Avoid cheap sunglasses

 

Cheap sunglasses are everywhere  and the designs often mimic those of well known models such as Aviators .  However, it is important to know the dangers.

The function of sunglasses is to protect your eyes. They do this by providing protection against UV rays. If your eyes are exposed to excessive amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, you will likely experience photokeratitis. Like a "sunburn of the eye," photokeratitis can be painful, with symptoms including red eyes, a foreign body sensation or gritty feeling in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing.In the long run, cause cataracts and retinal / macular degeneration( one of the leading causes of blindness).

Cheap sunglasses, however, do not have this UV protection. Instead they can actually be more harmful as they fool your eyes into thinking they are protected, making your pupils dilate more and let in even more unfiltered light, causing in turn more damage. They can also make your eyes feel tired and give you headaches. 

In the picture below , the cheap sunglasses makes your eyes to think its night , so the pupils are more dilated & allow more UV light to enter your eyes.

  

Many cheap sunglasses have misleading information such as ‘UV absorbing’ or ‘blocks most UV light’, but this information is unregulated and does not mean that they provide adequate protection against UV rays.Because ultraviolet (or UV) light is invisible, it is impossible for the naked eye to tell how much protection cheap sunglasses actually give you. The color of the lenses is also not a reliable indication, and it is easy to get distracted by the vast choices often on display.Avoid buying roadside sunglasses .Always remember you only get what you pay for.Buying reliable sunglasses, with genuine UV protection is easy and not that costly . Most of the good brands have it at reasonable prices.

Some parents  make the kids wear such sunglasses while traveling in bike . This is even more dangerous as the kid may keep looking at sun without realizing damage to his eyes . So better to buy reliable glasses with UV blocking or just use plain transparent glasses which do not block sunlight , so that the kid is protected against dust and eyes automatically regulate the light getting inside of the eye. 

For adequate protection , American Optometric association recommends sunglasses which

• Block out 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.( also called UV400)
  
• Screen out 75 to 90% of visible light.
• Have lenses that are perfectly matched in color and free of distortion and imperfection.
• Have lenses that are gray for proper color recognition.

Bottom line : Avoid cheap sunglasses.Go for reliable brands with 100% UV protection.