New York Today: Protecting Your Eyes

Good morning on this comfy Tuesday.

We talk at length about protecting our skin during the summer months.

But eye safety? Not so much.

Yes, your eyes can get sunburned, too.

“Being in the city, even if you’re just walking around — even if there’s a cloud cover — you still need protection for the eyes,” said Dr. Ashley Brissette, an ophthalmologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. Ultraviolet exposure from the sun “can affect the eyeballs themselves,” she said.

The most common issue caused by the sun is cataracts, a cloudiness of the lens inside the eye, which can result in vision loss as we get older. It’s normal for the eye to age or change over time, but “increased UV exposure can cause that to come on sooner,” Dr. Brissette said. “It can also cause growths to occur on the surface of the eyeball, and inside the eyeball itself.”

Stay out in the sun too long, and you’ll burn — an instant indicator of damage — but walk around without sunglasses on, and you might not notice any immediate consequences.

While the risk is mostly over the long term, Dr. Brissette said, “even just a few hours of very intense UV exposure can cause damage to the eyes.” Photokeratitis, for example, is the eye’s equivalent of a sunburn.

Here are some eye protection tips:

Know when you’re most at risk. “Sunlight is strongest midday and early afternoon, so be conscientious of that,” Dr. Brissette said. “And it’s not just summertime; it’s any time of the year because UV and sunlight can also be reflected off snow.”

Choose 100 percent protection. “Most sunglasses will have a sticker or tag indicating that they block 100 UV rays,” she said. “Sometimes it says UV 400, another indication that there’s UV protection in the sunglasses.” (Polarized lenses can cut down on glare and dark or colorful lenses may help with contrast, but neither necessarily protect your eyes from the sun, Dr. Brissette said; you’ll still need the UV protection designation.)

Go bigger — it’s better. “Small sunglasses seem to be quite trendy, but they can put you at an increased risk of UV exposure. Bigger, oversized sunglasses protect the light coming in on top and sides,” Dr. Brissette said. “You’re protecting not only the eyeballs, but also the eyelids, because you can get a number of skin cancers on the eyelids and it’s difficult to apply sunscreen there.”

As long as you’ve checked the above boxes, she added, cost shouldn’t matter.

Here’s what else is happening:

Weather

A thick layer of clouds will offer a little eye protection today.

The day will get progressively more gray until this afternoon, when we could see some showers.

The high is a comfortable 77 degrees.

In the News

• The Cuomo administration spent over $200,000 in legal fees to keep the emails of a high-profile lobbyist secret. [New York Times]

• The state is investigating sexual harassment at the West Village restaurant the Spotted Pig. The majority owner, Ken Friedman, and the investor Mario Batali were accused of sexual misconduct by several former employees in December. [New York Times]

• Why did the political action committee backed by Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman and gun control advocate, endorse two Republicans from New Jersey? [New York Times]

• Nearly 200 men arrived at Union Square on Sunday evening for a quiet Tinder meet-up that turned into a pop-up dating competition. [New York Times]

• The actor Aasif Mandvi returns to New York this fall for a revival of his one-man show about an Indian-American working in the food-service industry. [New York Times]

• Wild goats — “two very baaaaad boys” — were spotted on the tracks of the N train line in Brooklyn Monday morning. [New York Times]

• Less than 60 percent of the unaccompanied minors in the New York immigration court system have legal representation. [WNYC]

• The Administration of Children and Families unveiled a free tattoo-removal service for young sex-trafficking victims and former gang members. [WPIX 11]

• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.

Coming Up Today

• Celebrate the 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn with a visit to the display of Revolutionary War flags at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. [Free]

• Learn how to use your garden plants to make herbal remedies at the UCC Youth Farm in East New York, Brooklyn. 6 p.m. [Free]

• Comedians discuss politics at a live taping of the podcast “Two Beers In,” at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Midtown Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [Free]

• Learn how to repair your bike at a bike maintenance class at the La Plaza Community Garden in the East Village. 7 p.m. [Free]

• “Yourself, Your Body,” a comedy show that takes on the mainstream media’s beauty standards, at Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. [$10]

• Mets host Giants, 7:10 p.m. (SNY). Marlins host Yankees, 7:10 p.m. (YES).

• Alternate-side parking is suspended for Eid al-Adha.

• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.

• Don’t fret. The Metropolitan Diary will resume publication on Monday, Aug. 27.

And Finally...

What do you think about a beach in Manhattan?

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the proposal an “interesting idea,” when asked about it on NY1.

The mayor was responding to a New York Times editorial that suggested the idea.

There are lots of considerations, of course, including sewage and costs — not to mention dangerous swimming conditions because of the currents and boats. And where to put it?

Still, other big cities like Paris and Copenhagen have beaches, and it might be just the remedy we need for sultry New York City summers.

But we’d like to know what you think: Where could a beach go and would you visit it? And what are the positives and negatives about this idea?

Send us your thoughts on the proposal to nytoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name, where you live (including your neighborhood if you’re in New York City) and your age. We may include your response in a column.

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