919 Fifth Avenue, Suite 100
Huntington, West Virginia 25701
(304) 523-4819

MOST PEOPLE realize that wearing sunglasses is important to protect the health of their eyes. We at Tri-State Eye Care Center help our patients protect their vision by offering all of our nonprescription sunglasses below the manufacturers' suggested retail price. We also provide additional savings if contact lenses or prescription glasses are also purchased.

Add a flare to your lifestyle with the addition of one of the great varieties of fashionable styles of sunglasses now available in our office..

Wearing sunglasses that block the sun's glare without screening ultraviolet (UV) radiation may actually cause eyes more harm than good, warns the doctors at Tri-State Eye Care Center. Not all sunglasses block UV radiation. In fact, products that shade the eyes without screening UV radiation may dilate the pupils and let in more harmful rays.

The sun emits many types of radiation, including visible light -- what we see as color; infrared rays -- invisible but felt as heat; and ultraviolet rays -- also invisible but often called the sunburn rays. According to PREVENT BLINDNESS AMERICA, the UV radiation that has been linked with eye damage is divided into several categories, including UV-A and UV-B.

LONG-TERM EXPOSURE to UV rays contributes to the development of cataracts; pterygium (tissue growth on the white of the eye that can advance to block vision); skin cancer around the eyes; and macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans. Excessive short-term exposure can cause sunburn to the eyelids and photokeratitis, a painful sunburn of the cornea.

While everyone is at risk of UV's harmful effects, certain individuals are at increased risk, especially those spending long hours in the sun because of work or recreation. Additionally, individuals with certain retinal disorders and persons taking particular medications, such as tetracycline, are more sensitive to UV rays.

UV radiation is greatest between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when 60 percent of the effective UV radiation reaches the earth's surface.

PREVENT BLINDNESS AMERICA and Tri-State Eye Care Center offer the following tips for selecting sunglasses:

• Choose sunglasses that provide 99 to 100 percent protection from both UV-A and UV-B. Avoid products that say "Provides UV Protection" without specifying exactly how much UV radiation the product blocks. Sunglasses should also block 75 to 90 percent of the visible light spectrum.
  
  
• Ophthalmic quality sunglasses can be made with prescription lenses. They can be adjusted better and will hold their adjustment longer for greater comfort. Ophthalmic quality sunglasses also provide greater durability, warranties and/or capabilities for repair.
  
  
• To be sure the lenses block enough light, try them on in front of a mirror. If you can see your eyes easily through the lenses, they probably aren't dark enough for comfortable viewing outdoors.
  
  
• Ideally, your sunglasses should wrap all the way around to your temples, so the sun's rays can't enter from the side.
  
  
• The best lens-color choices are gray, which does not modify colors, green or brown. Wrap-around lenses and frames boost UV protection in bright environments. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat or cap in addition to sunglasses also increases UV protection and can help cut brightness and glare.
  
  
• Most people wear sunglasses to reduce glare, whether from the bright sun or from light bouncing off snow, water, sand or highway pavement. Polarizing sunglasses are more effective at eliminating reflected glare than ordinary sunglasses.
  
  
• If you wear your sunglasses for hazardous sports or work, you should choose polycarbonate lenses, which provide the greatest available impact protection.
  
  
• Children and teen-agers need protection, too. They typically spend more time outdoors than adults. Since the effects of UV radiation on the eyes are cumulative, it's important to develop good protection habits early.