Is it true that some shades of sunglasses are dangerous

asks Jayne b-t :

A. Yes, a report by Boots scientists recently says that sunglasses with fashionable coloured lenses could cause big problems - especially pink, blue or orange lenses.

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Q. Why
A. They blank out other colours in potentially dangerous situations. For example, you wouldn't be able to see the red in traffic lights - it completely disappears if a driver is wearing blue-tinted sunglasses. This has serious implications for car and train drivers.

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Q. What should we do
A. Experts recommend wearing standard-issue sunglasses�that have the official CE quality standard mark, which should guarantee adequate UV protection. Unfortunately, tests in Scotland found that even sunglasses with the CE mark failed quality tests.

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Q. How bad is it
A. Tests in 12 local authority areas found that 57% of sunglasses failed to meet official standards. Trading standards officers tested different styles of sunglasses to find out how much protection they really offered. They found that one in five let in more than five per cent of the most harmful wavelengths, 25% failed to comply with their official filter category, and almost a third were labelled wrongly. One trading standards officer said that it was the first time they'd tested sunglasses�that failed to block any UV light at all.

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Q. Which are the worst
A. The more fashionable the glasses the poorer the results. Worst culprits are those with coloured lenses and unusual shapes - especially those that are very small.

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Q. Are expensive sunglasses better
A. Alarmingly, paying more money doesn't guarantee a better quality. However, Ali G style wraparound plastic sunglasses were considered to offer most protection.

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Q. What's the problem with wearing sunglasses that don't protect from UV rays
A. When you wear coloured shades, the eyes are tricked into thinking they are being protected, so the pupils expand, letting in more UV light than they would if no sunglasses were being worn. Studies in the US show that excessive UV radiation can cause cataracts in the eye, leading to blindness. And constant exposure can also lead to a non-malignant growth called pterygium, which can damage eyesight.

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By Sheena Miller

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