All about UV400 in sunglasses and its uses

UV400 anti-radiation glasses, with a modern design and unparalleled efficiency, are always ready to act as a reliable shield to protect your precious eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. These glasses are equipped with a filter that blocks one hundred percent of harmful rays.

How ultraviolet rays penetrate into Earth?

The ultraviolet sunlight, after penetrating the protective layers of the atmosphere, reaches the Earth’s surface and continuously damages our skin and eyes. This underscores the importance of using sunscreen and skin care products to protect against the damage caused by sunlight. However, we often think less about protecting our eyes, which are exposed to similar dangers.

The invisible and hidden damages that ultraviolet rays cause to the eyes often remain out of sight because most people pay more attention to visible and apparent beauties, such as skin wrinkles and sunburns. Meanwhile, harmful ultraviolet rays can pass through the cornea and infiltrate the retina without us realizing it.

This issue may be because the vast majority of us are exposed to sunlight more until the age of 20, but the effects of these sun exposures usually begin to appear after forty years of life. Therefore, the use of sunglasses that can protect the eyes against these harmful rays should start as soon as possible before it is too late.

What is UV400 exactly?

The term UV400 refers to a set of electromagnetic rays emitted from the sun with wavelengths up to 400 nanometers. These invisible rays, known as ultraviolet rays, can penetrate the Earth’s atmospheric layers and reach the surface in two different types of waves, namely UVA and UVB. These destructive waves, which cannot be seen by the human eye, can cause serious damage to our skin and eyes in all seasons and weather conditions. Unfortunately, there is no place on Earth safe from the harmful effects of these rays.

To protect your precious eyes from potentially dangerous harm, sunglasses equipped with the UV400 standard are of special importance, featuring lenses that effectively block harmful ultraviolet rays. These glasses create a strong barrier against UVA and UVB rays, protecting your eyes from all possible damage. The lenses used in these glasses are designed to filter between 75 to 90 percent of visible light with wavelengths of 400 to 700 nanometers emitted by the sun, preventing it from reaching your eyes.

This filtration process not only helps maintain eye health but also improves vision and reduces eye fatigue. High-quality sunglasses not only protect your eyes from harmful rays but also serve as a beautiful and stylish accessory that can complete your look. Choosing the right sunglasses should be based not only on the level of protection against ultraviolet rays but also on compatibility with your style and personality. Ultimately, using sunglasses with the UV400 standard is a smart and essential choice for maintaining the health and beauty of your eyes.

What is UV rays?

Ultraviolet light, often abbreviated as UV, encompasses a range of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths between 100 to 400 nanometers. This spectrum is divided into three categories:

• UVA, with wavelengths from 315 to 400 nanometers.
• UVB, with wavelengths from 280 to 315 nanometers.
• UVC, with wavelengths from 100 to 280 nanometers.

The Earth’s upper atmosphere effectively blocks the entry of UVC rays, which are considered the most dangerous type of UV radiation. However, direct and unprotected exposure to UVA and UVB rays can have serious consequences. These include premature aging of the skin, severe damage from sunburn, an increased risk of skin cancer, and various eye diseases that can significantly impact the quality of life. Therefore, using appropriate protection against these rays, including high-SPF sunscreens and UV-filtering sunglasses, is essential for maintaining the health of the skin and eyes.

How does sunglasses with UV400 work?

Sunglasses, beyond aesthetics and fashion, act as a solid and reliable shield to protect your precious eyes. These essential accessories, with various features, including their most important task, completely prevent the penetration of harmful ultraviolet rays into the eyes, protecting them. These rays, which can damage eye tissue in the long term, carry the risk of diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

When selecting and purchasing sunglasses, special attention must be paid to their protective features, especially the UV400 property. Lenses equipped with this technology should be able to filter between 75 to 90 percent of visible light and completely prevent the entry of UVB and UVA rays. These characteristics prioritize the health and protection of the eyes and should be at the top of the list of criteria for selecting sunglasses. These glasses are not only powerful protectors but also, with their diverse and attractive designs, can complete your look. Choosing glasses that both bring beauty and protect the eyes from potential damage can create a pleasant and secure experience for you.

Keep in mind that not all sunglasses can be expected to protect your eyes from harmful solar rays. Sunglasses with dark lenses may only have a deceptive appearance and may not prevent harmful UV rays. In fact, these types of glasses can cause the pupils of the eyes to expand and thus cause more damage to your precious eyes.

UV400 vs polarized lens

It is important to know that sunglasses with the UV400 characteristic and sunglasses with polarized lenses are two different products with their own unique features. Polarized lenses with a protective coating protect your eyes from reflective lights that reflect off surfaces such as water, snow, and shiny objects. However, these lenses cannot fully protect against UV rays. Therefore, when choosing sunglasses, you should look for products that have both polarized lenses and proper UV protection to ensure that your eyes are protected in the best possible way. These two features together guarantee the health and safety of your vision against harmful environmental factors.

The appropriate age for sunglasses

The effects of the sun’s ultraviolet or UV light on people of different ages vary. Particularly, children who are interested in playing and being active outdoors are more exposed to these harmful rays. This underscores the importance of using protective eyewear for their eyes. The pupils of children’s eyes are significantly larger, and the lenses inside their eyes are much clearer, allowing UV rays with a wavelength of 400 nanometers to penetrate their eyes more easily and extensively. Therefore, protecting children’s eyes from harmful UV rays is vital to prevent long-term damage. This issue should be considered a priority to ensure the future eye health of children.

Sunglasses with UV400 filters are especially important during childhood because, at this age, the eyes are more sensitive and vulnerable. The use of these carefully designed glasses can provide peace of mind for parents that their children’s eyes will be protected from harmful UV rays, even into adulthood. The ideal times to wear these glasses are when the sunlight is most intense, namely from 8 to 10 in the morning and from 2 to 4 in the afternoon, when the amount of UV radiation received by the eyes significantly increases. This protective strategy can greatly contribute to maintaining eye health and preventing potential future damage.

How to distinguish UV400 in sunglasses?

To ensure that your sunglasses provide maximum protection against harmful UV400 rays, the first sign to look for is the specific UV400 label, which should be clearly marked on the glasses. This label is a seal of approval indicating the extent to which the glasses can protect against ultraviolet rays. In the absence of this label, unfortunately, your glasses lack this protective feature.

Regarding the darkness of the lenses, it should be noted that the dark color of the lenses does not necessarily mean the presence of UV400 protection. Sunglasses with clear lenses also cannot protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. It is recommended to place the glasses on your face and carefully look around from every angle to ensure the darkness and quality of the lenses.

Ultimately, to more accurately measure the level of protection of your sunglasses, you can use UV measuring devices available at ophthalmology clinics, optometry centers, and vision testing facilities. These devices can quickly and at no cost measure the level of protection your lenses provide against the harmful rays of the sun. Additionally, many eyewear stores are also equipped with these devices and can guarantee the standard of your glasses.

The bottom-line

Eyes, as one of the most valuable and vital organs of the human body, are constantly exposed to various harmful lights that, without any warning and without showing any signs, gradually cause damage to them. These damages, which often start from childhood and continue until the age of twenty, may only become apparent in the fourth decade of life.

Considering that people are gradually becoming more aware of the dangers posed by harmful UV rays, it is essential to quickly take preventive measures to prevent the progression of eye damage or reduce its severity. Choosing and purchasing suitable glasses that can protect your sensitive and valuable eyes against these destructive rays is one of these important measures.