Health

From Cheap Shades to Designer Frames, How Effective Are Sunglasses Against UV Rays? We Put Them to the Test

Video: Optometrist Dr. Jessica Chan demonstrates how to check for polarization in sunglasses. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)

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Everyone knows sunscreen is important to protect your skin from burns, aging and cancer, but it’s useless on your eyes.

The best weapon to protect your eyes from the sun? Sunglasses.

“UV protection is important for your eyes, just like for your skin,” said Dr. Jessica Chan, an optometrist at SoLo Eye Care & Eyewear Gallery in Bucktown.

Eyes can get sunburned (scientific term: photokeratitis).

Prolonged UV exposure can also lead to other conditions that can cause discomfort, dryness, irritation and impact vision, like eyelid cancer, accelerated development of cataracts and a host of other conditions.

If you’re going to wear sunglasses as a fashion-friendly sun shield, you want them to be effective.

While many sunglasses promise “100% UV protection,” WTTW News was dubious.

We wanted to put them to the test.

That’s easy enough for an optometrist to do. Chan’s office has a machine, a Lensometer, that can test a lens in seconds.

At WTTW News’ request, Chan used the Lensometer to test a sampling of sunnies including an old pair of Ray-Bans, a sparkly pair by a fashion designer, cheap pairs purchased at a gas station and convenience store, and freebies like those passed out as giveaways at bars and fundraisers.

Here’s a sunny spoiler: They all passed.

The aviators, the freebies, the drug-store variety and the high-eye shades alike, all showed as having 100% UV protection.

It’s an indicator that most sunglasses on store shelves should be solid choices.

Chan recommended either buying shades from a reputable eyewear purveyor (like an optometry office) or purchasing a pair with a tag or sticker that promises either 100% UV protection or “UV 400,” a term that signifies they’ll block the sun’s wavelengths up to 400 nanometers, Chan said.

Both labels indicate the lens will block both UVA and UVB rays.

And bigger is better.

Large sunnies or even those that wrap-around cover more of the eye and the thin skin underneath.

“The more coverage … the more protective it will be,” Chan said. “So those smaller ones, even though they’re fashionable, if they slide down you’re not going to get a lot of protection of your eyelid.”

Some more shopping tips from Chan:

The tint — whether gray, green, black or brown — is personal preference. A gray lens won’t change saturation or perception of color, though brown-tinted lenses “sometimes change the contrast and color perception a little bit,” Chan said.

Polarized glasses help to “cut out the glare that’s reflected off a horizontal or flat surface, so think about a body of water, a road, or if there’s snow on the ground,” Chan said. “If you’re on the water, we definitely recommend polarized sunglasses so you can see a little better.”

But she said polarized lenses can “interfere with screens,” which is why pilots avoid them. Something to consider if you’re outdoors with an iPad, laptop or phone

Transition lenses, which are clear indoors and darken when hit by sunlight, are also 100% UV blocking.

Prescription eyeglasses can have UV protection added to them, depending on the material

Contact lenses typically are UV-blocking. But contact-wearers should still sport sunnies. “Contacts only protect the cornea and the front part of your eye, not the whites of the eyes or the eyelids,” Chan said. “So they should be complementary to sunglasses, not a substitute.”

Chan said the important thing is to buy sunglasses that you like, with a frame that fits and feels good.

“Something that is good quality that you like is what you’re going to wear more often, which is what’s more important,” Chan said.

Children, who often spend a lot of time outside, should wear sunglasses too, or at least a wide-brimmed hat.

That’s not to say kids — and adults — should avoid the great outdoors. Not only because, as Chan put it, “it’s good for your mind, body and soul.”

“It’s also good in slowing down the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children,” Chan said. “So outside time is important for that. And limiting screen time.”

Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]

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