Sunglasses are not just fashion accessories. Their primary role is to protect your eyes from the sun's harmful rays that can be very damaging to your retina. Different types of protection and tints are available, each affecting the ability to protect your eyes and the enjoyment of your favourite activities.
Useful information:
Lenses must absorb harmful Ultraviolet rays. On most sunglasses, you will see the UV 400 rating, the category that offers almost 100% UV protection by blocking all UVA and UVB rays.
Did you know that UV protection has nothing to do with tint intensity? This treatment is almost colourless and can be applied to all clear or tinted lenses, with or without a prescription.
Sunglasses are recommended for all outdoor activities, as the sun's rays have been cited as a cause for cataracts and macular degeneration in many people.
Choosing the right lens tint!
Grey: The tint of choice for everyday activities as it has little effect on colour perception since grey is a neutral colour and offers good protection against glare
Brown: Especially recommended for driving, the brown tint absorbs more blue light and increases perceived brightness. Therefore, this tint is recommended for open-air activities because it allows better perception of the snow surface (skiing) or the slopes (hiking, mountain biking, mountaineering).
Orange, pink and violet: similar to the brown tint, when less intense light.
Green: this tint dramatically reduces glare but darkens more. It is more challenging to wear in darker weather or dim light. This tint is, therefore, more useful in bright conditions.
Yellow: The use of this tint is controversial. While contrast appears to be increased by wearing this tint, some studies have shown that this effect fades quickly after 20-30 minutes. Therefore, it is not a lens for daytime driving but may be effective for short-term activity in cloudy or semi-dark conditions.
Blue: This tint has little known use. It exists mainly for style!
Polarized: Polarized lenses are better at absorbing rays from reflective surfaces such as water, snow, sand and asphalt, bumpers and car windows in front of us. They, therefore, reduce the glare experienced by fishermen, skiers, motorists, etc. and allow for visual rest.
Ask your IRIS optician for advice or shop online at iris.ca.
