If youre wondering what to look for in sunglasses, youre not alone. Along with regular eye exams, sunglasses are recommended by most optometrists to help safeguard your vision. However, not all sunglasses are created equal, so make sure you know what to look for when its time for a new pair.
Why Wear Sunglasses?
Most of us enjoy time spent in the sunshine on a warm day, even on cold days too. But direct sunlight is harmful, especially to the eyes.
The problem is overexposure to sunlight, which is almost impossible to gauge by your own experience. But consistent overexposure to sunlight can lead to age-related cataracts, macular degeneration, and abnormal growths on the eye.
Ultraviolet Light
The world health organization estimates that 80% of lifetime UV damage accumulates before the age of 18. This statistic probably owes to the habits of children playing outdoors, and their clearer ocular lenses.
UV light comes in 3 types: UV types A, B, and C.
Ultraviolet C is quite a short wavelength and highly damaging to biological cells. But the earths ozone layer filters it out before it can reach the surface. UVB and the slightly longer wavelength, UVA, do contact the earths surface, and these are the types of UV light that can damage eyes exposed to sunlight.
Short Wave Visible Light
The upper spectrum of visible light, especially violet light and blue light, can also be cause for concern, so its recommended that you filter some of that light through high-quality sunglasses. The sun is the chief source of blue light, providing 55% of the average persons exposure.
Lens Considerations
Whether you have prescription sunglasses or non-prescription, there are a few key factors to consider.
UV Protection
To qualify as safe, sunglasses need to have been tested for 99-100% UVA and 99-100% UVB screening. Otherwise, they wont provide the protection you need, and you may get a false sense of security from using them. Look out for a sticker that indicates their UV protection level.
Colour
You can get sunglasses that provide proper protection in almost every colour. That said, some colours are better for certain people than others:
- Grey: Best for people with high light sensitivity, also good for enhancing colours and contrast.
- Brown: Give the most accurate colour representation, good for variable light conditions and provides high contrast for sports and other activities.
- Green: Great for colour accuracy and contrast, and enhanced depth perception in sunny and low-light.
Polarization
Polarization is a great feature for some since it reduces the glare you can get off the roads or more reflective surfaces like water. It works by aligning molecules so that some light passes through, while the rest is absorbed.
Tint
How dark the glasses are is certainly a concern. For direct sunlight, youll need something that screens 75-90% visible light. Not all sunglasses have labels describing their tint, so you might have to ask for more information.
Prescription
Most sunglasses can be customized with your prescription. Prescription sunglasses are a great option, especially if you need your glasses for everyday tasks like driving. With the proper prescription, youll have every incentive to wear your sunglasses whenever youre outside.
Frames
Frames factor into how much protection your eyes can get. You might prefer a prescription pair of sunglasses on eyeglass frames. You might also prefer a combination of contact lenses with non-prescription sunglasses. These two categories can have wildly different frames.
Style
If you think your sunglasses are cool, you might be more motivated to wear them! Style could be considered the part thats most up to the individual. But if youre okay with the style, going for a combination of contact lenses and wraparound sunglasses offer the most protection. They shield the eyes from UV rays at any angle, if worn properly.
If worn correctly, this style screens light from every angle. Its always an option to forego prescription sunglasses in favour of contact lenses and non-prescription wraparound styles, which still score quite a few points in style.
Wearing Your Sunglasses
Wearing your sunglasses as much as you can does a lot to protect your eyes. You should wear them whenever youre exposed to daylight! Its a myth that UV rays cant penetrate cloud cover.
UV rays can refract (bend) through clouds and reflect off water or snow, so theres really no escape from UV rays outdoors. The best thing you can do is keep your sunglasses on whenever youre outside or near daylight indoors.
But in addition to good habits, you need the right protection. Ask your optometrist for a pair of sunglasses that work for you!
