Most people think of sunglasses as being only a fashion accessories. They are much more. Sunglasses are a great safety tool for maintaining good eye health. The problem is so many people think they are purely a fashion statement but they were invented for another purpose. They were made to act as protectant against the rays of the sun.

It's true sunglasses do help you look cool but more importantly, they protect your eyes from negative effects of sunlight and ultraviolet rays among many other things. Excessive exposure to the sun as well as the sun's glare will harmfully damage your eyes. They also help prevent wind damage and dust particles from hurting your eyes over the long term. Here are few other different ways you can protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses:

• Reduce glare - This reason seems pretty obvious but don't underestimate how helpful this is to your eye's. Brightness and glare causes squinting and eye watering which can interfere with your vision. So many different things in our lives give off a glare from the sun that can hurt our eyes. A good pair of sunglasses can help that out. I recommend buying a pair of polarized ones. They work best in reducing glare off of water metal, snow, and countless other things.

• Protect your eyes from wind and dust - Whenever I need to get work done outside and it's really windy out, I bring my sunglasses. They act as a protective barrier against dust and particles from the wind from getting in your eyes. This is a leading cause of corneal abrasions.

• Reduce headaches and eyestrain - In our eyes, the pupil is in charge of how much light reaches the retina. It dilates open and closed depending on how much light is needed. For example, when it's dark out, the pupil opens to allow more light in. When it is extremely bright out, your pupils cannot close enough to limit the high amount of bright light coming in to a reasonable level. This is actually what causes squinting and muscle fatigue of the muscles around your eyes if you squint long enough. All of this along with the constant constriction of your pupil causes both minor and even migraine headaches.

• Keep your eyes moist - By wearing a pair of sunglasses, you help reduce the evaporation of tears in your eyes. This keeps your eyes stay moist and more importantly, comfortable. Sunglasses are also great for you contact wearers. They keep your contact lenses from drying out as fast.

• Blue light protection - Eye specialists have found that long-term exposure to the blue and violet portion of the solar spectrum increases the risk of eye diseases. Macular degeneration has been especially prevalent in individuals that have seen a lot of blue light or those sensitive to sunlight.