| Sunglasses are great in more ways than one. They | | | | industry is UV400 - across the board - which |
| can compliment your appearance while preventing | | | | protects the eyes from 98 per cent of the sun's |
| you to have to squint while outside on a sunny day. | | | | ultraviolet rays. And statistics based on testing results |
| But sunglasses are not simply a fashion accessory to | | | | from inexpensive sunglasses as compared to the |
| be taken lightly. They are actually of major | | | | more expensive brands show that even sunglasses in |
| importance for protecting our eyes from the sun's | | | | the $5 and below range, provide the same amount |
| UV rays which can lead to diseases of the eye when | | | | of protection as the more costly varieties. So, the |
| exposed to them over time. | | | | good news is, you don't have to pay more for the |
| The ultraviolet radiation element in sunlight is divided | | | | best level of protection. And for those who wear |
| in two basic areas - UVA and UVB. Sunglasses block | | | | prescription sunglasses, something else you might be |
| both of these types of rays. What exactly is UVA | | | | interested in knowing is that the UV level is the same |
| and UVB you ask? Well, UVA represents the | | | | for both those and the store bought versions. |
| ultraviolet radiation that passes through the Earth's | | | | And for even further comfort and assurance, you |
| ozone layer, reaches our skin and can lead to | | | | might be happy to know that sunglass manufacturers |
| premature aging. UVB are also ultraviolet rays, but | | | | have to follow certain FDA regulations. They have to |
| are absorbed, in great amount, by the ozone layer. | | | | comply with impact requirements - not saying that |
| Still, they are very harmful and can contribute to the | | | | sunglasses must be completely shatterproof, but that |
| cause of skin cancer and cataracts. | | | | they will at best, withstand a moderate impact. |
| The lenses of a pair of sunglasses should be dark | | | | Sunglass manufacturers also have to follow labeling |
| enough to reduce the glare of bright light, but not so | | | | regulations. No doubt if you've ever bought a pair of |
| dark that they distort colors in objects, and obviously | | | | sunglasses in your lifetime, you've had to peal that |
| not so dark that they inhibit your vision. The point is | | | | removable sticker off the front of one of the lenses |
| that as long as the lenses are properly tinted, your | | | | either before you put them on or afterward when |
| eyes will be protected. You don't have to go 'crazy' | | | | you realize that something's obstructing your view. |
| looking for lenses that are so dark that they not only | | | | They say you get what you pay for. Well, if you pay |
| block out the sun's UV rays, but block out the actual | | | | for a pair of sunglasses, you're paying for good eye |
| sun itself. | | | | health. |
| The standard UV protectant level in the sunglass | | | | |