The 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 photo-keratitis, 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.