Due to the ozone layer depletion, the sun radiation has been more and more intensive. Besides the skin, it is also necessary to protect your eyesight.
More than 90 per cent of Austrians wear sunglasses on sunny days. However, we often forget to protect the eyesight of our children. “Even small childre, whose eyesight has been developing, should protect their eyes against the ultraviolet radiation. Children sunglasses fringes are available even in the smallest sizes. It is, so to speak, almost impossible to know the right size of children sunglasses without having tried them on. I do not recommend parents to buy sunglasses on the Internet. It is important that sunglasses do not press on the sides, nor behind the ears, and that they sit on the nose. Glasses should sufficiently cover eyes from all sides, they should be light, and the eye lashes should not touch the glasses. Most sunglasses types may be modified to fit perfectly,” said Pavel Stodulka.
Rather than the price and design, it is more important to focus on the UV filter. Color of glasses is not crucial either. “Even the clear sunglasses may protect the vision against the harmful ultraviolet sun radiation in a sufficient manner. On the other hand, dark glasses without the sufficient filter may be even more harmful. Under dark glasses, what happens is that the pupils dilate and the eyes, unless protected by a UV filter, receive more harmful beams which may lead to the permanent vision impairment. The cathegory of the UV filter is for children and adult sunglasses marked by numbers ranking from 0 to 4. It generally applies that the higher the filter cathegory, the darker the lens gets, and the less sun is let through the glasses. During summer, the most commonly used cathegory is number 3 – being it for adults or for children,” Dr. Stodulka explained.
Nevertheless, one pair of sunglasses is not enough. For example, sunglasses differ for everyday wear in towns, for sport, or for seaside vacation. Before you purchase your new sunglasses, you should realize what the occassion is for which you will use your glasses. “For the everyday use, brown glasses are enough, or grey or green glasses which will also do. When the light is sharper, the glasses should be dark. Brightening sunglasses with yellow or orange color are ideal for running, cycling, or skiing. Drivers should optimally wear polarized sunglasses which reduce the reflected glare from the wet road or oncoming vehicles,” Pavel Stodulka described.
The problem of how to choose the right sunglasses is often faced by those who wear dioptric glasses. The problem may temporarily be solved by wearing contact lenses, however, not everyone can bear wearing them, not speaking about the fact that the long-term wearing of contact lenses is not good for your eyes. The ideal solution for these cases is a laser eye surgery during which diopters are removed, and the patient thus becomes freed of wearing glasses, not the sunglasses though.