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Cities ranked on eye comfort
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cities in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast fare best when comparing environmental factors and their effect on ocular comfort, according to a survey.
Tacoma, Wash., and Sarasota, Fla., ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Sperling’s Best Places survey on comfortable ocular environments. According to the survey, the two cities scored well because of their low altitudes; Seattle and Portland, Ore., scored in the top 10 because of their minimal UV exposure rates. Humidity was not a negative factor, as Charleston, S.C., and Mobile, Ala., were ranked No. 3 and No. 4.
The survey noted that cities in higher altitudes, such as Denver, are among the worst for ocular comfort. Low humidity, high computer use, pollution and long commute times also affect the ocular surface. “With nine out of 10 of the places on our ‘Worst Cities for Eye Comfort’ list lying west of the Mississippi [River], cities like Las Vegas and Albuquerque bottomed out in the study due to low humidity, hot, sunny summers, cold winters, wind and higher levels of pollution,” a press release on the survey said.
Sperling categorized humidity, pollution, extreme temperature and altitude as its most important factors, followed by sunny days, wind, commute time and computer use. The survey was co-sponsored by Vistakon, the contact lens division of Johnson & Johnson.