Thursday 29 January 2015

What You Need To Know When Buying Sunglasses

Sunglasses are more than just accessories, so when buying new sunglasses, it's important to know what to look for to get the best eye protection.

While most people think of sunglasses as a fashion statement, these accessories serve an important health purpose. The right pair can guard your eyes against long term damage, so choosing based on the level of protection they offer in addition to style is a great way of investing in your eye health.


UV eye damage occurs over the course of a lifetime. Beginning in childhood when eyes are especially sensitive, daily exposure to the sun's rays can eventually lead to a number of vision problems, including cataracts. In addition, exposing the tender skin of the eye region to UV rays every day can increase the risk of developing skin cancer in these areas. To reduce the risks, it's important to wear daily eye protection, even on overcast days.

The first consideration when choosing sunglasses should be the amount of UV protection offered. The best choices are those that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays. This simply means protection from the long as well as the short rays of the sun, but since both can be damaging, it's important to be sure your sunglasses offer protection from each. In addition to UVA and UVB protection, it's a good idea to look for sunglasses that offer what's known as UV 400 protection, which protects the eyes from the smallest of UV rays.

Choosing complete UV protection is a good start, but there are some additional considerations. Even with sufficient UV protection, tiny lenses aren't usually the best choice. For sunglasses to be a truly efficient means of protection, they need to be properly sized. The wraparound variety can best shield the sides of the eyes and face. Whatever the style, remember that the larger the lens, the greater the area that will be protected. All sunglasses should sit fairly close to the forehead to shield the eyes from light entering from above.

There are a few general things to keep in mind when choosing sunglasses. One is that because the coating that blocks UV rays is colorless, the darkest lenses don't always offer the greatest protection. In addition, while good sunglasses are an important investment, the price tag doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of UV defense.

Finally, because it's vital to protect your eyes from the sun every single day, you'll naturally want to choose sunglasses that are fashionable as well as protective. To find the most flattering pair, choose a frame shape that contrasts with your face shape, meaning if your face is square, consider a rounded frame and vice versa.

Click here to find affordable prescription sunglasses in Chula Vista that offer both style and protection.

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