The sunglasses wearers are on the rise lately. More often than not, sunglasses wearer not only come from adults and adolescents, children also start to wear sunglasses when travelling outside or just enjoying the warmth of sunlight. The growing interest in sunglasses prompted Graham and his team to investigate the relationship between the ownership of sunglasses and the effects of sunlight on adolescents.
Based on this research, it shows that teenagers often wear sunglasses because they want to look "cool". Another interesting thing, knowledge about the adverse effects of UV rays from the sun decreases in older age groups. As many as 71% of teenagers have sunglasses, but the 81% from those 71% rarely or even don't use sunglasses at all when travelling during the day.
The survey conducted by Graham in 1998 showed that the possession of glasses does not necessarily indicate a person's awareness of the adverse effects of sunlight and eye health. So, why are sunglasses more than just a complement to your outfit?
Eye Protection from Sun UV Rays
Quoted from Halodoc.com, sunglasses are the first protection for the eyes when exposed to sunlight that reaches the earth are rich in UVA & UVB rays. Halodoc.com also explains that UV rays do not only damage the cornea, lens and retina of the eye, but also the skin of the human eyelid.
Prevent Photokeratitis & Cataracts
If someone is frequently exposed to sunlight without sunglasses, the most common effects are photokeratitis symptoms. MedicineNet on its website explains that a person affected by photokeratitis will experience symptoms of swollen and sore eyes due to corneal damage due to prolonged exposure to UV rays.
It does not stop there, other fatal damage if the eyes are not protected with sunglasses are cataracts, pterygium, pinguecula, and macular degeneration. According to what was written in the journal eye health written by Sharma and his team in 1994, eye cloudiness as a symptom of cortical cataracts is caused by sunlight which is indeed cataractogenic.
The journal, entitled Sunlight & Cortical Cataract, emphasizes that people with high cases of cataracts are usually found in areas with high sunlight intensity. Other results also show that people with cataracts tend to occur in lowlands than highlands even though they are in an environment with high sunlight.
After tracing it, Sharma found that increasing the temperature in the eye lens also increases the risk of cortical cataracts. This means, people who live in mountainous areas or with low environmental temperatures have a lower potential to suffer from cataracts.
However, does this mean that people with low environmental temperatures still need sunglasses? We believe, yes. Low environmental temperature with high sunlight intensity only slows down the development of cataracts, not prevents them. Hence, the use of sunglasses would help to prevents cataracts in someone's eyes.
Tips for Choosing Glasses
WebMD explains that there are several conditions so that sunglasses can prevent eye damage from sun exposure. The following is the curated explanation for your info.
Choose Large Frame
As social styles and trends develop, sunglasses are changing in size. When the 90's style was on the rise, sunglasses with small frames were the trendsetter. However, because of the trend created by social media, large sunglasses have started to appear and can now be found easily in your favourite eyewear stores.
Sunglasses with large frames are highly recommended because they can protect the eyes and lids from the bad effects of sunlight. The large frame that can cover the skin around the eyes is also able to block sunlight by up to 75% so that it filters out UVA & UVB rays.
There are Anti UV Lenses
Not all sunglasses can block UV rays from the sun. So, you have to make sure the sunglasses you wear are equipped with UV resistance so that they can completely block the bad effects. According to experts, sunglasses that contain UV filters are usually pitch black.
Evenly Dark Lens Colour
Make sure you check the sunglasses you choose before paying for them. The reason is, there are sunglasses that are black unevenly so they only protect your eyes at certain points. You can check this by looking at a straight object using these sunglasses. If the object is curved or distorted, it is certain that the sunglasses do not meet the requirements.
So, it's time for you to change the notion that using sunglasses are just a useless trend. Sunglasses are eye protection that can be used as a complement to the look, not the other way around.
To make it easier for you to choose the appropriate sunglasses, Sunset Eyewear also provides various types of sunglasses that you can choose from. You can choose them by shop online or offline. In addition, sunglasses from Sunset Eyewear can be made according to your eye prescription!