Poor vision can hinder a child’s development. And failure to spot and deal with any inadequacy in young eyes can often lead to even bigger difficulties in later life. So it’s vital that children are taken for regular eye checks. All newborn babies should be screened before they leave hospital to ensure that their eyes are working properly. The Health Visitor then carries out a 39 month assessment and their excellent work is a major source of prompt referral to optometrists for more detailed investigations. All children should have a full eye examination before they go to primary school, and regularly thereafter. Research has shown that the development of a child’s visual ‘system’ is largely complete by the age of 8, after which age there is little scope for improvement in lazy eyes. So, the earlier treatment is started, the better the possible results.

When the sun is bright and you put your sunglasses on do you ever think about how they work? The thought has probably never crossed your mind. Although if you were to go looking for a new pair of high performance sunglasses that thought may pop into your head when you see how many choices there actually are. The look and style of sunglasses is important but so are the lenses. Lets explore the technological advances in so when you shop for your new sunglasses you will be better equipped to make that decision.

Sunglasses look like such a simple thing but they are much more complex than you may realize.  There is a big difference in the various types of high performance sunglasses available. A good pair of sunglasses should provide protection from ultraviolet rays and also from light itself. Good sunglasses can also protect your eyes from glare and eliminate specific frequencies of light. Certain frequencies of light can blur your vision and others can actually enhance contrast.

Advance technologies in high performance sunglass lenses include tinting, UV coating, anti-reflective coatings, scratch resistant coatings, polarization, and even mirroring. Polarized lenses are actually treated with a chemical film which eliminates glare. The tint used in the lens controls what parts of the light spectrum they absorb. There is a light which hits the back of the lens and then bounces back into the eye. This is controlled with anti-reflective coatings and UV coatings eliminate the harmful UV radiation from entering your eye.

Light is polarized when the light waves are aligned into one or more planes of direction. The chemical compounds used in the films which are applied to the lens are composed of molecules that align in parallel relation to one another. When they are applied evenly to a lens, the molecules create a microscopic filter that absorbs light which matches their alignment. When wearing high performance sunglasses with polarized lenses you will enjoy a clearer view and eliminate glare.

There are also several types of lens materials used. One is glass which is heavy but is also much more resistant to scratches. Another more advanced technology is CR-39 which is a plastic made from hard resin that meets optical quality standards. Polycarbonate is yet another technology which is a synthetic plastic material that is extremely strong and very lightweight. Polycarbonate is the lightest and most impact-resistant.
Polycarbonate and glass lenses are distortion free and the colors are evenly distributed across each lens. Distortion is very common in cheap sunglasses. There is an easy way to tell if the lenses in a pair of sunglasses are of good quality. Find a surface with parallel lines and hold the sunglasses a short distance away from your face and cover one eye. Look through one of the lenses at the lines while moving the sunglasses slowly up and down and then from right to left. The lines should remain straight as you look at them. If they don’t then the lenses are not optical quality.

To help eliminate lenses getting scratched manufacturers have developed a technology that uses ionization to create a thin but very durable coating on the lens. These coatings are made up of polycrystalline diamond and diamond-like carbon or DLC. Without these coatings your lenses would be covered in scratches in no time.

The comfort provided high performance sunglasses is due to their ability to control visible light or white light. There are varying levels of control available. Smoke colored tinted lenses provide true color while brown lenses increase depth perception and contrast. Yellow tints actually brighten hazy days and clear lenses are available that block 100% of UV radiation.

Remember when shopping for sunglasses always get the very best you only have one pair of eyes, protect them.