Buying a pair of sunglasses does more than simply change your outward appearance. Sunglasses can be an easy and affordable way to protect your eyes from harmful rays of light enabling you to extend good vision for as long as possible. If you spend a lot of time in the sun playing, working or driving, a good pair of sunglasses would be a wise investment.

Types of Light produced by the Sun

Even though most people enjoy the feeling of warm sunlight on their skin, the sun does produce several kinds of light that can create chemical reactions inside your eye tissue and cause irreversible damage to your eyesight. Some of these rays are invisible while others are not.

UV Rays

Ultraviolet Radiation, which is also known as UV Rays, is the invisible light produced by the sun. Since UV Rays carry more energy than visible light, they also have more potential for damaging your eyes. There are two kinds of UV rays: UVA and UVB. UVB rays affect the cornea and the conjunctiva while UVA rays primarily affect the eye lens. This happens because different parts of the eye absorb different kinds of light.

Blue Light

Unlike UV rays, blue light is visible. One significant source of blue light is the glare reflected of snow and water. The retina, which is located at the back of the eye, is the section of your eye that is most impacted by blue light.

Choosing the Right Sunglasses

There are a lot of things to think about when you pick out a pair of sunglasses. In addition to being attractive and comfortable, sunglasses should provide the right kind of protection in the right amounts. For example, if you spend a lot of time on the water or snow covered mountains it would be wise to buy a pair of sunglasses that filter out blue light. Brown, grey and slightly green tinted lenses are especially adept at filtering out blue light. Unfortunately, nothing about price, color, or darkness can indicate how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide. Consequently, consumers usually have to rely on labels for this information.

Durability is another factor to consider when selecting sunglasses. Most lenses are made of plastic because they are often stronger than glass but it is still important to go with scratch resistant material. A few seconds of wearing them can test for things like distortion and vision impairment too.

With this background knowledge you should be capable of selecting a pair of sunglasses that best meets your needs. Whether you go with cheap brands or a pair of Gucci sunglasses, find something that will make a difference to your eyes.