When it comes to purchasing sunglasses for you or your child you need to select carefully and read the fine print. An article from the New York Times reviews the importance of wearing quality sunglasses year round. The article reviewed the potential damage to your eyes if you don’t wear sunglasses or if you don’t wear eye protection that provides proper protection from UV rays.
Here is what The New York Times had to say about selecting sunglasses:
READ THE FINE PRINT Prolonged exposure to UV radiation damages the surface
tissues of the eye as well as the retina and the lens. Yet while the Food and Drug
Administration regulates sunglasses as medical devices, the agency does not stipulate
that they must provide any particular level of UV protection. The wares at the average
sunglasses store therefore can range from protective to wholly ineffective.
Look for labels and tags indicating that a pair of sunglasses provides at least “98 percent
UV protection” or that it “blocks 98 percent of UVA and UVB rays.” If there is no label,
or it says something vague like “UV absorbing” or “blocks most UV light,” don’t buy
them — the sunglasses may not offer much protection.
For the best defense, look for sunglasses that “block all UV radiation up to 400
nanometers,” which is equivalent to blocking 100 percent of UV rays, advised Dr.
DuffnerClick here to read the entire article.
If you read the fine print on the Real Kids Shades website you will see that our sunglasses provide 100% UV protection (UVA & UVB) to 400 nanometers. Sunglasses that don’t meet these standards can do more harm than good so make sure you are purchasing the absolute best in quality sunglasses.