When it comes to choosing sunwear, just as in eyewear, teenagers are influenced by what they see in fashion magazines and on television. They are very brand-conscious and as a result look to mimic the latest trends.
However, in choosing sunwear it's important to not only look good, but also keep in mind what's good for the health of your eyes. You can keep your eyes protected from harmful UV rays and look cool at the same time if you know what to look for.
There are some key factors to consider before purchasing sunwear including:
- Flexibility
- Durability
- Comfort
- Visual acuity
- 100 percent UV protection.
Keep the UV Out
UV rays are very damaging to the cornea especially for younger eyes. Unprotected exposure over long periods of time can, and often does, damage the eye. This exposure can greatly increase the chances of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. These conditions can seriously impair vision and are usually impossible to reverse. So even before you dream about that "cool" look it's important to choose the correct sun lenses to protect your eyes.
Wearing sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection can significantly reduce the risk of vision problems caused by sunlight. The sun's glare can also pose a risk to ones health, severely affecting visual acuity and comfort. Wrap-around frames and large lenses can also help to provide an extra measure of protection.
Colored Lenses
For many people, a gray lens works best because gray absorbs all wavelengths of the spectrum evenly, thus dimming brightness without distorting colors. Gray lenses make good general-purpose lenses.
Some outdoor activities, however, demand selective filtration. Visibility in hazy conditions, such as fog, can be improved when scattered blue light is selectively filtered out. A lens color that absorbs the shorter end of the visible spectrum, such as yellow, can filter out blue light.
Polarization
Polarized lenses block light reflected from flat shiny surfaces, which keeps annoying reflections from interfering with vision. Boaters have taken advantage of polarized lenses for years, but everyone can benefit from the deep colors, contrast enhancement, and comfort of polarized lenses.
A Finishing Touch
Lens coatings have come a long way in the past decade. Mirror and flash coatings can reduce light transmission without distorting color, and they come in a rainbow of colors. Many sun lens manufacturers offer anti-reflective, anti-fog, and scratch-resistant treatments for their lenses.
Contact Lens Wearers Need Good Protection, Too
With more teens opting to wear contact lenses for a variety of reasons it's still important for them to be aware of the need to use sunglasses to protect their eyes, even if they have UV-absorbing contact lenses.
For the best UV protection outdoors, UV-absorbing contact lenses and a good pair of UV-absorbing plano sunglasses are an effective combination. This is because UV exposure affects more than just the cornea?it affects areas like the eyelids, eyebrow region, etc.
Wrap frame designs are particularly good for this kind of protection. The expansive coverage of this type of frame and its lenses affords protection from above the eyebrows to the cheeks so UV-blocking properties shield the eye and its surrounding structures.
