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Eye Candy Vs Eye Protection: How Do Your Sunglasses Shape Up?

Did you choose your sunglasses primarily for eye protection, or for fashion?


If you said fashion, you’re not alone. We’d say that the vast majority of sunglasses purchase decisions are made based on these factors:


1. Brand name
2. Appearance
3. Cost.

Where is eye protection on this list? Generally speaking, pretty far down, or totally absent!


How To Tell If Your Sunglasses Offer Adequate Eye Protection


According to the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), your sunglasses are “doing it right” in terms of eye protection if they include all of the following:


* Category 3 rating of the Australian Standards for UV protection
* A wraparound frame, designed to minimise unfiltered side light entering the eye
* Lenses with UV 400 protection
* Lens coatings to block reflected light from entering the eye
* Polarised lenses.

Unless your sunglasses came with an information-packed brochure, chances are you can’t tell if your sunnies have these features. So how do you check?


Eye Candy or Eye Protection? Here’s How To Check Your Sunnies


There are 3 simple checks you can do to figure out if your sunglasses do offer any measure of eye protection:


1. Put your sunglasses on. Now try to poke your eye with your finger through the side of the glasses (gently please!). Can you get your finger in there? Yes? Sorry, you don’t have a wraparound frame. Unfiltered light is entering your eyes from the side.
2. To check if your sunglasses are polarised, hold them vertically in front of a computer screen. Now turn them upright (90 degrees) so they are horizontal. Did the lenses turn dark black? No? Sorry, your lenses are not polarised. Check out this video for a quick demo.
3. To check if your sunglasses offer complete UV protection, consult the manufacturer. They should offer maximum UVA and UVB protection. Just because your lenses are tinted (to cut down on glare) does NOT mean they offer protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

Did Your Sunglasses Pass the Eye Protection Test?

eye protection Australia - Beamers sunglasses

Or did they fail miserably?


Even if they passed the quick checks above, you’re going to want to check that they also have a minimum Category 3 Rating in Australia, and coated lenses to block reflected light.


If you’ve discovered that your sunglasses offer average or dismal eye protection, you’re not alone. There are very few brands on the market that truly feature a complete suite of eye protection qualities.


It’s troubling to see how many sunglasses on the market offer minimal or no protection at all (in fact, some of them are more damaging to your eyes than wearing nothing at all).


It’s also heartbreaking that with so much misinformation out there, many people believe their eyewear offers the protection they need, but they have been misled.


In fact, we only know of one brand that does offer all protective features as recommended by RANZCO, and that’s Beamers!


Beamers eyewear is the only brand in the world with Optoshield® Technology that gives you peace of mind about eye protection.


If you were under false impressions about your eyewear, or if you simply think of sunglasses as mere eye candy, it’s time to upgrade. Sunglasses should be for eye protection, not just fashion, so please be smart about the eyewear you choose for you and your family.


Buy Beamers protective sunglasses here.