Why Your Sunglasses Are Actually Damaging Your Eyes

We wear sunglasses to look cool and stop squinting. But if you are buying cheap frames without checking the UV rating, you are pulling a dangerous trick on your own biology.

The Pupil Trap

When you wear dark lenses, your pupils dilate (open wider) to let in more light.

• Good Sunglasses: Block UV rays while shading the eye.
• Bad Sunglasses: Shade the eye without blocking UV rays.

If your cheap lenses don’t have UV400 protection, they cause your pupils to open wide, inviting a massive flood of invisible, damaging UV radiation directly into your retina. It’s actually safer to wear no sunglasses and squint (your body’s natural defense) than to wear cheap, non-UV tinted plastic.

Always check for the “100% UVA/UVB Protection” sticker. Your retinas depend on it.