Fleet Week is Here: Remember those Sunglasses

 It’s October and it’s Fleet Week.  The Blue Angels are back in town.  Click for the Blue Angels Flying Schedule (you’re welcome).  It’s hard to concentrate when the roaring of jet engines are blasting above your head, so you toss your papers to the ground and head outside.  If you can’t ignore the noise, why not join the fun.  But before you head outside and stare at the sky, remember to wear your sunglasses!!  Not only will you look cool but you’ll be protecting your eyes.

But…do sunglasses really protect my eyes?

1. The answer is Yes!  The white of your eye, cornea, retina, iris, and lens of your eye are susceptible to damage from too much sun exposure.
2. Sunglasses also protect the skin around your eyes.  No one wants wrinkles and sunglasses will prevent the sun from frying your skin, including your eyelids.

Okay now that you’re convinced, what should I look for in sunglasses?

1. Look for sunglasses that offer 99.9% UV protection.  Yes, even those cheap sunglasses at the corner store will offer 99.9% UV protection.  Polycarbonate is relatively inexpensive material and because the FDA regulates labeling, that means if the sunglasses claim to have 99.9% protection and up, then the sunglasses must live up to that claim.  UV 400 is the best.  UV 400 means they block all UVA/UVB rays
2. Lighter tinted sunglasses will offer the same protection as the darker tint.  The gradient of the tint has nothing to do with the UV protection of the glasses.  In fact, dark lenses are actually worse for your eye because the dark tints cause our pupils to dilate, thus allowing harmful rays to sneak into our eyes.
3. Larger frames and wraparound styles will shield more UV rays than smaller styles.  The more protection around your eyes the better.  Not only will you keep your eyes safe, but they will also prevent wrinkles as well.

This weekend is turning out to be a nice one in SF.  Sunny with a high of 76 degrees this Sunday.  Wear those sunglasses and drink lots of water!