The answers guarantee the best eye protection from the sun’s harsh rays.
Buying sunglasses is one of life’s small pleasures. But as you’re searching for shades that will make you feel fabulous, keep in mind, those lenses also need to protect your eyes from the sun’s nasty rays.
On that point, choosing a pair may not be as simple as it seems. To help, here are three key questions to ask yourself—plus three features to look for.
Some people, in an attempt to get maximum eye protection, buy the darkest shades they can find. But, fact is, dark lenses may actually make your eyes more vulnerable to the damaging effects of UV radiation.
“When eyes are in low-light conditions, pupils inherently enlarge to bring in as much light as they can. It’s a safety mechanism,” says Arizona ophthalmologist Anika S. Goodwin, M.D. “Really dark sunglasses create a situation of low light, so the pupils dilate.”
This is true even if the dark lenses offer 100% UV protection, says Dr. Goodwin.
She recommends moderately dark lenses, where others are still able to see your eyes, or mirror-coated lenses if you’re going to be around highly reflective surfaces like water, sand, or snow. Both styles are also good if you’re going to be under bright lights, like at a sports stadium or an amusement park.
Highly reflective, mirrored lenses cut back the amount of light that enters the eye, so they offer increased protection against intense visible light and improve vision in truly bright conditions.
Moderately dark lenses are also a good choice if you have light eyes. “Someone with blue eyes has a thinner iris than someone with brown eyes, and the darker brown your eyes are, the thicker your iris,” explains Dr. Goodwin.
“Just like a shade or a curtain,” she continues, “the thicker the curtain, the less light that comes through. The thinner the curtain, the more light that comes through.”
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FIND EXAM TIMESSmall frames don’t provide enough protection, leaving room for too much UV radiation to reach your eye in the gaps of the frame. When the pupil is dilated because of too-dark lenses, the problem is even worse.
“Small, dark sunglasses allow room for those UV rays to bounce off the back of the glasses or come around the glasses and enter the enlarged pupil,” Dr. Goodwin says.
For maximum protection, more coverage is always better. A wraparound style offers the best coverage, because it doesn’t allow UV rays to slip in. If the sporty style isn’t the look you’re going for, consider bigger, bolder frames to protect the eyes.
If you have your heart set on a smaller frame, Dr. Goodwin suggests asking the optician to have an anti-reflective (or anti-glare) coating applied to both sides of the lenses. Treating the inside “prevents those UV rays that may come around your glasses from bouncing off the lenses into your eye,” she says.
To get the smartest protection when choosing sunglasses, Dr. Goodwin suggests finding a pair with a sticker or tag that states 100% UVA and UVB protection.
Sometimes the label will say UV 400, and that is just as good. It means it blocks any wavelengths of 400 and less. “All ultraviolet light falls into that spectrum and will be blocked,” she says.
Looking for that sticker really does matter. Short-term consequences of UV exposure—in extreme cases—can include corneal sunburn, also called photokeratitis or snow blindness. This leaves victims with painful, inflamed, watery eyes for several days, and may cause temporary vision loss.
In the long term, exposure to UV radiation increases the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. (A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s lens. Macular degeneration represents irreversible damage to the macula, the part of the eye that’s responsible for your central vision.) Both conditions gradually interfere with vision and are leading causes of vision impairment.
Other risks include cancer of the eye, or cancer of fragile skin tissue surrounding the eye. Pterygium, also known as surfer’s eye, is another potential problem. This is an inflammation and thickening of the conjunctiva, the thin membrane covering the white of the eye, and may eventually compromise the cornea and block vision.
When trying to find the right pair of sunglasses, consider the following:
Sunglasses are must-have eyewear, helping minimize brightness in any season or place where the sun and its reflective rays impact your eyes and your vision.
Available in many shapes and styles, sunglasses are more than fashion accessories—they are important tools to protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays, the radiation energy produced by the sun. These UV rays—including UVA and especially UVB—damage the eye’s surface tissues, cornea and lens. Over time, that damage can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration and other vision-stealing eye conditions.
To help keep your eyes healthy, keep these tips in mind when buying sunglasses.
When buying sunglasses, make sure they have a tag or sticker that says they provide 100 percent UV protection from all UV light. Some manufacturer's labels say “UV absorption up to 400nm.” This is the same thing as 100 percent UV absorption.
When looking for sunglasses, don’t be fooled into thinking the darker the lens, the safer they are for your eyes. Only sunglasses with 100% UV protection provide the safety you need.
Polarized lenses are designed to reduce the glare bouncing off reflective surfaces like water or roads. Polarization itself does not provide UV protection. Instead, it provides a better visual experience for certain activities like driving, boating, or golfing. There are polarized lenses made with a UV-blocking substance. Check the label of polarized sunglasses to make sure they provide maximum UV protection.
You can check that the lenses of nonprescription sunglasses are made properly by following these steps:
Sunglasses should have the largest lenses possible to protect your eyes from sun damage. Consider buying oversized or wraparound-style sunglasses to limit UV rays from entering the sides of the glasses.
Sunglasses with colored lenses (such as amber or gray) don’t block out more sun. However, a brown or rose-colored lens can provide more contrast. Athletes who play sports such as golf or baseball often find this contrast enhancement useful.
Mirror finishes are thin layers of metallic coatings on an ordinary sunglass lens. Although they do cut down on the amount of visible light entering your eyes, never assume they will fully protect you against UV radiation.
And again, remember that while very dark-colored lenses may look cool, they do not necessarily block more UV rays.
In the U.S., all sunglasses must meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) impact safety standards. While no lens is truly unbreakable, plastic lenses are less likely than glass lenses to shatter if hit by a rock or ball. Most nonprescription sunglass lenses are made from some type of plastic.
For sports, polycarbonate plastic sunglasses are especially tough, but if they are uncoated they do scratch easily. Polycarbonate lenses normally come with a scratch-resistant coating.
Sunglasses don't have to be expensive to be safe and effective. Drugstore sunglasses labeled as 100 percent UV-blocking are a better choice than designer store sunglasses with no protection.
Normal sunglasses will not protect your eyes from certain light sources. These include tanning beds, snowfields, and arc welding. Special lens filters are required for these extreme exposure situations. Also, sunglasses do not protect you if you stare directly at the sun, including during a solar eclipse, so it’s never OK to do that!
Looking at any of these light sources without the right eye protection can cause a serious and painful condition called photokeratitis. It can even damage your retina, leading to permanent loss of your central vision. Ask your ophthalmologist to recommend the proper eye protection for special situations.
Some people wonder if older sunglasses still protect your eyes from UV light. Research hasn’t directly answered the question of whether UV protection fades over time. But you can have your sunglasses tested. Simply take your sunglasses to an optical shop that has a UV light meter to check the level of protection.
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