How to Pick Good Sunglasses
There's more choosing shades than how good they look on
you. Your sunglasses should keep damaging sunrays away
from your eyes.
(continued)
Tech Innovations
There are amber-colored lenses called "blue
blockers." For a while, these were recommended for tennis
players. "These absorb not only ultraviolet, but all blues
in the color range," Duffner says. "Some people say this
makes for sharper vision, but they did a study and showed
that they do not block UV very well and may cause the
pupil to dilate and let in more ultraviolet."
Another popular option is "polarized"
sunglasses. "These are very helpful against reflected
light (such as on water, snow, or the road)." The light
particles called photons travel in a wave form, Duffner
explains. Polarized sunglasses, which have a protective
layer bonded on much like the tinted film put on car
windshields, admit only vertical waves. Since most of the
reflected waves are coming in horizontally, those are
blocked.
As for the mirror sunglasses popularized
by highway patrol officers, Duffner is skeptical. "These
aren't really good protectors," he says. "If you are
worried about UV, these should not be your first choice."
How about those gradient glasses that are
dark at the top and then lighten toward the bottom? "The
most bothersome (reflected) light comes from the bottom,"
notes Duffner.
Cool Kids
Parents who slap some sunglasses on their
babies have the right idea, according to Steven J.
Lichtenstein, MD, Louisville ophthalmologist and chairman
of the American Academy of Pediatrics' section on
ophthalmology. "Every human should wear sunglasses," he
says. "I see young adults with cataract changes all the
time."
Wearing sunglasses is especially important
between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Even children with dark eyes,
which provide partial protection, should wear them.
Like adults, kids who wear prescription
glasses can get prescription sunglasses. "Or clip-ons,"
Lichtenstein adds. "They make those for kids' glasses."
Duffner recommends wrap-arounds for people who are out a
lot, although these aren't so great in prescription form.
For kids, you want wearability. "Something
comfortable, something they will keep on," says
Lichtenstein.
Glass or Plastic?
Glass is adequate at blocking UV,
according to Duffner. But polychromic sunglasses -- glass
lenses that get darker as you encounter brightness -- are
the gold standard. "Those really work," he says, but glass
sunglasses are heavy, despite being long-lasting. "I had a
patient today," Duffner laughs, "who told me he had been
wearing the same polychromic glasses for 24 years." Glass
doesn't scratch as easily as plastic.
How about driving? "Sunglasses can cut
glare," Duffner says. "But never wear them at night." So
much for being cool.
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