There are three things to consider when you are choosing a pair of sunglasses. First, while you obviously want them to look good, complementing your facial features, even more foreign is that they protect the health of your eyes. If you buy a pair of sunglasses which fails on one of these counts, you are almost certainly throwing your money away. Why? If the sunglasses don't look good on you, you are not going to wear them. If the sunglasses look great, however, but don't protect your eyes from UV glare so that you're constantly squinting, you are not going to wear them either. Anyone choosing sunglasses (including celebrities, sportscasters, and newscasters who spend a great deal of time out of doors) should factor these two considerations into his or her decision.
What must sunglasses do in order to protect the health of your eyes? They must have degrees of tint or polarization that neither distort natural color nor lessen contrast. If they do either, they will compromise visual clarity. Sunglasses protect the health of your eyes either by lessening contrast, or by shading them, but if they interfere with the clarity of your vision, their drawbacks will outweigh their benefits.
There is a second way in which sunglasses protect your eyes from harm, and that is by shutting out both the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays and he High Energy Visible Light (HEVL). We have known for a very long time that overexposure to UV rays is extremely damaging to the eyes; the problems caused by HEVL have been recognized more recently.
For people whose livelihoods depend on their degree of visual clarity, exposure to UV rays or HEVL can be critical. Such people include airline pilots and truck drivers who may be facing toward the sun for several hours at a time. Athletes like skiers and snowboarders are faced with the double dangers of UV exposure and snow blindness, which can happen when they are exposed to the sunlight reflected off the snow around them. All these people, and millions more, have learned how essential it is that their eyes remain protected, but it is no less important for those of us spend less time in the sun to give our eyes adequate protection.
Clinical research indicates that those of us who use their eyes constantly in their work, whether it involves long-distance driving or winter sports, use up enormous amounts of energy while our brains process the vast visual input they are receiving. Having high-quality sunglasses will benefit you by allowing your eyes to function more efficiently so that you do not burn more energy than absolutely necessary.
When you have decided which sort of sunglasses will give your eyes the most health protection, you can turn to choosing a pair of sunglasses, which is not only fashionable, but great on you! Many sunglasses manufacturers have made a point not only of making their products as health-friendly as possible; they have developed lines of "designer" sunglasses. These manufacturers include; Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Serengeti, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Wiley, and Maui Jim. Some of these manufacturers have gone so far as incorporating Bluetooth into their sunglasses so that you can use either your cell phone or your MP3 player without removing them!
Your final consideration in choosing a pair of sunglasses is that they fit you comfortably. The best looking and healthiest pair of sunglasses and the world will be of absolutely no use to you if it hurts to wear them!
Of course the most obvious protection is to seek shade and avoid the sun, (especially during the peak UV hours of 10am-4pm), but not all of us can do this, (especially if we're on a tropical vacation!).
Basically you've got 2 options: sun protective clothing and sunscreen.
Sun Protective Clothing
If you're going to be in and around the water you can't beat a rash guard for practical and stylish UV protection.
A rash guard is also known as a surf shirt, rashie, board shirt, rashguard, UV shirt and probably other names.
A typical rash guard is made of a lycra/nylon blend, is stretchy like a pair of nylons or spandex and is designed to fit skin tight. They're supposed to fit this tight so they stay close to your skin in the water, (as opposed to a t-shirt which will float up around your chest). In addition to staying put on your skin to protect you from the sun this is also how they protect you from a rash if you're surfing, boogie boarding or doing some other sport where your skin comes into contact with an object in the water.
Rash guards offer SPF 50 protection that conveniently won't wash off and doesn't need to be reapplied to last all day, (even in the water!). A typical cotton t-shirt only offers you about SPF 5 protection.
An alternative to a traditional rash guard is a Repel StayDry Shirt.
These UV protective shirts offer the same SPF 50 protection as a rash guard but have a looser, more t-shirt style of fit. They're also water repellant and you can watch water bead up and drop off the material without soaking into the fibers.
Repel StayDry Shirts can be worn in and out of the water and are perfect for activities such as sailing, kayaking, fishing, kite surfing, wind surfing, etc.
Last but not least in the arena of protective clothing, don't forget to wear a hat. Be sure you use one with a brim that is at least 3 inches long. A hat with a full brim going all the way around it is much more preferable than a cap with just a bill in the front as it will protect your ears and neck.
In addition to rash guards, Repel StayDry Shirts and hats, remember to use sunscreen. The medical community recommends using sunscreen with at least SPF 15 protection.
Sunscreen
We all know that lying on the beach or canoeing down a river exposes us to harmful UV rays, but so can walking down the street, (even on an overcast day) and just driving in your car.
Wearing sunscreen everyday is one of the most important ways you can protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun.
When selecting a sunscreen be sure to purchase one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions and remember to re-apply often, especially if you're in the water, sweating or in the sun longer than 2 hours.
Even if you're wearing a rash guard or Repel StayDry Shirt you still need sunscreen to protect your face, ears, head, (don't forget the part in your hair), hands and feet, (burnt tops of feet can be very painful).
Be sure to take extra care in protecting the skin of children and babies as the harmful effects of the sun are cumulative and a sunburn as a child can mean skin cancer as an adult.
Both Bland10000 & Lori Valesko are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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