The sunglasses of today work to protect from sun damage, reduce glares and give eyes a more relaxed vision. Originally, Sunglasses were invented to reduce glares and fatigue, and also to increase visibility in extreme conditions. For people who wear Prescription lenses, there’s the option to get RX Sunglasses too, but when buying Sunglasses what should be your top priority is to check the amount of sun protection it delivers.
Sunglasses are meant to protect your eyes from the sun. But only providing a tinted glass to reduce the intensity of the sunlight is not enough to save eyes. They need to be protected from the more damaging elements. Everyday, UV or Ultraviolet Radiations travel throughout the earth and penetrate the Ozone layer. These UV Rays are highly damaging for the eyes and can cause a multitude of eye problems:
Cataracts: UV Rays are thought to be an important factor in the formation of cataracts.
Pterygia: Commonly called the ‘”Surfer’s Eyes” that usually develops when people stay around water for hours in bright sunlight. The water reflects the UV Rays and creates this type of eye problem.
Photokeratitis: Also called snow blindness, this is the condition where the cornea is sunburned either due to the exposure to natural UV rays or artificial UV rays.
Pinguecula: These yellow bumps are formed due to exposure to UV rays as well as dust and wind.
Macular Degeneration: This type of painless and usually slow loss of vision is really serious. It can finally result in total loss of vision at an advanced age. This problem is also associated with being exposed to UV rays on a large scale basis.
To Fight these problems one must use proper protection, so it’s important to know how much protection your sunglasses actually provide. Today, we make you aware of the main features you need to keep in mind while choosing sunglasses.
UV Protection Value: It’s important to keep in mind that anything below UV 400 protection is not enough to keep your eyes protected from UVA and UVB rays. The sunglasses with no mention of this value indicate that there is no adequate protection from UV damage. The sunglasses labelled with UV 400 protection help stop all light rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometers from entering. This includes all the UVA and UVB light rays.
Percentage of UV Protection: Always keep in mind that you will need to buy sunglasses that offer 100% UV Protection. It’s best not to take ones that offer 99% protection against UV radiation.
Polarization: This is the process by which light rays reflecting off surfaces and excessive sunlight can be blocked. The sunglasses with Polarized lenses reduce the glares and reflections and mostly increase the contrast of objects in view. This results in crisper, clearer vision with less stress to the eyes.
The author of this article enjoys reading about sunglasses and eyewear. She loves wearing sunglasses and enjoys protecting her eyes with Sunglasses with UV Protection. For more information on sunglasses and UV rays check out gkboptical website