sunglasses

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People all over the world are wondering what can help keep their eyes protected from the sun; do sunglasses really help? The answer is sometimes, because not all sunglasses have the same amount of protection. Sunglasses could be one of the most remarkable inventions, and they have become a very popular style in today’s world. They were first made to shade one’s eyes from the light so they were composed of just tinted glass. Technology has advanced, and scientists have found out that it wasn’t the light doing all the damage, but it was UV radiation.
Ultraviolet Radiation has always been a huge issue around the world. UV rays are the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between x rays and visible light; these rays are invisible but cause a lot of damage to both the eyes and skin. The Sun is Earth’s main source of UV rays, but this radiation can also come from things such as tanning beds and black lights. There are three types of UV rays first is UVC, then UVB, and UVA. UVC radiation is almost harmless to humans “…because it is absorbed completely in the atmosphere”. If a human gets overexposed to UVC, things like snow blindness and severe sun burns can happen. These injuries usually last for a day or two causing quite a bit of pain. Next, UVB radiation, it is the most destructive of the three because it has the energy to harm cellular DNA, and is not fully absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. UVB causes sunburn and can lead to skin cancer. Lastly there is UVA radiation which is what gives you the tanning of the skin which could lead to sunburn if over exposed. UVA is most commonly used in black lights which are what is inside of tanning booths (Zeman). Anyone who spends a reasonable amount of time outdoors is at risk for eye prob...

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...sses look at the label and it will say how protective that pair is. A low example that is made for mainly fashion might say 70% UV radiation resistant. A pair that is very good quality will say 99-100% UV radiation resistance, this is going to be the best one to have, because after all they were made for protection not fashion. Also the color has no effect on the protection either so as you can see price and color don’t matter the only thing that does is the tag on the glasses that say the UV resistance percentage.

Works Cited

Tyson, Jeff. "How Sunglasses Work" How Stuff Works. 14 July 2000. Web. 14 December 2013.
“Ultraviolet rays,” World Book (2002), Vol. 20, pp. 17
“Ultraviolet radiation injury,” Encyclopedia Britannica (1981), Vol. 10, pp. 247
Zeman, Gary. "Ultraviolet Radiation." Health Physics Society. Health Physics Society, 27 Aug 2011. Web. 14 Dec 2013.

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