59 CoastRider - Edition 390 - August 9th 2011 www.coastrider.net
CARING FOR YOUR EYES THIS SUMMER By Colin Evans, Specsavers Opticas, Torrevieja
Experts say that teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s, who are exposed to sunlight around five hours per day with no hat or glasses, double their chances of developing early age related macular degeneration and other problems. Even reflections from sand, snow, pavements, and water can all damage the eye without even looking up or leaving the shade, so sunglasses should always be worn outside. It is recommended that we wear sunglasses even on cloudy days, especially in a country like Spain where the sunlight is stronger all year round. Sun damage is purely caused by UV, not brightness itself, so even when it’s cloudy the rays still affect you. Children under 10 should definitely be protected as much as possible from sunlight damage to the eyes. This is because children’s eyes are not able to block as much UV as adults’ eyes can, and unfortunately the eyes never really recover from it. Sunglasses and a hat will give the best protection and there are some special children’s glasses on the market which are high protection and don’t easily fall off. Children and adults with lighter coloured eyes are more at risk of sun damage to the eyes, so they should take extra care. The dangers of sun damage Exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can lead to the following common eye problems: • Cataracts • Macular degeneration • Eyelid skin cancer • Pinguecula - small, yellowish, slightly raised lesions that form on the surface of the white part of the eye. They can
cause irritation, a feeling that there is something in the eye, and dry eyes. • Pterygium - scar tissue that can grow over the surface of the eye and impair the vision.
Buying the right sunglasses When buying sunglasses, make sure they offer the right level of protection for your eyes. Look for UVA and UVB protection of 99% or higher. This does not necessarily come with an expensive designer pair, so be sure to ask when buying. Yellow tinted glasses also protect the eyes from blue light rays which may also cause damage. Big sunglasses or the wrap around style are the best as they offer protection around the sides of the eyes as well as the front. Be especially careful with children’s glasses as they are often more of a toy and do not protect the eye at all. Specsavers can provide advice on sun damage to the eyes, and offers a large range of 100% UV block sunglasses so you can be sure you are purchasing the correct protection for you and your family. Specsavers have three stores on the Costa Blanca in Torrevieja, Calpe and Jávea. For more information visit www.specsavers.es
EXPANDS DUE TO DEMAND To anyone that has visited its Campoverde and Los Balcones stores, it will be no surprise that Marks and Spencer retailer Unos is expanding due to popular demand. The new store opened its doors in La Zenia on Saturday and was an instant success, with clothes literally flying off the rails. Unos stocks all items of ladies clothing from a specific range sold by Britain´s best loved store and if you haven´t yet discovered this fashion treasure trove you are definitely missing out. The items stocked include: jeans, trousers, tops, dresses, cardigans, skirts, jackets and coats. In fact everything except underwear and swimwear. New stock arrives every six weeks and there are usually around 5,000 items per delivery, which will be split evenly between the two Unos stores in La Zenia and Campoverde. The Los Balcones store, housed in the Filton Centre, will now be used for clearance stock only. All items will be sold as seen and will be subject to even further discounts, with for example, all dresses sold at 10 euros, coats at 12 euros and tops at just 6 euros. Sizes stocked at all three Unos stores range from size 8 through to size 22 and items are also stocked in short, regular and long fits. The majority of the clothes are classed as returns, seconds or imperfect in some way. However, a high percentage have absolutely nothing wrong with them at all. The way the stock is
delivered means that each item is not stocked in every possible size and so it is a case of first come, first served. The cost savings, especially when compared to the UK prices are impressive, for example: all dresses are priced at 19 euros, jeans are 7 euros and £200 coats have been known to be sold for as little as 25 euros. Essentially, Uno´s offers top brand clothes at outlet prices. Anyone looking for affordable, quality clothing will snap up bargains galore at Uno´s. In addition to the branded clothes, Uno´s also stocks a range of shoes, handbags and accessories to turn any purchase into an outfit. The combination of huge discounts and a wellknown quality brand, has proved very popular and ladies flock to the store the snap up the bargains, especially just after a delivery. Unos stores are open from 10.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Saturday. However, the new la Zenia store, which can be found above the Mercadona store just off the roundabout, will open 10.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday and until 3pm on Saturdays. The Campoverde store is close to the entrance to the village near Portabello’s and the Los Balcones store is located in the Filton Centre, on the same road as Torrevieja Hospital, travelling towards San Miguel. For further information on any of the above call Glen on 606 926 437. Mireille Toddington