Apr 11, 2006 12:29 am US/Eastern
Some Sunglasses Are Cheap In Price Only
Protection From UV Light Often Better Than Name Brands
by Kirstin Cole
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Andy Hooper spends big bucks on sunglasses.
"I'm willing to pay, you know, a couple hundred dollars to make sure that I get the right pair of glasses," he explained.
And the right protection against both UVA and UVB rays.
"I worry about my eyes a lot in the sunshine," Hooper said.
But does Andy need to pay that much? CBS 2 decided to find out if more money means more protection when it comes to your sunglasses. We picked up nearly two-dozen shades from all over the country. From designer brands with designer prices tags to $10 kiosk and dollar store bargains. Each pair came with either a sticker or a tag claiming the glasses blocked 100 percent of the UV rays or provided 400 UV protection, the top number.
Optician Angel Perez put them to the test.
"Our goal is to get zero, so that means zero UV is coming in and 100 percent is being blocked," Perez said.
Because the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays can cause conditions that may seriously damage your eyesight.
"Cancer of the eyelids, cancer on the cornea, cataracts, solar retinothapy, and age-related macular degeneration," explained leading ophthalmologist, Dr. Carol Karp.
So how'd the sunglasses do? First, our expensive shades. A pair of Michael Kors sunglasses blocks 98.2 percent of UV light. And Ferragamos? Try 98.7 percent. How did our cheaper ones fair? A pair called Sun Runners, blocks 99 percent UV light. And, at only $6.95, this is the highest scoring of the shades we tested, blocking 100 percent of all UV rays.
The best news? They all passed.
"You do not need to spend a great amount of money in order to get adequate protection," Perez said.
So, instead of checking out price tags, check out the stickers.
"It has to be fashionable, I guess, enough that you want to wear it. But as long as it has that protection, then that's what's most important," Dr. Karp said.
And what about Andy's designer pair? We checked and his sunglasses block 96 percent. Good, but not the only way to protect his baby blues. Dr. Karp said you should still be a smart consumer. Look for shades that claim either 400 UV protection or that explicitly spell out 100 percent UVA and UVB.
Click here to see more stories by Kirstin Cole.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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