While your eyes are amazingly intricate and resilient, there is only so much abuse they can take. Over the course of many years, simple day-to-day actions can damage your eyes. Here are some dangers to avoid.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that you protect your eyes whenever you're in the sun long enough to get a suntan or sunburn. Wearing a brimmed hat cuts sunlight exposure to your eyes by about half. Sunglasses will further boost your protection. The sun's rays can also reflect off of water, sand, and snow, so it's advisable to wear sunglasses in addition to a wide-brimmed hat in these environments.
You can get good UV blocking even with inexpensive sunglasses. Recommendations are that no more than 30 percent of sunlight should reach your eyes. In bright conditions, such as on sunlit ski slopes or the beach, it might be better to wear sunglasses with a transmission factor of only 10 percent.
Keep in mind, too, that dark glasses with no UV blocking give you no protection whatsoever. In fact, they boost your risk of eye damage because they dilate your pupils. That lets more light in without blocking the harmful UV rays.
Here are a few points to keep in mind when you're buying sunglasses:
Ultraviolet Exposure
Sunglasses are much more than "cool shades." They're protective barriers that cut down exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, a portion of the sun's rays that can cause such eye diseases as cataracts and macular degeneration.The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that you protect your eyes whenever you're in the sun long enough to get a suntan or sunburn. Wearing a brimmed hat cuts sunlight exposure to your eyes by about half. Sunglasses will further boost your protection. The sun's rays can also reflect off of water, sand, and snow, so it's advisable to wear sunglasses in addition to a wide-brimmed hat in these environments.
You can get good UV blocking even with inexpensive sunglasses. Recommendations are that no more than 30 percent of sunlight should reach your eyes. In bright conditions, such as on sunlit ski slopes or the beach, it might be better to wear sunglasses with a transmission factor of only 10 percent.
Keep in mind, too, that dark glasses with no UV blocking give you no protection whatsoever. In fact, they boost your risk of eye damage because they dilate your pupils. That lets more light in without blocking the harmful UV rays.
Here are a few points to keep in mind when you're buying sunglasses:
- Lens color has no bearing on level of UV protection.
- Polarized lenses are not necessary for UV protection, but they do cut glare from reflective surfaces.
- Sunglasses that are darker on top and gradually clearing toward the bottom don't shield your eyes well enough when you're out in the open sunlight, such as on the beach or ski slope. They're fine, however, when you're driving in a car.
- Test nonprescription sunglasses for distortion by holding them a few inches in front of your eyes. Look through the glasses to focus on some rectangular shape, such as a window frame. Move the glasses slowly from side to side, then up and down. If straight lines look squiggly, the lenses are poor quality.
- Be sure the sunglasses feel comfortable; otherwise you won't want to wear them for long periods of time.
- Be sure the sunglasses are labeled as providing protection from ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B (UVA and UVB) radiation.
- Remember that price is not a good indicator of sunglasses' protective quality. Some very expensive designer sunglasses do not provide very good protection.
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