How do we choose sunglasses, in a gas station, at a kiosk or at a swap meet? No! Location, location, location. You cannot trust your eyes to just any sunglasses. Your eyes are too important for that. Our eyes need to be protected by the sun’s harmful UV rays. In California, most of us have outdoor hobbies like biking, playing golf, sport activities, going to the beach, fishing and hunting. We want quality sunglasses that will protect our eyes and give us good optical quality that will not tire our eyes.
It is recommended that we wear sunglasses with 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. The type of lens material is also important. A plastic sunglass lens dipped into a UV coating can get scratched. This scratch has then broken the UV coating and the UV can then get through to our eyes. These are usually the type you find in grocery stores. Polycarbonate lens materials are one of the strongest, most impact resistant materials made. They are also a natural barrier for UV. These lenses can be scratched but the harmful UV will not pass through to our eyes.
Polarized sunglasses are another option. The polarization will block more glare from surfaces like water, snow or the front hood of our cars. It helps to reduce eye strain caused by this glare. Photochromic/Transitions lenses are another popular option. They are great for people who are going from indoor to outdoor situations often and do not want to switch their glasses frequently. They are not dark inside a car. Many people are disappointed if they think that they can be used in place of a pair of sunglasses while driving. They will not get dark in a car because there is no UV that gets in through the windows.
Lens colors also help in certain lighting conditions. Grey lenses give our eyes a natural view of colors. Persimmon or orange lenses give us a better view in low light situations for indoor activities such as racquetball. Brown lenses are great for ball-oriented sports like golf or baseball. Oakley makes a golf-specific lens called G30. Mirror coatings are more for aesthetic reasons, although they do reflect away some unwanted light also.
Ultimately, we do not want to have eye strain and fatigue. Remember that taking care of our eyes is a life- long process. Do not forget children’s eyes are just as important as yours. Good eye protection should start from childhood. The over-the-counter inexpensive glasses may not give them the proper coverage either.
For more questions, please call 20/20 Optometric Eye Care at 661-287-3939.