Antiaging Wellness Blog

Sunlight is essential for optimal health. 90% of the population do not get sufficient sunlight to manufacture healthy levels of Vitamin D. We should all get at least 15 minutes exposure to sunlight each day. One only has to live in London during winter to realise that the SAD syndrome [Seasonal Affective Disorder] is real.

There is plenty of publicity today about using sun block to protect the skin from harmful UV rays, but what about the eyes. Have you ever wondered about those cheap sunglasses? We all know that the label bashers will only wear their Michael Kors, Raybans and Christian Diors but for most of us, we are looking for sunglasses that effectively block harmful UV rays from our eyes at a reasonable cost. Of course there are the other reason like reducing glare, especially when driving or near water.

So what makes one pair of sunglasses significantly more expensive than another pair, when the label claims to do the same thing. Studies on sunglasses have shown no correlation between high prices and increased UV protetection. A 1995 study reported that “Expensive brands and polarizing sunglasses do not guarantee optimal UVA protection.” The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has also reported that “[c]onsumers cannot rely on price as an indicator of quality”. It has also been demonstrated that a pair of sunglasses costing less than $10 had slightly better protection than two very expensive brands. Reading labels on sunglasses is critical.

Since your glasses allow your eyes to be more open than without sunglasses, they are more exposed to high infrared or low ultra violet frequencies, unless the sunglasses block these rays. Consequently, more damage is done to the eyes than not wearing sunglasses at all. And if you are concerned that the label claims may be false, look for those with approved safety standards, as found in safety equipment stores. As a very keen boaty and snow skier, I find sports sunglasses designed for these environments afford me the greatest protection everyday. And if it’s lunch al fresco, I do tend to opt for a more fashionable look [however, I will often drive to the restaurant wearing one pair, and change them to my lunch pair upon arrival]. Oh Yes, I can be a snob when I want to!

Take care of your eyes, they are your windows to the world.

Nicola

This entry was posted on Monday, November 27th, 2006 at 8:07 pm and is filed under Antiaging, Product Reviews, Treatments, Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.