A lot of good things come with summer, like warmer weather, holiday weekends, and beach trips. But summer sunshine also brings harmful ultraviolet light that could be a major cause of damage to your eyes. Too much direct exposure to sunlight can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye diseases. Protecting your eyes from these diseases is crucial for long-term eye health, especially when you’re spending more time outside enjoying the warmer weather.
In order to best protect your eyes, there are three things you need to consider when picking out sunglasses. And, yes, one of them is style.
- What do you need from your sunglasses?
Of course, you want to look good when you wear your sunglasses (who doesn’t!) but there are also a few things to think about besides how good they make your face look. Where will you be wearing them, and for what purpose? The styles and lens coverage will differ between sunglass shapes, and the shape depends on the purpose. For example, a pair of sunglasses for sports will be different than a pair you’d mainly use while driving home from work.
- What kind of lenses do you need?
Sunglasses are obviously for sunny days, which also results in glare and reflected light hitting your eyes. Polarised lenses help eliminate both while protecting your eyes from harsh UV rays and reducing eye fatigue from the brightness. Light-sensitive people, like those who suffer from cataracts, also benefit from polarised lenses to help protect their eyes.
- Is your prescription up to date?
It’s likely that you need prescription sunglasses (you are reading the Optical Express blog after all!) We offer a wide range of frames that can be available as sunglasses in your unique prescription. The hardest choice you’ll have to make when looking for your new sunglasses will be which one looks best on your face!
Make sure you’re choosing the right sunglasses by stopping into your local Optical Express to chat with our knowledgeable optometrists. Find your nearest clinic below.