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Show 51 college of mines & earth sciences Ultraviolet radiation has been proven to cause cataracts, a clouding of the natural lens of the eye, which is the leading cause of blindness in the world today. Sunglasses were created to slow the harm-ful effects of incoming solar radiation. Sunglasses are sold everywhere from gas stations to grocery stores, yet despite their popularity, there is no single regulating body to ensure that all sunglasses are held to the same standards. To determine the quality of sunglasses today, I tested 46 pairs of sunglass-es against both natural (solar) and artificial (fluorescent black-light) sources of ultraviolet radiation. For both tests, I used a UVA/B radiometer, calibrated to measure incoming radiation between 290nm and 380nm, with a sensor similar to the size of a human pupil. For the solar test, I held one lens of the sunglasses in front of the sensor, which was aimed towards the sun. I recorded the measurement, and immediately following I removed the lens and took another measurement. The fraction between the two measurements (with glasses divided by without glasses) was subtracted from 1, giving an actual UV protection percentage. The fluorescent black-light test was conducted in same way, but inside a room closed off from solar radiation. All sunglasses tested had a protection rating between 82% and 96%, and the solar test and black light test yielded similar results for a given pair of glasses. The worst sunglasses tested were a clear designer pair made in Italy at 82%. For sunglasses labeled with a "100% UV protection" claim, the averaged actual protection factor was 91%. In all cases, wearing sunglasses of any type will shield your eyes from a large fraction of solar UV radiation, and should be advocated as much as proper sunscreen use. A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUNGLASSES Jacob Sirianni (Kevin Perry) Department of Atmospheric Sciences University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Kevin Perry Jacob Sirianni |
