Sunglasses: much more than a fashion accessory
Sunglasses make you look cool, and can have healthy benefits for your eyes. Photo provided by Washington Health System.
Sunglasses make you look cool, and can have healthy benefits for your eyes. Photo provided by Washington Health System.
Jack Nicholson, the Academy Award winning actor, once said, “With my sunglasses on, I’m Jack Nicholson. Without them, I’m fat and 60.”
Sunglasses, with the plethora of available styles, can make a dramatic fashion statement and even change how you feel.
However, sunglasses also serve a much more important function that can directly affect the health of your eyes. Choosing the right sunglasses for you and your lifestyle takes time and care.
The most important function of sunglasses is to shield your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. Sunshine contains ultraviolet (UV) rays that can significantly damage your eyes.
In choosing proper sunglasses, you should ask your eyewear professional which lenses provide full protection again UV rays, including ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays, the most harmful type of UV radiation.
UVB rays have been linked to the early formation of cataracts and the development and progression of macular degeneration. UV rays also contribute to the development of other eye-related conditions including pterygiae and pinguelculae, growths that form on the conjunctiva and cornea, respectively.
Photokeratitis, a sunburn on the cornea of the eye, is yet another condition that results from these harmful rays. This condition is very painful and may lead to a form of skin cancer on the eye.
In addition to the above ocular conditions, sunglasses also provide some protection of the eyelids against the development of cancerous lesions, such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
A common misconception is that if sunglasses are mirrored or darkly tinted, they are more effective in blocking UV rays. The only way to be sure that sunglasses provide proper protection is to check the manufacturer’s literature and consult your eyewear professional. The best sunglasses block 99-100% of all UV radiation.
Another misconception is that if sunglasses are polarized, then they block UV rays. In fact, polarized sunglasses block reflected light from water, pavement, or other surfaces. Polarization provides no protection against the sun’s primary UV radiation, but it is a beneficial, glare-reducing feature for outdoor activities such as driving, boating, golfing, and fishing.
Patients recovering from cataract surgery should take extra care to ensure that they wear proper eye protection. Cataract surgery involves the removal and replacement of the eye’s intraocular lens with an implant. Most of the newer implants are UV-absorbent, which provides some protection. However, for people with older implants, sunglasses with full UV protection are imperative. Similarly, patients who take photosensitizing medicines need to be extra careful. Medicines such as psoralens, tetracycline, doxycycline, allopurinol, phenothiazine, and even certain dietary supplements, such as St. John’s Wort, increase sensitivity to UV rays. Quality sunglasses with full UV protection should be worn when taking these medicines.
In selecting the right sunglasses, consider the quality of the construction. These days, it is possible to purchase sunglasses in almost any convenience store or gas station; however, you should consider the quality carefully.
To test optical quality, the FDA suggests focusing on a vertical line or edge. “If there is any wiggle in the line,” the FDA guidelines say, “then the lenses may have an optical defect and you should choose another pair.”
When choosing sunglasses, other factors should also be considered, including the tint, the size of the lenses, whether the lenses wrap around, whether they are comfortable enough for daily wear, the type of lenses (glass, plastic, polycarbonate, etc.), and impact resistance.
Oh, and don’t forget to consider whether they make you feel like a movie star!