit of money selling these (it seemed like a lot of money to a couple of broke college kids, anyway).

Between earplugs and suntan lotion, there is a lot of focus on protecting various body parts, such as the ears and the skin.  What amazes me is that there isn’t as much of a focus on protecting the eyes.  Yes, there are plenty of sunglasses at the Speedway, but most people don’t understand the need for UV protection as it relates to the eyes.  UV radiation can damage the skin of the eyelids, the outer part of the eye and can also contribute to the development of certain types of cataracts.  This can be very dangerous to your eye care so make sure when you purchase sunglasses that you purchase those with UV protection details on the label.  The best eye glasses to wear in the sun are polarized sunglasses with UV protection. Not only are you protecting your eyes from dangerous UV rays, but you are reducing glare for better visual quality.  Enjoy the race and keep in mind that you need to protect ALL parts of your body while out in the sun.