Sunglasses for many can be a fashion statement, which just like regular glasses, boast a variety of fun frame designs as well as functional lenses. However sunglasses often also offer increased protection from the sun, and with summer approaching fast, now’s a great time to make sure your eyes are properly protected from the sun harmful rays.

Taking care of eyes starts with a regular eye exam, but it doesn’t stop there. When you expose your eyes to the sunlight there are a few additional precautions that you should keep in mind.

UV Protection – Many sunglasses offer protection against 99% or even 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Unless your sunglasses offer a very strong level of protection, as indicated above, we strongly considering an alternative.

• UVA or Ultraviolet A (long wave, 400 – 315 nm) is a type of electromagnetic radiation which is commonly found in sunlight and black lights. About 95% of the ultraviolet radiation which reaches the earth is classified as UVA.
• UVB or Ultraviolet B (medium wave, 315 – 280 nm) is mostly blocked by the ozone layer, unlike UVA which is hardly affected by ozone. High intensity UVB light is hazardous to the eyes and should be avoided, as if too much UV light is absorbed the cornea, lens and retina can be damaged.
• UVC or Ultraviolet C – is not a concern, because the waves are blocked by the atmosphere.

Lens Colors vary widely and are used for specific reasons. Rather than selecting a cool looking lens color, consider why lens colors are used and what they actually accomplish.

• Grey – Does not alter the color of viewed objects, thus providing the most natural color vision.
• Brown – Brown lenses, similar to Grey lenses do not alter colors significantly. However, by blocking a large percentage of blue light, brown lenses are able to enhance contrast of viewed items, and tend to give a warmer appearance to certain colors.
• Amber – Do not provide as much brightness protection, but are ideal for snow sports. They block nearly all blue light which greatly enhances contrast. However, amber lenses may cause color distortion and may not be desirable for normal day to day use.
• Pink/Orange/Rose/Blue – These colors are available for fashion sunglasses, typically because they cause severe color distortion and are usually undesirable for normal every day use.

For Contact Lenses Wearers – Although contact lenses often offer UV Protection, the fact that they do not cover your entire eye means that they are not an effective solution for UV Protection by themselves. For complete UV protection, sunglasses with adequate protection should always be worn over contact lenses when enjoying the outdoors.

Having poor eye sight puts one at extreme disadvantage. It makes dealing with everyday life more difficult and time consuming, and can make reading a chore. So how were people able to deal with the loss of vision before glasses.

The first historical reference to magnification was made in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs around the 5th centry BC which depict a single curved lens. In the 1st centry AD, Seneca the Younger, a tutor of Emperor Nero of Rome, wrote “Letters, however small and indistinct, are seen enlarged and more clearly through a globe or glass filled with water”. The Emperor Nero mentioned using a emerald as a make shift corrective lens in order to watch the gladiatorial games.

Healthy vision is important to both employees and their employers. The American Optometric Association reports that visual discomfort, eye strain and other eye related injuries cost billions in lost productivity each year. More importantly, approximately 90% of vision injurys which occur on the job could have been prevented if safety steps were exercised, such as simply wearing protective eyewear proper to the task. “Healthy vision is critical to successfully completing job-related tasks,” says James Sheedy, O.D. Ph.D., Director of the Vision Ergonomics Laboratory at the College of Optometry at Pacific University and AOA’s occupational vision specialist.