By:  Mark A. Sibley, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Where are my sunglasses? Has anybody seen my sunglasses? I yelled repeatedly as my family and I walked outside to load the car for our July 4th trip.

I was born and raised in Florida and have bought at least 200 sunglasses. Unfortunately, I have broken, lost or misplaced 199 of them, and I was down to my last pair.

I try to practice what I preach. I tell everyone to wear sunglasses with ultraviolet protection. Our research has proven that there is a direct link between the "sunburn rays" and developing cataracts and macular degeneration that can cause blindness. The harmful ultraviolet/sunburn rays can be blocked with sunglasses. I tell my patients and family that wearing sunglasses is like wearing sunscreen for your eyes.

You may be surprised to realize that the FDA does not regulate sunglasses. People incorrectly think that any dark glasses are protecting their eyes, but there is absolutely no correlation between the darkness of sunglasses and their protection from UV sunburn rays. In fact, wearing sunglasses WITHOUT UV protection is doing more harm and more damage than going without sunglasses. The dark lenses without UV protection fool the eyes; the pupils dilate, letting in more UV sunburn rays, and the damage accumulates.

Here are recommendations for choosing the best sunglasses:

1. Get the UV sunglasses that block 100 percent of UVB (B is bad) and also block UVA.
2. Do not buy sunglasses that do not have UV protection ratings posted on them.
3. The high price or dark color is not an indication of protection.

Of course, pick sunglasses that make you look great. Remember, your eyes deserve the best; they are the only eyes you will ever have.

By the way, I found my sunglasses. My wife Sue was wearing them. It seems that she had lost her 200th pair of sunglasses before I did and she took mine.
 

Make YOUR eyes smile again ...