Sure, sunglasses look great. What star would go out without them? But if you're serious about saving your sight, protection should be your number one priority when you go shopping for shades. Sunglasses will help to stave off crinkly little wrinkles around your eyes, but more important, they have been shown to reduce your chances of developing cataracts. They may even help to prevent age related macular degeneration, a devastating condition in which elderly people lose their central sight, leaving them with only peripheral vision, explains Wayne Fung, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Lenses should filter out at least 99 percent of the ultraviolet light and be made of impact resistant material. Make sure that the lenses don't have sharp, unprotected edges that could cut your eye in a fall or sports related injury, notes John B. Jeffers, M.D., an ophthalmologist with the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

Ideally, they should be optically ground and tinted a neutral gray or green to block the most damaging wavelengths of ultraviolet A and B light, adds Robert M. Greenburg, O.D., an optometrist and optometric consultant in Reston, Virginia.

It's unlikely that you're going to find quality sunglasses meeting all these criteria on the bargain rack at your local drugstore, Dr. Greenburg explains. A good pair of sunglasses with the features recommended above will cost you about $50. Don't get taken in by the brand name specialty sunglasses, however. just because they are more expensive doesn't mean you are getting more or better protection.