Current articles in vision care magazines suggest that UV protection in sunglasses is adequate for reducing the risks associated with exposure to sunlight.
However, UV does not reach the retina in the adult eye because it is stopped by the yellow-brown ocular lens pigment (OLP) that occurs in the lens of the eye with age. So UV is not an issue in macular degeneration for the adult. Visible light does reach the retina, and among the wavelengths of light that the eye associates with colors, it is the 'blue' and 'violet' region of wavelengths (also called the high energy visible light) that increase the risks of macular degeneration - particularly among those people with low levels of anti-oxidants in their blood. So good sunglasses should eliminate UV to reduce the risks of cataracts; but they should also reduce the high energy visible (HEV) light to reduce the risks of macular degeneration. Such lenses are typically yellow to brown. Children are at particular risk for sunlight damage because they lack OLP in the lens of their eyes.
Recent science has also shown that HEV contributes significantly to skin damage associated with long-term exposure to sunlight. This explains why melanin – long recognized as Nature’s primary protection against sunlight damage – has a color: if UV were the only issue for photoprotection against sunlight damage, melanin would be colorless, like all other UV absorbers.
