Eye Issues

My eyes water when I’m in the sun and sometimes burn. I was told to get some sunglasses. What should I look for?

There is a huge selection of sunglasses out there, with varying degrees of protection, quality, and cost. The most important factor you should consider when it comes to sunglasses is that you need them to reduce glare and protect the eyes, primarily from harmful UV radiation. There are two components of UV radiation that you have to take into consideration, UVA and UVB. Make sure the sunglasses you choose offer 100% protection against both of these components. The label on them should say UV400 or 100% UV protection.

Some people buy fashion sunglasses that are just tinted lenses with no UV protection. These actually cause more harm than good because with a tinted lens without UV protection, the pupil expands to allow more light into the eye. Unfortunately, if the UV is not blocked, you are allowing more harmful rays to enter the eye through the enlarged pupil. It is better to wear no glasses rather than these tinted lenses. Unfortunately, there are lots of counterfeit/fake/ sunglasses on the market that have fake UV block stickers just added on. Buy from a reputable seller and you should be okay.

Do I need special frames or lenses? What should I look for?

Although most people like small frames, these are not practical for sunglasses. You need full coverage of the eyes for the sunglass to be effective, so make sure the frames are large enough not to allow light to pass through the top/sides of the frame and hit the eyes. As well, make sure they fit close to the face. Larger frames can be heavy depending on the material used, so make sure you try on several pairs in different materials (plastic, stainless steel, titanium) to find one that is comfortable. The same thing applies to the lenses. There are three materials used in sunglass lenses – plastic, polycarbonate, and glass. The glass lenses are always heavier than the plastic and polycarbonate. If you are going to be wearing them for sports like cricket or football, get sunglasses made with polycarbonate lenses.

Which colour is better? I like the multicoloured lenses

Sunglasses should be dark enough to reduce glare, but not so dark that they change/distort colours and affect the recognition of traffic signals. The most ‘colour neutral’ lenses are grey lenses. They reduce the brightness, but don’t affect color perception. Green and brown lenses are also good, but they distort colour more than the grey. Yellow, amber and rose tints decrease glare, but cause more colour distortion. You are probably thinking of sunglasses with what is called a ‘mirror finish’ on the outside of the lens. It’s a metallic multicoloured coating. The problem with these types of lenses is that they scratch quite easily.