We love wearing our stylish sunglasses, both as protection against the sun as well as a fashion accessory. Some people love wearing them all the time, and we hardly ever get to see their eyes. People sometimes have medical reasons why they have to wear their shades even at night. Many people, especially those in the limelight wear their glamorous sunglasses at night too, maybe because it gives them a sense of anonymity. Whatever be the reason, should we be wearing sunglasses all the time? Check out these pros and cons of wearing sunglasses all the time:
First, what type of sunglasses should you choose?
To get the most out of your chic sunglasses, it’s not enough to just choose them on the basis of brand or style.
- Look for the ones which offer UV 400 or 99-100% UV absorption. This means that the sunglasses will block both UVA as well as UVB sunrays
- Dark lenses are not necessarily better esp. if they don’t have UV protection
- Sunglasses made out of ground glass is better as they don’t distort vision, rather than those made out of pressed plastic which causes vision distortion when you look right or left
- Choose larger frames and wraparound styles (esp. if you are fond or skiing or surfing), as they offer more protection from UV rays
Pros and cons of wearing sunglasses all the time
Whether it’s bright and sunny, or overcast with grey skies, we love wearing our sunglasses that we don’t consider what effect it would have on our eye health.
Pros
1. We can see better in the sun
The obvious reason why we wear our sunglasses is that they protect us from the strong glare of sunlight. On extremely sunny days, if you don’t wear sunglasses, you might get migraines or headaches.
2. Sunglasses offer us protectin from harmful UV rays
One of the reasons to wear sunglasses is that they protect us from harmful UV rays, which are present in strong sunlight as well as when the sun is not so bright. So that is a good reason to wear the sunglasses on overcast or cloudy days. The sun may damage the following parts of the eye:
- Retina: Some studies have made a connection between exposure to UV light and macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness.
- Whites of eyes: If the conjunctiva, the thin membrane which covers the whites of eyes is damaged by the sun so that it thickens, your eyes will be inflamed and irritated, and your vision will be disturbed.
- Lens: UV light damage can lead to cataract development, i.e. cloudiness on eye lens which will lead to vision problems. So for better eye health, we should wear sunglasses in the sun.
- Iris: People who have blue eyes definitely should wear sunglasses as blue eyes are more susceptible for UV light damage.
- Cornea: Even the cornea can be acutely sunburned, which can cause serious pain and sometimes temporary blindness.
So there are definitely good reasons to wear sunglasses most of the time!
3. Sunglasses protects from glare and water
When you’re going skiing, sunglasses are a must as they will protect from the strong glare of the sun being reflected from the slopes. Some people have suffered severe damage to the eyes due to this glare. Similarly wear your shades while undergoing water activities.
4. Sunglasses protects the skin around the eyes
One of the reasons why you see some people wearing sunglasses all the time, is that they want to protect the soft and sensitive skin around the eyes. The skin around the eyes is susceptible to developing wrinkles known as ‘crow’s feet’ and if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you should definitely wear sunglasses to avoid premature wrinkles around the eyes.
5. They make you feel confident
You have experienced it yourself, wearing a glam pair of shades make you feel self-confident and give a boost to your image. A study has proved that sunglasses actually improve the confidence levels of people.
6. They help you hide micro expressions when you want
One of the main reasons for wearing sunglasses all the time, even at night, is because they can hide your eyes. Sometimes, you may not want people to look at you and gauge your emotions right away. Eye movement and minute facial contractions can reveal anxiety, disgust, sadness or surprise and IQ too. So if you want to hide your feelings, or your intelligence level, sunglasses can help to do that.
7. Sunglasses protect you from photophobia
There are some individuals who suffer from a condition known as ‘photophobia’. This condition does not allow them to look at bright light or low light. Their eyes begin to water, they get migraines and sometimes start sneezing too. So people who are adversely affected by sunlight or artificial light, have to keep wearing sunglasses all the time, even at night.
Cons of wearing sunglasses all the time
1. Your eyes need beneficial sunlight
You should avoid wearing sunglasses during all the daylight hours, as it will block the beneficial wavelength of light rays from reaching the eyes. Sunlight provides nutrition to the eyes, and maintains several processes in the brain. Sunlight falling on the eyes and other parts of the body regulates the sleep hormones, leading to good sleep patterns.
2. You become less adaptable to darkness and light
If you keep wearing sunglasses day and night, you will lose your ability to adapt to different light conditions. Just as we lose the use parts of our body when we don’t use them, so also our eyes lose their flexibility.
3. You may suffer from eye fatigue
Our eyes are designed in a way that it needs interaction with sunlight. We are not meant to cover them for long periods of time. While wearing sunglasses, eyes are forced to actually work harder, due to the ‘tint’ of the glasses. When the eyes are under constant stress, they will experience eye fatigue.
Sunglasses which do not have the right UV protection are actually worse than no sunglasses. This is because our eyes which are a very sensitive organ, and open up even wider than normal, thus allowing more UV light to affect the eyes.
A good pair of sunglasses, worn to protect the eyes from strong sunlight for a few hours is probably the best way to wear sunglasses, without creating an adverse effect on our eyes.
