Sunglasses without UV protection are more harmful than no sunglasses at all!

You can see people wearing sunglasses everywhere: while playing golf, at the pool, driving, or just hanging out. Sunglasses have one major visible advantage - the tinted lenses can cut down on glare and make it easier to see. Having said that, it's very important that those lenses not only be tinted, but that they also are coated with a clear substance that blocks harmful ultraviolet light – UVA and UVB.

There are visible and invisible UV rays. The darkness that you see in sunglasses cuts out the visible UV rays. What's really harmful to your eyes, however, is the invisible UV, or ultraviolet radiation. Because tinted lenses block the glare from sunlight, sunglasses that don't have UV protection can actually contribute to eye damage and therefore are not good for everyday usage.

The eye's pupil can change its size when it is needed. When the visible light rays are cut out, your pupil will dilate in order to allow more light into your visual system. If the sunglasses you are wearing are not UV protected, they will allow UV radiation to penetrate through the no-so-protective lenses, so the sunglasses are actually doing more harm than good. You are actually letting in more of the harmful UV rays by having your pupil dilated. It's very important to look for labels on sunglasses while shopping for a new set of sunglasses and make sure the lenses are coated so that they block both types of UV radiation -- UVA and UVB, as well as looking cool.

As stated before, there are two types of UV radiation. UVB rays are more harmful than UVA rays UVB rays can lead to formation of cataracts and a condition on the back of the eye called macular degeneration. You want to be protected from both UVA and UVB rays. Generally speaking, anything marketed as UV protected is protected against both, but as a precaution, it would be smart of you to take care of your own eyes' health and verify the sunglasses are protective enough, for both UVA and UVB. If sunglasses are UV protected, they will have a sticker on them that says they are UVA and UVB protected. If there's no label on the lens, don't assume they are.

Besides sunglasses, there are also other ways to protect the eyes from damaging UV light. Sometimes it could be impossible to wear sunglasses, for instance, it can be difficult to get an infant to wear sunglasses. In those cases, it is recommended to wear a hat with a brim of at least 3 inches that can shade the eyes. There's also extra protection available for those who wear contact lenses, but don’t think that you are exempt of sunglasses when you have your contact lenses on.

More and more contact lenses have UV protection built in the polymer. Not that it's going to cut down on glare or your photo-phobia sensitivity to sunlight, but at least you'll have the protection from the harmful rays. Many of the disposable lenses now incorporate that into the polymer, and some of the rigid, gas-permeable lenses do too.

The 'problem' with UV radiation is that it doesn't have an immediate effect – you cannot feel that something is going wrong in your visual system. It takes years of exposure to contribute to formation of a cataract or to damage in the retina. So it's very important to get sunglasses with UV protection, to wear them at an early age and to keep wearing them as you get older.