When you think of sunglasses, you probably think of them as a fashion accessory or a way to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. But there’s another reason why sunglasses, such as Ray Ban sunglasses, are so important: they protect your eyes from UVA and UVB light. Wearing sunglasses with lenses that block at least 99% of UVA and UVB light can help protect against both types of harmful rays; if they also have polarised lenses (which will reduce glare), all the better.
There are two main types of UV rays, UVA and UVB.
UV rays are invisible and can be harmful to the eyes. Two main types of UV rays affect your eyes: UVA and UVB. UVA rays cause damage to your skin and eyes over time, while UVB rays can cause sunburn or eye damage immediately.
Both types of UV rays can cause cataracts, which is when the lens in your eye becomes cloudy. Cataracts make it harder for you to see clearly and may eventually lead to blindness if they aren’t treated by a doctor right away.
UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and may cause long-term skin damage, including wrinkles and even skin cancer, while UVB rays tend to do more short-term damage, including sunburns.
This type of radiation can damage your eyes as well as your skin. But even if you don’t get any visible signs of sunlight damage from UVB exposure (such as a burn), it can still cause long-term harm to your eyes by damaging retinal cells. That’s because UVB rays penetrate deeper into the body than UVA rays, which means they can reach sensitive structures within the eye that aren’t usually exposed to light, including those responsible for vision itself.
Sunglasses protect your eyes by blocking both types of UV rays.
The rays of the sun can cause damage to your eyes, not just in the form of a sunburn. Both UVB and UVA rays present a risk to your eyes.
UVB rays burn your skin and cause painful swelling when you’re out in the sun. When you’re wearing sunglasses, they block these harmful rays from reaching your eyes.
But UVA rays aren’t just dangerous for your skin—they also damage other parts of your body, including the retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye). The retina is made up of light-sensitive cells that send signals to your brain so that you can see things correctly. Too much exposure to UVA radiation can lead to macular degeneration or cataracts (clouding of the lens).
To protect yourself from damaging UV radiation, make sure that all sunglasses you wear block both types of UV radiation (UVA & UVB) by looking for a label on them with an acronym like “UV 400.”
What to look for in sunglasses?
The lenses in sunglasses should filter out at least 99% of UVA and UVB light or have a UV 400 label.
If you’re shopping for sunglasses, look for the UV 400 label. The letters “UV” stand for ultraviolet light, and the number 400 indicates that less than 1% of UVA and UVB rays will pass through the lenses. However, this number is a minimum standard, not a maximum. It doesn’t guarantee that your eyes will be protected from harmful rays while you’re wearing them—it’s simply an indicator of how much light is being blocked by the sunglasses’ lenses.
In addition to making sure your sunglasses block 100% of UV light, look for polarized lenses that also help reduce glare from flat surfaces like roads, water or snow.
If you’re looking to block 100% of UV rays and reduce glare, look for polarized lenses in Ray-Ban sunglasses that are available in various colours and lens tints. Polarized sunglasses are more expensive than non-polarized ones, but they can be well worth it if they reduce your eye strain and discomfort.
Make sure your sunglasses block both UVA and UVB
Sunglasses are an essential protective tool for your eyes. The sun’s UV rays can cause premature ageing, cataracts and even skin cancers. They can also harm your eyesight by decreasing your ability to focus and making glare more noticeable. If you’re not wearing sunglasses when you should be, it could lead to severe problems down the road. So, it’s important to find sunglasses that offer optimum protection from both UVA and UVB rays.