How to get the best protection : All the year round.
• Choose sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB light (see spectrum chart). You don’t have to pay a premium – UV protection is available in all price ranges. Many options are available, just buy them from a reputable manufacturer or a good optical outlet, one of the best are B-2 glasses which have fixed dark colur. Choose the highest level UVA / UVB protection you can find. The Optical outlet at Grover Eye Laser & ENT Hospital has automated lensmeter which can check correct number along with level of UV protection also. UV 400 indicates an eye protection item that has been optimized to prevent eye exposure to both UVA and UVB radiation.
• Select amber or brown lenses if you have ARMD macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. These colors enhance contrast, which can help you see better. But a high UV rating is more important than lens color if you have to choose.
Tips for sunglasses for driving
Direct sunlight is often too bright for comfort as we age and our pupils grow larger and more sensitive to light. For the best vision when you’re driving, it is recommended that you:
• Look for polarized lenses. They’re best for reducing glare. This is especially important if you have had refractive eye surgery, such as LASIK.
• Select brown, grey, green or yellow lenses. They’re best for minimizing color distortion.
Kids need sunglasses too
Children as young as six months old should wear sunglasses if taken out in bright sunlight. The damage from UVA and UVB radiation is cumulative over a person’s lifetime, so it’s a good idea to teach your children how important it is to wear sunglasses. In fact almost 70% of our life’s total UV light exposure generally occurs by the age of 20 years.
Overexposure to the sun’s rays can cause several eye diseases to form. These include cataracts and macular degeneration besides some skin cancers around eyes in later age.
If you already wear glasses
Prescription eyeglasses — particularly those with polycarbonate lenses — provide some built-in UV protection. Photochromic / Photochromatic Lenses that automatically darken when you go outdoors protect against both UV rays and glare.
Having the best eye doctors and optometrists at our hospital, we also help you choose the right sunglasses for you. Once you buy them, just remember to wear them regularly.
Can poor quality sunglasses harm my eyes ?
Definitely yes !!! Sunglasses which reduce visible light only without UV protection can actually do more harm than not even sunglasses at all. Eyes have a natural protection of making the pupil (aperture) smaller in bright sunlight, though that alone is not enough. However by reducing the brightness of visible / ambient light, poor quality sunglasses make the pupil of the eye larger as it normally does in dim light while offering no UV light protection thereby actually increasing manifold the total UV light entering the eyes.
Sunglasses are one of those indispensable items that one shouldn’t mind spending a little extra money on. A little bit of extra protection seems worthwhile in the long run.
