The dangers of wearing poorly made sunglasses – and how to prevent them
Once we’ve booked our holiday all we want to do with our remaining money is spend it on sightseeing, restaurants and holiday mementos. In our efforts to conserve as much spending money as possible it’s often tempting to cut back on the essentials – skipping sun tan lotion every other day doesn’t seem like it can do much harm, and there doesn’t seem much point in spending more than you have to on sunglasses.
But would you rather impact upon your bank balance or your eyesight? Wearing poorly manufactured eyewear can lead to some serious health risks including eye disease, blindness and severe bodily reactions.
Of course, we’re not suggesting that sometimes you aren’t just getting a great bargain, but it’s certainly a big risk to take.
Allergic reactions
Cheap sunglasses are often made from plastics which contain dyes and waxes which, as well as feeling uncomfortable and badly made, can cause allergic reactions.
A good way to avoid this without paying over the odds is to look at the component materials of any frames to determine potential allergens. Combinations of Zyl and Propionate are the most common offenders with nylons and polyamides occasionally causing skin irritation.
This isn’t to say that you should stay away from these materials altogether, and reactions from sunglasses are rare, but it’s important to know to take your sunglasses off straight away if you feel a tingling – especially if you know these materials are involved.
Serious eye problems
More common dangers are those relating to eye protection. You often pay the price for poorly manufactured sunglasses because they cut costs by providing inadequate UV protection in the lenses.
Good sunglasses should block 100% of UV rays and anything less can be a hazard. Prolonged exposure to UV can cause problems ranging from temporary photokeratitis to cataracts and macular degeneration - which at the very least can ruin your holiday and at the worst can permanently damage your vision.
A good quality pair of sunglasses should be blocking out all UV, and if you can it’s a good idea to opt for a pair which provide a wraparound frame to protect you from stray light – glasses such as these Smith Pavilion sunglasses are a great choice.
If you know you’ll be going somewhere with extreme conditions or incredibly bright lights (either directly from the sun or reflecting off of snow or water) then you’ll want to make sure your lenses are polarized to filter out additional glare. The Ray Ban RB4075 sunglasses do this in style.