Did you know that sun damage can be quite dangerous for your eyes? Most people take time nowadays to slather sunscreen onto their skin under the intense gaze of the sun’s UV rays, but not everyone realizes that their eyes are equally susceptible. Long term effects of UV exposure include macular degeneration, cataracts, and pterygia. All of these can affect eyesight, cause pain, and even lead to blindness.

Although you can keep some light out of your eyes with a hat, sunglasses that block at least 98% of UVA and UVB rays are important to have on hand. Are you interested in knowing more about your sunglass options? Here are a few important things you should keep in mind.

Three Things You Should Know About Protecting Your Eyes

• It’s important for children to wear sunglasses, too. We receive about 80% of our UV exposure before we turn 18 since children are less likely to wear sunscreen and sunglasses, according to the Washingtonian.
• Every type of eye is susceptible — not just blue eyes. It’s true that light colored eyes, like blue and green, are less protected because of lighter pigmentation, but this doesn’t mean that brown or black eyes have no risk.
• People often make erroneous assumptions about what type of sunglass is safest for their eyes. Lens darkness does not always correlate to better protection, and higher cost doesn’t necessarily equate to better quality, either.

How to Replace Sunglass Lenses

• If you’ve cracked a pair of designer shades, it might seem like all is lost. However, this is hope for an affordable replacement yet. If you haven’t removed the lens, soak the glasses in warm water for a few minutes, which will cause the frame to expand — this should make it easier to pop the lens out.
• Most sunglass companies either offer no option for replacement lenses, or it’s almost as expensive as getting a new pair. Instead, you should consider contacting a company that specializes in knowing how to replace sunglass lenses.
• Although these lenses will not be brand-name, they can be fitted exactly to the glasses frame you have so that no one can tell the difference. Often, the quality of these frames are actually better than the original, since designer manufacturers often place more emphasis on frames.

Are you looking for sunglass lens replacements? Let us know about your search in the comments. Good references here.