Importance of Sunglasses

In the 1950’s sunglasses became a very popular fashion
statement. Stars began wearing them, and not just outdoors,
but indoors and at night as well.

You weren’t cool unless you had shades on. But wearing
sunglasses is more than about being cool or trendy.
Sunglasses have a real use, to protect the eyes against
harmful UV rays from the sun.

Too much exposure to ultra violet, or UV rays can cause
both short and long term ocular problems. Such problems
include photokeratitis, snow blindness, cataracts and
various eye cancers.

Medical experts warn the public often about the use of UV
blocking sunglasses. They also warn that during solar
eclipses, the protection of sunglasses is not enough.

Just because sunglasses are higher priced does not
necessarily make them better at protecting against UV rays.

Expensive brands do not guarantee optimal UV protection, so
price is not an indicator of quality. One study found that
a pair of sunglasses costing seven dollars a pair had
better protection against UV rays than one of the name
brand designers.

Sunglasses for children are also very important. Children’s
ocular lenses are thought to transmit more HEV light than
adults. This can cause yellowing if the eyes with age. HEV
has been implicated as the cause of age-related macular
degeneration.

Unfortunately, there is no set standard for sunglass
manufacturing other than safety testing. So not all
sunglasses have some sort of UV protection so it is
important to do your research before buying.