The single most important reason to wear sunglasses is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Long-term exposure to UV rays has been linked to the development of serious eye issues, including macular degeneration and cataracts. Protecting your eyes from the sun’s damaging rays is important.
The American Optometric Association recommends that you wear sunglasses that block nearly 100% of UVA and UVB rays (also called UV 400 protection) when you are outside during the day. Even when the skies are cloudy, it is important to wear sunglasses. You can’t depend on the clouds to stop the UV rays from getting through.
When you pick out a new pair of sunglasses, you have a lot of options. The style of frames is a good starting point. Wrap-around frames are helpful for sun and wind protection. Lightweight plastic frames are less likely to slide down your face and are well-suited to different types of lenses. Metal frames can add a distinctive touch to wire-rimmed sunglasses.
To determine which lenses are optimal, your eye doctor can help guide you. If you don’t have 20/20 vision, prescription sunglasses present a stylish solution that combines vision correction with sun protection. If you don’t need vision correction, you are a candidate for non-prescription sunglasses. Also called Plano sunglasses, these shades aren’t used to correct vision.
There are a few lens options for sun protection. The color (tint) of the lenses is the primary characteristic of sunglasses. While certain tints are recommended for certain activities, lens color is a personal preference and doesn’t affect how well the sunglasses protect your eyes from the UV rays. Most people choose grey, brown and green tint UV protective coating.
Polarized lenses are a common sunglass choice. By minimizing light reflection and glare, polarized sunglasses can make colors appear brighter and more saturated. They can make it easier to see objects below the surface of lakes, streams and other bodies of water.
Another option for sunglasses is mirrored lenses. Mirrored lenses have a thin coating that reflects light. Silver aviator sunglasses are a classic example. Today, there are a lot more color choices than just silver, including orange, blue, green, red, etc. Privacy is another reason mirrored lenses are popular. The more opaque the tinted sunglass lenses, the more they can lead to a level of additional anonymity.
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