logo logo
  • Home
  • Gift Guides
  • Outdoor
  • Garden and Yard
  • Family
  • Beauty
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Health and Wellness

What Do Sunglasses Really Do For Your Eyes?

author-image
Written by Michelle Feng
Original publish date: Sep 3, 2024, 01:30 AM
Last updated: Sep 22, 2024, 01:31 AM
sunglasses for eye protection
View all contents
  • What Do Sunglasses Really Do For Your Eyes?
  • History of Sunglasses
  • Different Lens Types
  • Benefits of UV Protection
  • UV Risks
  • Different Types of Glare
  • Conclusion

Sunglasses are one of the most popular accessories in the world, but how much do you really know about them? In this post, we’ll look at what sunglasses really do for your eyes and why it’s important to invest in a quality pair.

We’ll start by looking at the science behind sunglasses and how they protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. We’ll also look at different styles of sunglasses and the benefits each kind offers. Finally, we’ll discuss the importance of investing in a quality pair. Ready to dive into the wonderful world of sunglasses? Let’s go!

  • What Do Sunglasses Really Do For Your Eyes?
  • History of Sunglasses
  • Different Lens Types
  • Benefits of UV Protection
  • UV Risks
  • Different Types of Glare
  • Conclusion

What Do Sunglasses Really Do For Your Eyes?

Sunglasses are protective wear designed to reduce the amount of light that reaches the wearer’s eyes. They come in many forms, from classic looks to novelty shapes and sizes, and they can have lenses of many different colors. The purpose of sunglasses is to protect the eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which have been linked to various eye issues such as cataracts and macular degeneration. They can also reduce eye strain caused by excessive light exposure.

History of Sunglasses

The history of sunglasses is long and storied. Sunglasses were first invented in China in the 12th century and have since evolved into popular fashion accessories. By the 1930s, they had become widely accepted in American culture as a trendy accessory among movie stars and socialites. Now, they’re an important part of any wardrobe due to the numerous health benefits they provide to their wearers.

Different Lens Types

Sunglass style and protection come in many different types, which can be confusing when trying to decide which pair is right for you. The most common lens types are polarized lenses, photochromic lenses, UV-400 lenses, and gradient lenses. Polarized lenses reduce glare by blocking out reflected light from surfaces like glass or water, while photochromic lenses react to light levels and darken when outside. UV-400 lenses block out 100% of damaging UV rays, and gradient lenses are lighter at the top than the bottom, giving them a softer appearance.

Polarized lenses are an important feature to consider when shopping for sunglasses, especially if you spend a lot of time outside or on the water. Polarized lenses filter out reflected horizontal light rays that cause blinding glares, improving your visibility in bright conditions and reducing eye strain caused by squinting. They also make it easier to see objects underwater while participating in water sports, such as fishing or swimming.

Benefits of UV Protection

UV protection is perhaps the most important reason why people wear sunglasses – especially when spending extended periods outdoors – as it protects your eyes from the harmful ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun, which can seriously damage your eyes over time. Wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection safeguards your eyes from long-term UV damage, such as cataracts and other age-related issues caused by overexposure to sunlight.

UV Risks

Excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays without wearing proper eye protection can cause a number of vision problems, such as corneal burns, photokeratitis or “sunburned eyes,” conjunctivitis or “pink eye,” cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and ultimately blindness if not treated quickly and properly after exposure. It’s important to note that even on cloudy days, when you may not feel like you need sunglasses, it’s still wise to wear them, as UV rays can pass through clouds and damage your eyes. By the time you realize this, it might be too late!

Different Types of Glare

There are two main types of glare: direct glare (reflected off surfaces directly into your eyes) and indirect glare (reflected off surfaces indirectly into your eyes). Both types cause visual stress leading to headaches, sight fatigue, and other vision-related strains. Individuals who work outdoors for prolonged periods should wear sunglasses to protect against both.

Conclusion

Sunglasses are an essential accessory. They protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays, and they also reduce glare and eye strain. No matter what kind of sunglasses you choose, investing in a quality pair is key for protecting your eyes. Make sure to look for sunglasses with quality lenses and frames that provide adequate eye protection and comfort, because, with the right pair of sunglasses, you can protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays while looking great.

Contributors

author-image
Michelle Feng
Personal Care
logo
  • Reviews
  • Product Reviews
  • Brand Reviews
©2025 The Independence
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Click here to learn more about our process.
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}