By CHRIS DANIELS consumer reporter
Don't worry about looking like a cheap reject from the last days of disco - those $5 gas station sunnies can save your eyes as well as a $500 pair of Gucci's.
As the days get longer and the ozone hole grows, debate over what sunglasses to
buy has resurfaced.
The Cancer Society and the sunglass industry say you do not have to spend a lot of money to save your eyes - the bargain basement variety will do just fine.
But while high price does not always afford protection, some styles are still better than others.
Up to 35 per cent of ultra-violet radiation can get in around the edges of ordinary spectacle frames, so the society recommends close-fitting glasses with large lenses.
The best UV protection comes from "Tau Henare-style" wraparound shades and the worst from the small-lensed "John Lennon" sunnies.
An Australian standard often used by New Zealand sunglass makers divides them into three categories: fashion spectacles, general purpose sunglasses and specific purpose sunglasses.
One difference between these is the amount of UV radiation they absorb.
This ranges from 95 per cent in fashion spectacles to virtually 100 per cent for the special purpose shades, such as those used in skiing and boating.
"In practice, however, most sunglasses absorb virtually 100 per cent of UV rays," says the Cancer Society.
Even the people selling the glasses agree.
The president of the NZ Sunglass Association, Michael Sheppard, says that a pair of glasses costing $20 from a petrol station and another pair costing $300 from an exclusive store are both likely to have almost 100 per cent UV protection.
Mr Sheppard says melanoma of the eye is relatively rare, but continued exposure to UV rays makes the eye produce a pigment that leads to cataracts in later life.
