Of all the fashion accessories out there, none provide more health benefits as well as cool factor than a great pair or shades. Sunglasses have transformed into both wardrobe essentials and eye health necessities. Selecting the right pair or pairs for your needs can involve many choices and considerations.
Eye health is an all-important feature we all should think about when buying a good pair of sunglasses. Important variables worth evaluating when considering eye health when making your purchase include UV eye protection, and lens technology.
Our eyes really get worked out these days. From television, computer, or cell screens, to driving, work or play we use these two all-important body parts every day all day! They need protection and lots of it.
The right sunglasses can protect you from ultraviolet light reducing damage to your eyes as well as reducing glare and providing clearer viewing in bright environments. You should always look for 100% UV protection when selecting your pair of glasses.
There are three types of UV rays
Two reach the earth’s surface - UVA and UVB. Both UVA and UVB rays can damage your eyes and contribute to cataracts, retinal damage and even cancer. It is important to protect yourself from both. Always look for a tag that says the glasses you are considering protect against both UVA and UVB. Medical experts state sunglasses without UV protection can increase eye damage. With dark lenses the pupils get larger allowing more UV radiation to enter the eye and cause damage to the retina.
The type of lens in your pair of sunglasses and the lens design can add additional protection for your eyes. One popular option is polarization. Polarized lenses use horizontal micro crystals in the lens to block the glare from water, roads, snow, and other surfaces that can be very intense. Costa Del Mar, a popular sunglass brand known for polarized sunglasses and reduced glare, was developed in 1983 by a group of fishermen in Daytona, Florida.
Tired of poor quality, selection, and performance, they built a product to provide them with clear vision, sun protection and glare reduction. Ray-ban and Oakley, which are also classics, offer polarized shades in addition to many other popular brands. Another lens option is selecting a pair of shades that automatically adjust to the intensity of the light you are in. This type of lens is called photochromic. This feature can be very helpful in many situations including workers moving in and out of different environments as they work or athletes who must adapt quickly to different conditions as they compete. This change however is activated by UVB rays which cannot penetrate a car windshield. This process takes a little time and is even slower in cold conditions.
Sunglasses are cool, fun and healthy - a hard-to-find combination. As with a lot of purchases, a sunglass purchase is filled with many options. Whether you are the aviator, wayfarer, or cat eye type, you should all agree, even when worn as a cool fashion accessory, everyone should consider the eye health benefits before investing in your favorite style of shades.
