Updated

You may hear a lot about keeping your skin safe from the sun’s harmful rays, but did you know your eyes need to be protected too? Dr. Manny, senior managing editor of FoxNewsHealth.com, explains:

Short-term UV exposure may burn the front surface of the eye, just like a sunburn would on the skin.

To protect your eyes, you should always wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of the UVA and UVB rays. And they don’t have to be expensive.

UV exposure can come from reflections off the sand, pavement, water and snow – so you should wear sunglasses year-round.

In addition, a wide-brimmed hat can also add cover.

Overexposure to sunlight can lead to cataracts, which is the common long-term consequence.

Cataracts affects 22.3 million Americans and costs $6.8 billion dollars in medical bills each year.

But, if you take the proper precautions when out in the sun, you can avoid problems like these.