Clients regularly ask me, what the best types of sunglasses are to buy? And with Summer upon us, bringing hopefully some warm, bright, sunny days ahead, I thought I’d share a few tips. Sunglasses have two main purposes. The first is to protect our eyes and skin around them from the damaging effects of sunshine and its ultra-violet (UV) rays and secondly they protect us from the discomfort and dazzling glare of bright light.
Polarised lenses give the ultimate visual comfort in the sun. They completely cut out glare and are fully UV protected too. You can’t tell just by looking at sunglasses, which absorb safe amounts of UV light. Don’t be fooled into thinking that darker lenses will automatically offer more absorption of the harmful UV rays and thus should be safer. The depth of the tint has no impact on this. Always buy your sunglasses from a known, reputable source and look out for the CE mark, which is the manufacturer’s assurance that they comply with the relevant safety standards; or a label saying ‘UV 400”. This denotes the lens will absorb a safe amount of radiation from the sun with a wavelength below 400nm. This type is more commonly known as ‘UVA’ radiation which is the most damaging and contributes to skin ageing, skin cancers and acceleration of cataract, pterygia (benign growths on the external eye conjunctiva) and age-related macular degeneration.
Large-ish style sunglasses help give good coverage to protect the eyes and surrounding skin and ensuring your frame fits well and is comfortable to wear offers the best protection. They are certainly less effective if they’re falling down your nose! We have a selection of sunglasses in practice, so why not pop in if you’re wanting to get yourself “Summer ready!” And remember, further protection can be offered with wearing sun-visors, caps or hats with a brim!
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