How to Select the Right Sunglasses for Your Eyes

It is that time of the year again. We are planning our trips to the beach, vacations, and summer activities. One thing we need to do is protect one of our most valuable assets as human beings, our eyes. We only have one set of them and they can't be replaced.

Sunglasses are worn the year around. They help with white outs and snow blindness in the winter time. However, they are very important during the summer. Many individuals like to wear them as a form of wardrobe or personal appearance. Their main purpose is to protect our eyes from the sun's rays.

Ultraviolet rays can slowly take their toll on your eyes without you even knowing it. Your sunglasses need to give you 100 percent protection. Some individuals think that cheap sunglasses are good enough. Any type of shading or the cut down on UV rays will help. However, for many, that may not be good enough.

If you are a farmer or a worker that is exposed to UV rays, you need better than cheap sunglasses to protect your eyes. The investment is worth it because in the long run you will be protecting your eyes for later in life. What are your eyes worth to you?

Like many, I remember watching the Blublocker commercials on television. I invested in a pair because I did a lot of roof work down through the years. The glare off a hot roof with aluminum coating is especially dangerous to your eyes. I was glad that I made the investment.

Besides protecting your eyes from UV rays, sunglasses do two other things that are very important. First, they also block out infrared light. It hasn't been proved that infrared light can damage your eyes but, why take the chance. Second. by reducing the light that your eyes pick up, it helps you relax your pupils. This reduces strain on your eyes and believe it or not can reduce stress on your body.

True color vision is important to many workers. That is why there are sunglasses with different colored lens. Consider an individual that might be colored blind. The color red usually means stop or danger. It is always good to be able to identify color as best as you can. There are certain jobs when you have to be able to identify items by their color.

So how do you select a good pair of sunglasses? Plastic sunglasses are usually cheaper in cost. Glass is expensive but, they are not as easily scratched. The density of glasses is just as important as the color of the lens. The FDA says you should be able to drop a pair of glasses and drop a weight on them and they not break. Another thing to do is hold the glasses at arms length to the blue sky above. If you see any patches of darkness or light areas, pass them on.

The frames are just as important. Inspect them carefully. Rubber type frames, although they appear to hold the lens well usually will contort until the lens pops out. Solid frames are usually the best. Also, take a look at the hinges on the frames. Do they appear solid or cheaply made? Pass on the glasses if they look cheap.

Try on the glasses and see how they conform to the shape of your face. If you are concerned about your your appearance, be selective in the ones that you want to wear.

Darker isn't always the best. Select glasses that you can see through. Effective vision is just as important as cutting down on the UV rays.

The last thing to consider is the safety of the glasses themselves. Some individuals use them for eye protection on the job from foreign objects or shavings from the type of work that they do. Can they withstand the jobs that you are on?

All of these things should go into consideration before you even think about cost. Cost is important but should be irrelevant when it comes to protecting your eyes.

Comments (1)

paul said:

	... Thanks for the sunglasses tips!
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August 31, 2011
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