Sunglasses are one of the increasingly popular fashion accessories, especially among young people: available in various shapes, colors and designs, they represent that element that can enrich your outfit making it unique. The fashion factor is not the only advantage of wearing sunglasses: they perform a very important function that of protecting our eyes from a series of problems, thus becoming the best allies against the dangers of solar radiation. This is especially true if you spend a lot of time outside. Surface glare with sports like surfing, sea kayaking, snowboarding and skiing can additionally increase the sun danger.
There are so many types of sunglasses on the market that sometimes choosing can be really difficult. Even more so, if you wear prescription glasses. In this case you can not simply get any sunglasses off the shelf. Luckily they can be purchased online and buying prescription sunglasses online gives every potential buyer a huge advantage to choose from.
In order to choose the right sunglasses, first you need to know from what dangers sunglasses protect our eyes.
Problems caused by sunlight to the eyes
As we take care to protect our skin with sunscreen and clothing, in the same way our eyes must be adequately protected from ultraviolet rays (UV), visible light and smog present in the city with many consequences for the retina and cornea. Especially in younger people, if the eyes are affected by unfiltered sunlight, it can lead to serious diseases that can lead to blindness, or, in more serious cases, even to cancer.
Among the most common problems that can occur are:
- cataracts – mainly affects people over 40 years of age and involves a gradual decrease in vision due to UV radiation leading to blindness;
- macular degeneration – consists of a deterioration of the central part of the retina, or the macula, which can also cause extreme sensitivity of the skin to the sun;
- ocular melanoma – known as eye cancer, it affects those cells responsible for producing the pigment that gives the eyes color.
What sunglasses to buy to protect eyesight
When you have to buy sunglasses, you must therefore pay attention to certain elements, first of all the color of the lenses. The light spectrum of light has an extension from red to blue, between 400 and 800 nanometers.
The danger comes from ultraviolet rays which are blue in color and endanger sight, unlike infrared ones which only produce heat. This is why it is not recommended to buy glasses with blue lenses. The safest bet is to get black ones. A good pair of sunglasses must protect against UVA and UVB rays, as they can dilate the pupil and lead to conjunctivitis.
It is not enough to buy sunglasses with dark lenses to protect yourself from UV rays, but you must pay attention that they contain a 100% UV protective filter. In addition to UV rays, you must also protect your eyes from visible light, with lenses that have a degree of absorption from 60% to 95%.