To best protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV and HEV rays, always wear good quality sunglasses when you are outdoors.
Look for sunglasses that block 100 percent of UV rays and that also absorb most HEV rays. Your optician can help you choose the best sunglasses lenses for your needs.
To protect as much of the delicate skin around your eyes as possible, try at least one pair of sunglasses with large lenses or a close-fitting wraparound style.
Depending on your outdoor lifestyle, you also may want to explore reading sunglasses.
The amount of UV protection sunglasses provide is unrelated to the color and darkness of the lenses.
For example, a light amber-colored lens can provide the same UV protection as a dark gray lens. Your optician can verify that the lenses you choose provide 100 percent UV protection.
But for HEV protection, color does matter. Most sunglasses lenses that block a significant amount of blue light will be bronze, copper or reddish-brown (see lens tint guide).
Again, your optician can help you choose the best "blue-blocking" lenses.
In addition to sunglasses, wearing a wide-brimmed hat on sunny days can reduce your eyes' exposure to UV and HEV rays by up to 50 percent.
