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By ASHLEY GARDNER
Texarkana Gazette
From polarized to pink, aviator to wrap-around,
sunglasses up the groove factor for anyone with enough
cool to put on a pair.
Shades add mystery to the average face and make high-school
boys feel as cool as Tom Cruise in the film "Risky
Business."
Forever a part of American pop culture
from the Hollywood Red Carpet to the housewives who spend
sunny days at the ball park, sunglasses are a must-have
fashion accessory that serve a practical purpose, blocking
potentially harmful UV rays from damaging the eye.
"Overexposure to sunlight causes early development
of cataracts," said Mary Wood, certified optician
at The Eye Institute of Texarkana.
Wood said sunglasses could be considered
on-the-job safety equipment for golfers, farmers, fishermen
and anyone else who spends a great deal of time outside
or by the water.
Sunglasses work by protecting the eye
and sensitive skin around the eye from sunlight.
"Most sunglasses have a UV filter,
which blocks anywhere from 95 to 100 percent of UVA and
UVB rays, which later on down the line can prevent cataracts
and glaucoma," said Randy Kirschstein, who runs the
sunglass shop at Fant Optical. "Without sunglasses
you can experience eye fatigue and stress, which can lead
to headaches.
"They also help with a lot of everyday activities
like driving ... making it safer for you and your passengers."
Kirschstein said polarized sunglasses
are best for protecting precious eyesight.
"Polarized basically means anti-glare
lenses, which reduces all the glare you'd get from a flat
surface like windshields or water. They are good for fisherman
or anybody involved in watersports."
For the added protection, prepare to
spend mucho dinero.
"Polarized lenses are more expensive
because there is more involved in making those lenses
than just a regular lens with tint," Kirschstein
explained.
Surprisingly, though women are thought
to be more fashion conscious, Kirschstein said he sells
more name-brand sunglasses to men.
And looking good in those shades is a
must.
"You don't just want to pick up
any sunglasses. You want them to look good and fit good."
In Kirschstein's opinion there is one
brand of shades that out cool all others.
"Oakln ey sunglasses are the best
in the world. No one outsells Oakley. They are very fashionable."
But you won't find them at the discount
stores.
Oakleys start at $75 and go up to about
$300.
"When you buy name-brand sunglasses,
you get clarity of vision. If you pay more, you'll get
a better product."
Like many men, Kirschstein has an innate
love of new gadgets and he is visibly inspired by the
newest trend in shades.
They're called Thumps by Oakley, and
get this-they have a built-in MP3 player with either 256
megabytes or 512 megabytes.
"They are good for outdoor activities
like walking or running, and they are fully functional
with music stored in here," Kirschstein said, pointing
to the glasses.
But for class and music be prepared to
pay big. Thumps start out just shy of $500.
Sunglasses have come a long way since
modest beginnings in the 18th century.
In 1752, eyeglass designer James Ayscough
introduced spectacles with double-hinge side pieces and
tinted lenses as well as clear, but the first "sunglasses"
weren't effective in protecting people's eyes from the
sun.
In 1929 a man named Sam Foster sold the
first pair of Foster Grants (sunglasses) on the Atlantic
City Boardwalk and by the 1930s sunglasses were officially
popular.
But sunglasses didn't reach their full
worldwide cool status until the 1970s and they've been
gaining momentum ever since.
Hey, they outlasted disco.
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