Cheap sunglasses can damage one’s eyesight, say experts

Eye specialists warn that low quality glasses can result in permanent vision loss

ISLAMABAD: Cheap sunglasses could harm one’s eye-sight and cause eye related issues during the scorching and humid summer, Dr Tassaduq an eye specialist said on Wednesday.

While talking to a private news channel he said that it was very important to verify the quality of sunglasses to provide complete protection from ultraviolet rays as this would save your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays that could cause long-term eye damage and even permanent vision loss.

People should not assume that cheap sunglasses provide this level of protection, even if a sticker on the lenses says, “blocks UV”, he said. “The basic purposes of sunglasses are to shield your eyes from damaging rays of the sun, to enable you to see clearly and comfortably in bright sunlight and to protect your eyes from injury or irritation,” he stated.

But people usually tend to prefer cheap glasses due to their affordable prices than expensive and good in quality sunglasses, he mentioned. Naseer Ahmed runs a small cafeteria in a public place and said sunglasses could be lost or damaged easily so purchasing a costly pair was not possible for him.

Scorching heat irritates vision and the person cannot even open his/her eyes in sunlight, he further added.

“It is next to impossible to step out without putting on sunglasses as sun rays become too harsh during summer moreover it keeps one looking fashionable,” said Aliya a college student.  She further said that she always bought sunglasses from the road vendors as she could not purchase branded sunglasses with limited pocket money.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2019.