A quarter of UK spectacle wearers are not using proper eye correction and protection while driving in bright sunlight according to a summer survey by Vision Express.
The retail optical chain quizzed 830 members of the public on their attitudes towards sunglasses and their behaviour in sunny weather.
When the sun starts to shine people's habits change, says the survey, with more people spending more time in the sun. However, the survey shows that just 27 per cent wear sunglasses to protect their eyes while soaking up the sun.
Of those questioned 64 per cent required corrective eyewear but less than half had prescription sunglasses. Half of those questioned said the reason they didn't have prescription eyewear was that it wasn't necessary to see well in the sun.
But Vision Express says this has serious implications for the UK's 41 million drivers.
When driving in sunny weather 11 per cent remove their glasses and wear plano sunglasses leaving their vision uncorrected. A further 13 per cent wear their normal spectacles leaving their eyes unprotected from glare.
Vision Express campaign manager Sally Polak said not wearing proper sun protection for the eyes could have serious implications both for safety and health and she urged all wearers to ensure their vision was corrected and protected from UV damage.
The research also showed that the British find working in the sun much harder and 41 per cent admitted they were tempted to throw a 'sickie' on a sunny day. Around half take longer lunch breaks when the sun is out and one in five takes time out to sunbathe.
There were also some other suggestions for making the sun more bearable. Flexible working was suggested by 35 per cent of those questioned while a cheeky 26 per cent thought a national bank holiday week should be instituted.
