Designer Sunglasses VS Cheap Sunglasses

It is important that everyone wear eye protection. No matter what age, what the weather is, or the time of year. The facts come down to this: Exposing the eyes to too much of the sun's harmful rays can result in severe eye damage. Sunglasses are just as important for protecting the eyes, as the use of a proper sunscreen is to protecting the skin. Over-exposing your eyes to the sun may cause cataracts, vision loss, or even cancer. 

These days sunglasses are limited for not only protecting eyes from the harsh glare of the sun's rays but they are also considered as a fashion statement. Wearing a right type of designer sunglasses is equally important like wearing the right accessories or wearing the right clothes.

How do you choose the proper eye protection? Are the more expensive sunglasses better than a pair bought from the drugstore? How do I know if my eyes are being protected? Should I spend extra when asked if I would like additional UV coating of my new lenses?

When you buy a pair of cheap sunglasses, you often give up all of these benefits and can even make things worse. For example, if your sunglasses offer no UV protection, you increase your exposure to UV rays. The cheap sunglasses block some of the light, causing your iris to open to allow more light in. This lets in more of the UV light as well, increasing the damage UV light can cause to the retina. So there is a difference. Buying the right pair of good sunglasses for the conditions in which you use them gives you maximum protection and performance.

The biggest problem with cheap sunglasses is in the way the lenses are made. Inexpensive sunglasses have lenses made of ordinary plastic with a thin tinted coating on them. While the tint color and a similar frame design may make them look like Oakley X-Metal Romeos or Ray-Ban Predators, the actual lenses are very different.

Like many "health products" in the United States, the FDA doesn’t regulate sunglasses. But there are some guidelines set by the American National Standards Institute, that can help you pick the right pair of helpful eye protection. The guidelines state that glasses should block UVB by 99% and UVA radiation by 95%. This is important! The glasses should indicate the level of protection they provide. If the glasses aren’t labeled with a specific UV claim then DON’T BUY THEM! Why? You ask... because it’s impossible to know how much protection the lenses will provide.