Watch for These Ingredients When Buying Sunglasses for Eye Health

Sun rays can create conditions for eye diseases, according to the Turkish Ophthalmological Society (TOD), which emphasizes that sunglasses are an important protective measure for the eyes during summer months. Listing 7 features to consider when purchasing sunglasses, TOD stated, "Ensure 100% UV protection, prefer large lenses." Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kemal Arıcı, Head of the Optical Refraction Unit at the Turkish Ophthalmological Society, which represents Turkish eye physicians, stressed the importance of wearing sunglasses during summer months, as sun rays reach the eye more intensely and at steeper angles. Prof. Arıcı: "The human eye is roughly sensitive to the light spectrum between 400 and 760 nanometres coming from the sun. Light rays below 400 nanometres from the sun—which is called Ultraviolet (UV)—have high energy content and therefore have adverse effects on cells and cell DNA. As the wavelength of UV rays decreases, their harmful effects increase. UV-C, which is the most harmful wavelength, normally does not penetrate the ozone layer in the atmosphere. However, if the ozone layer is damaged, this allows the most harmful radiation band to reach our planet. These harmful rays can create conditions for diseases that threaten our vision, such as skin cancer around the eyes and eyelids, corneal transparency deterioration, cataracts at earlier ages, and macular degeneration. One of the protective options against all these is wearing sunglasses."

What to Consider When Buying Glasses

• Check the Ultraviolet (UV) protection label: The most important thing to look for when purchasing sunglasses is a label indicating that they block 100% of UV rays. UV protection is the first rule we need to pay attention to.
• Larger is better: The more area the sunglasses you are considering buying covers in the eye region, the better protection they provide. Particularly, prefer buying large-sized glasses that block or prevent UV rays coming from the side of the eye from entering.
• Darker lenses do not provide better protection: Although very dark lenses may look stylish, they do not block more UV rays. Look not just at the lens colour, but at how much UV it actually blocks.
• Lens colour is not important: Some glasses lenses are various colours such as yellow, green or grey. Just because they look good in different colours does not mean they block harmful rays better, but they can increase image and colour contrast, which may be beneficial for athletes.
• Polarized lenses prevent reflection, not UV: Polarized sunglasses reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as sea or lake surfaces. The polarized feature alone of the lens does not provide additional protection; it is more important that the glasses have UV protection when purchasing sunglasses.
• Glass cost is not the most important factor in purchasing: Expensive sunglasses do not necessarily mean they are high quality. The label showing the glasses' 100% UV blocking feature is more important than the price of the glasses. Reasonably priced glasses can also have this feature.
• Check quality standards. Pay attention to ensuring that the sunglasses you purchase have quality standards such as TSE and CE marks.