Not a few are happy whenever they
buy sunglasses on the highway from
hawkers. To them, they have got a
cheap buy. Sunglasses, which are a
common feature with roadside
hawkers, come in ‘designer’s labels’.
Do you just buy such sunglasses? Oh!
You think they are cute? Well, by the
time you read the harm they cause to
your health, you would not see it as
cheap or good anymore.
The truth is that you are doing more
harm than good to your eyes and
health. Sunglasses are not just a
fashion statement; their lenses block
harmful Ultra Violet Rays which, in
severe cases, can cause permanent
damage to the eyes.
When the sun is shining brightly, you
squint and your pupils constrict to tiny
dots – as small as half a millimeter in
diameter to limit the amount of light
getting in. When you put on sunglasses,
the effect is the same as being in a dark
room- the pupil dilates to let in more
light.
Glasses that don’t block UV rays may
offer some relief from visible light and
reduce your need to squint, but the
additional exposure to UVA and UVB
can be harmful. For instance, if you put
on a very dark pair of sunglasses, your
pupil opens up; it dramatically changes
in size from half a millimeter to 5 or 6
millimeters. It’s an enormous increase,
and now you’re allowing much more
harmful light into your eyes than if you
didn’t wear the cheap sunglasses at all.
Wearing cheap sunglasses could lead
to the following conditions:
Photokeratitis: It is also called sunburn
of the eye. A few hours after enjoying
the sun, the eye gets painful, gritty and
vision becomes blurred. You look like
you have had a pretty heavy night on
the town as well.
The good news is, with rest and eye
drops, your eyes should be back to
normal after two or three days.
Cataracts: the normally clear cornea
hazes over to cause a cataract.
Cataracts grow slowly over many
years, dulling vision and eventually
making sight very difficult. Although
they can be removed, too much
sunlight is one way to increase your
chances of getting an appointment with
an eye surgeon.
Pterygium: UV light can trigger the
surface of the eye to grow out of
control. Although it is not a cancer, it
looks unsightly, can be painful and
occasionally obscures sight.
Macular degeneration: the macular is
the most sensitive part of the inside of
the eye (the retina). Excesses of UV
light damages this delicate region and
eventually prevents you from seeing
clearly.
But when you put on a pair of
sunglasses, light reaching your eyes is
darker and your pupils open up again.
If your sunglasses don’t have UV
protection, then harmful UV light will
now be flooding through your – now
wide open – pupils into the back of your
eyes. If your sunglasses don’t provide
UV protection, it would be better if you
weren’t wearing them at all!
When next you are shopping for
sunglasses, make sure that they have
UV protection. A dark tint or a high
price tag is no guarantee of this either.
Individuals who wear contact lenses
are least likely to want to wear
sunglasses; however, sunglasses are
helpful from preventing the drying
effect most contact lens wearers get
from warm wind; UV protection in
contact lenses are the most effective in
blocking all UV entering the eye.
Automobile window tints are not a
replacement for sunglasses; however,
windshields screens are very effective
in absorbing both UVA and UVB rays
(because of the internal shatter-proof
laminate).
You are never too young to protect
your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.
Parents should purchase UV-protected
sunglasses for their children with
wrap-around design and keep infants’
eyes shaded.
When you’re choosing sunglasses, style
can make a difference. Large wrap
around shades generally give the best
protection as they block out more UV
light from the sides. Picking shades
with proper UV protection is an
absolute must.
See why wearing poor quality
sunglasses could be doing you much
more harm than good?
Source:
www.punchng.com/spice/wellness/beware-of-cheap-sunglasses/