Any discussion of protection from UV rays must include eyewear.
Ultraviolet rays can harm the eye’s cornea, lens and retina, and also increase the odds of cataracts.
Wide brim hats and ball caps can reduce the amount of UV rays a person’s eyes are exposed to by as much as 50 percent. However damaging rays can also be reflected off water, so sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection are recommended.
But which lens is correct?
In Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society article from 2013 states that darker lenses do not necessarily filter more UV light and can trigger papillary dilation, which allows unfiltered wavelengths of UV and visible-spectrum blue light to reach the retina.
Chronic retinal exposure to visible-spectrum blue light is a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, according to the article.
The authors wrote that orange and yellow lenses provide the best protection from both UV and visible blue light.
Based on the article, sunglasses should fit close to the face, hug the temples, not touch the eyelashes and merge into broad temple arms or straps.
