Sunwear

For function or for fashion, we've got a huge selection of sunwear choices. And each is covered by our exclusive Weber Vision Care two-year frame warranty.

So, whether you need a prescription or not, we urge you to consider a pair of sunglasses as vital to your maximum ocular health. Why? Well first, sunglasses decrease the amount of sunlight reaching your eye, thereby maximizing visual comfort. And second, sunglasses protect your eyes from ultraviolet light, a potential trigger for cataracts, macular degeneration, intraocular tumors, skin cancer on the eyelids and pterygium, an abnormal growth on the eye's surface. Damage from ultraviolet light and sun exposure is cumulative, so sunwear isn't just for adults. Sunwear's an important consideration for kids, too. In fact, studies show that a child's eyes are more susceptible to ultraviolet exposure.

The risk of sun related eye problems is higher for people who spend long hours in the sun, have had cataract surgery or have certain retina disorders, or people who are taking certain prescription medicines. Some drugs, such as tetracycline, sulfa drugs, birth control pills, diuretics, and tranquilizers have the side effect of increasing the eye's sensitivity to light.

Any of our frames can be made into sunglasses, so you'll want to work with our opticians, using the same criteria for picking the right spectacle frame for you. When you pick sunglasses for fashion

Polarized lenses are the best choice for cutting glare and increasing visual comfort and clarity. In fact, many activities, including specific sports, driving, aquatic work and play, and medical conditions require nothing less! Come in and talk to our knowledgeable opticians or to our doctors about why polarized lenses might be right for you.

In the meantime, here is some more information on applications where polarized lenses may be right for you:

Driving: For many of our patients, we recommend polarized lenses for driving. A major cause of traffic accidents is road glare, which is caused by surface reflection. These reflections can come from almost anywhere: driving directly into the sun, oncoming vehicles, buildings, sand, or the roadway itself. Road glare can be multiplied from a wet, more reflective roadway, or worse yet, from snow. Polarized sunwear significantly reduces road glare.

Outdoor sports: We recommend polarized lenses for many outdoor sports for primarily for protection of the eye from glare and ultraviolet rays. Glare can diminish vision-- this might not only hurt performance but also potentially result in an injury. Thus, polarized lenses are a sports necessity in high light conditions such as rock climbing, snow sport, and marine activities.

By filtering out specific colors from the spectrum, tinted polarized lenses can help enhance sports and task-specific activities. We can help you select polarized lens colors targeted for your specific outdoor sport. For example, yellow lenses are the traditional color for shooting sports; however, some hunters prefer copper or vermillion tints. Amber/rose lenses are typically preferred for snow skiing, but some skiers pick yellow or copper.

Correct polarized color choices are often dependent on climate and environment. And a full day's sports may require a change in eyewear. For example, you may start playing golf on an overcast morning but by the ninth hole, you may be playing with bright sun overhead. A brown-toned polarized lens may work better for the morning, while a gray polarized lens is better for midday.

Water: Polarized lenses outperform other sunwear on and near water, making them a must for fishing, swimming, sailing, and boating. Polarized lenses not only reduce glare from the water, equipment, other boats, buildings, and beaches, they also provide more accurate depth perception and definition.

Medical: Your eyes can become more sensitized to the detrimental effects of sunlight and glare as a result of medical conditions, environmental conditions, prescription and/or over-the-counter drug use that increases photosensitivity, and natural aging. Studies have shown that UV radiation can cause damage to the eyes and skin, including cataracts and macular degeneration. Glare can also be damaging to eyesight, causing fatigue from brightness and distraction.
In many instances, therefore, we recommend polarized lenses for patients with sensitive eyes and with light-colored eyes, for senior citizens, for patients under age 18, for those with diabetes, and for those who spend extended hours outside.