Top 4 Myths About Eyewear

In a culture that is obsessed with name brand sunglasses we often forget the true reason we where sunglasses, eye protection. This article will reveal the top 4 myths about eyewear.

1. MYTH: A Sunglass is Sunglass is a Sunglass.

REALITY: Just as we wear different types of clothing for different weather conditions, there are a wide range of different types of Sunglasses and Protective Lenses available for varying applications and Sun conditions: brightness, heat and glare. Different lens tints and coatings affect Sunlight differently.

2. MYTH: A Darker Sunglass Lens Provides better Eye Protection.

REALITY: Without protective Ultra Violet (UV) coatings, or lens materials with inherent UV blocking properties, a dark lens can fool the eye into believing it is being protected. With non-UV lenses that simply reduce the brightness of the Sun, the pupil will dilate, actually allowing more of the Sun's harmful rays to enter the eye. Thus, darker lenses, without UV protection, cause more harm, not less, to the eyes. UV Rays are invisible, but harmful to the "Naked" Eye! And... on hazy days, the damage from UV can be even more severe. Doctors recommend that everyone wear some Sunscreen protection on their skin everyday but have yet to fully address Eye protection.

3. MYTH: UV Protection Alone is Enough To protect the Eye From the Sun's Damaging Rays.

REALITY: UV protection to prevent Cataracts is the major concern of eye specialists today. However, brightness, glare, reflection, heat and scratched lenses make vision uncomfortable and can be substantially reduced or eliminated by functional Eyewear and proper care and cleaning of your Sunglasses. Mirror or Multi-Coated lenses help reflect away additional brightness by bouncing it away from the Eye. Polarized lenses act as miniature Venetian Blinds, tuned to block (attenuate) the glare reflected from surfaces such as Water, Pavement and Car windows. Polycarbonate lenses inherently block the heat of the Sun, which is the major cause of dryness and scratchiness in the eyes, a condition effecting 20 million people in the US alone. This heat arrives in the form of another invisible enemy to our eyes: Infrared Radiation... the Heat rays of the Sun, which are at the opposite side of the light spectrum from Ultra Violet light.

4. MYTH: Sunglasses must be expensive in order to provide superior Sun protection.

REALITY: While the adage, "You get what you pay for," is usually true, it is possible to attain high levels of protection at affordable prices. Much of the cost in high priced Sunglasses comes from expensive advertising campaigns. A "name brand" Sunglass may or may not have the same level of protection as a less expensive "non-designer" Sunglass.

As one can see, sunglasses should be used for eye protection first and style second. I hope this article helped you understand how damaging the sun is to our eyes and how important it is to protect them.

Hopefully you will spread this message to people you know so that our eyes can be properly covered and we will be able to protect our eyesight.

If you have any questions feel free to stop by our website.