One part of your body that you need constant protection is your eyes. People playing sports usually wear sports goggles to prevent their eyes from getting poked. Some prefer to wear glasses with anti-radiation lenses because of long exposures to computer screens. But every day, people wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from bright lights, most specifically the sun.
You might have worn sunglasses all your life, but have you ever thought of how it works? There is actual science happening when you wear simple sun glasses. Before you purchase sunglasses online, it would be best to know how sunglasses work to protect the eyes. This may give you more insight into your sunglasses and not take them for granted in the long run.
The Science of Sunglasses
The main objective of sunglasses is to protect your eyes from bright lights. However, there is more to that than just the lens and the dark tint on the lens. There are a few elements within the lenses that make sunglasses efficient at protecting the eyes.
- Mirror Coating – This is what you would call the mainline of defence in sun-glasses. The mirror coating is applied to the front part of the lenses, and it is responsible for reflecting harsh light away from the eyes. It is also the reason why it has the word “mirror” in it. This coating helps prevent you from squinting your eyes more and provide better vision no matter how bright rays of the sun are.
- UV Coating – An essential element that sunglasses should have is the UV coating. This protects a person’s eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Most people add the UV coating to plastic lenses, while polycarbonate glasses have the coating built-in.
- Polarized Lenses – You can find many people using polarized lenses. Most of the time, polarized lenses are efficient at blocking light that reflects from certain surfaces such as the water, rear-view mirror on a car, or even chrome-plated surfaces. The light bouncing off of these surfaces is known as polarized light and can cause issues to the eyes. You will need to wear sun-glasses with polarized lenses, especially when driving on a bright day.
- AR (Anti-Reflective) Coating– This type of coating works by preventing light from bouncing off the back surface of your sunglasses. It is also another element that every pair of sunglasses should have to add more eye protection.
Known Ailments of Eyes Due to Bright Lights
It may come as a surprise to everyone, but eyes can also get sunburned when exposed to too much sun rays. People think that only the skin can get sunburns, but that is not the case anymore. The scientific term for eyes getting sunburned is called “photokeratitis,” and it is the cornea’s inflammation. Usually, people contract photokeratitis from going through a day without wearing any eye protection. You can find yourself itching or being sensitive to light, and those are the signs that you have sunburnt eyes.
Also Read: Best 3 Must-Haves Transition For Healthy Wavy Hair
Another known eye ailment is a cataract. It creates a cloud-like obstruction of your eye’s lens, which is the area responsible for focusing images or light on the retina to help see everything visibly. Usually, cataracts form due to old age. However, long exposure to UV rays can increase the chances of a person getting a cataract.
Wearing sunglasses will not be for style anymore now that you know how sun-glasses work. You should head over to a shop that sells sunglasses online and get your pair right away.
