Like every year, 27th June remarks a very crucial date for an Optometrist as “National Sunglasses Day’’. Everyone loves to wear sunglasses in different shades, but do we know their importance? On this day, Let’s emphasize to learn a bit more about sunglasses that we use in our everyday life.
Sunglasses are simply an eyeglass with coloured/tinted/polarized lenses incorporated on it, which ultimately prevent the wearers from the harmful wavelength of light, bright sunlight, and glares. Researchers have shown that people who do not wear sunglasses are more prone to ocular damage by the harmful effects of light rays. People usually assume that they need not need to wear sunglasses on cloudy days. But this has only been a myth because there are potential lights rays that can cause severe ocular damage even in the cloudy days. This statement transparently reflects how important is it to wear sunglasses in our day to day life.
Some people even consider sunglasses as a fashion accessory when it is not just limited to fashion only. Sunglasses to be standard needs to have a specific per cent of UV-absorption and transmittance considering the region where it’s being used. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, sunglasses that are labelled as ‘100% UV-protection’ or ‘UV-400’ and can block UV-A and UV-B light are of great benefit. These eyeglasses prevent our eyes from exposure to unnecessary UV-light which tend to cause several eye diseases as such photokeratitis, cataract, snow blindness, pterygium, macular degeneration, etc and even exaggerate them, if already present. But in some exception, as during the time of the solar eclipse, these standard sunglasses alone cannot prevent the eye from ocular damage. Special solar viewers would be of great advantage for such instance.
Why Sunglasses?
- To protect the eyes from dirt, dust and sometimes snow.
- To protect the eyes from unnecessary glares.
- To prevent eyes from hazards of UV-light that causes ocular damage.
- To stop exaggeration of persisting ocular problems like pterygium, cataract and so on.
- To protect the periocular areas from shading and getting wrinkled.
- To reduce the intensity of light, squinting of the eye and therefore enhancing ocular comfort.
Considerations for Buying sunglasses
- UV-Protection.
- Impact-resistant if safety is of primary concern.
- The bigger it is, the better it is.
- Polarized sunglasses, if used to reduce glare.
- Choose the lens colour wisely.
Which coloured lens is for my sunglasses?
Brown
It is used in conditions of medium lighting basically for improving contrast. It reduces eyestrains and is of great use for bright, hazy, and cloudy days and sports as well.
Blue
It reduces glare to a large extent and enhances colour perception. Hence, used in conditions of fog and snow.
Green
It is a true sunglasses lens and is considered best for everyday use. It reduces eyestrain by decreasing excess light and can be of great use in sports where perception is foremost.
Purple
It reduces glares and defines contours. It can be used to improve the colour of the things which we are seeing.
Grey/Black
It transmits the visible spectrum in an even way. It also reduces glares and can be used daily especially on sunny days.
Yellow
It is a low light high contrast lens that increases contrast. It is of huge advantage in low light/foggy conditions and while performing snow activities.
Red/Pink
It reduces eye strain and improves depth perception. It can be of significant use while driving as it offers great visibility of roads.
