Why Do Blind People Wear Sunglasses? The Real Reasons

Blind people wear sunglasses for several reasons, and most of them have to do with light. Most people who are blind still have some sight, and bright light and glare can be uncomfortable or make it harder to see; sunglasses and tinted lenses cut that light down (AFB; RNIB). Sunglasses also protect the eyes from the sun's UV rays and from things flying into them, which matters whether or not someone can see (AAO; Belo Cipriani). For some people they are a personal choice. And plenty of blind people don't wear them at all (AFB).

That is the short answer. Below are the reasons one by one, the eye conditions that make light harder to bear, and what eye-care organizations suggest looking for in sunglasses. Every source was checked on October 29, 2026. This article explains general reasons; it isn't medical advice. For questions about your own eyes or about light sensitivity, talk to an eye doctor.

Key points

• Most blind people have some sight. About 85% of people with eye disorders have some remaining sight, and about 15% are totally blind, according to the American Foundation for the Blind.
• Light can hurt. Almost any eye condition can cause some light sensitivity, and sunglasses or tinted shields often help, says the UK's Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
• Some conditions make bright light especially hard. Albinism, aniridia and achromatopsia are among the conditions where tinted lenses or sunglasses may help.
• Eyes need protection even without sight. UV light can damage the eye, and glasses keep things from flying into it.
• It can be a personal choice. Some people wear dark glasses for how they want to look or feel in public; others decide to stop.
• Not everyone wears them. When AFB helped design a blind Barbie, the sunglasses were made optional because not every blind person uses them.

The reasons at a glance

The reasons often overlap, and each person has their own mix.

Why do blind people wear sunglasses?

There isn't one reason, because "blind" covers a wide range of sight, from some useful vision to none at all. For people who still have some sight, the main reasons are light sensitivity and glare. For everyone, including people with no sight, there's protection from the sun and from things getting into the eyes. And for many, it's simply a personal choice, as it is for anyone who puts on sunglasses. The sections below take the reasons one at a time.

Can blind people see light?

Many can. According to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), about 85% of people with eye disorders have some remaining sight and about 15% are totally blind (AFB). Some people have light perception only: they can tell light from dark. Total blindness means no perception of light or form, often written NLP, for no light perception. Legal blindness, as AFB describes it, means vision of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

So for most people who are blind, light still matters. For what that remaining sight can be like, from blurred or patchy vision to light perception, see what do blind people see and what is legally blind.

Light sensitivity and glare (photophobia)

Photophobia is the medical term for eyes that are sensitive to light (Cleveland Clinic). It's usually a symptom of another condition rather than a condition of its own. Cleveland Clinic lists many causes, from dry eye, the most common, to albinism, aniridia, corneal disease, optic neuritis, retinitis pigmentosa and uveitis. It also notes that photophobia can be a symptom of diseases that can cause blindness, but photophobia itself doesn't cause blindness.

RNIB says almost any eye condition can cause some degree of light sensitivity, and it describes two kinds of glare (RNIB):

• Discomfort glare: a light is so bright that it's uncomfortable.
• Disability glare: a light makes it harder to see clearly.

RNIB's advice is to limit how much light reaches the eyes: shade them with a hand, wear a cap or a wide-brimmed hat, or use an umbrella. It adds that sunglasses or tinted eye shields often help too (RNIB).

Veronica Lewis, who has low vision, described her own experience for Perkins School for the Blind. She developed photophobia in middle school and came home with eye pain after a day under fluorescent lights. She started wearing sunglasses over her prescription glasses in her afternoon classes, until her eye doctor suggested prescription tinted glasses. She says the tint reduced glare from paper and screens, made bright classroom lights easier to handle and cut down the head and eye pain that bright light triggered (Perkins).

If light starts to bother you suddenly, or more than it used to, see an eye care professional. RNIB notes that sudden or worsening light sensitivity can be the first sign of a serious condition (RNIB; Cleveland Clinic).

Eye conditions that make bright light uncomfortable

AFB's guide to eye conditions mentions light sensitivity for several conditions, and sometimes sunglasses or tinted lenses (AFB):

Blind Veterans UK, a charity for veterans with sight loss, adds that people with cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa may be especially sensitive to sunlight, glare and reflections (Blind Veterans UK).

That's also why the first blind Barbie, which Mattel developed with AFB in 2024, comes with sunglasses: the press release explains that some blind and low-vision people are sensitive to light and that the lenses add eye protection (AFB).

These are general descriptions, not a diagnosis. The same condition can affect two people very differently, and only an eye doctor can say what applies to a particular person.

Protection from the sun and from things flying into the eyes

Eyes still need protecting when they see little or nothing. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) explains that UV light can damage the eye's surface tissues, cornea and lens, and that too much UV raises the risk of cataracts, eye cancers, growths on the eye such as pterygium, snow blindness and sunburn of the eye (AAO). The AAO says everyone is at risk of sun damage to the eyes, and that clouds don't block UV. RNIB adds that UV may raise the risk of some eye conditions, especially cataracts, and that water and snow reflect it, which increases exposure (RNIB). Blind Veterans UK notes that sunglasses may also be advised after eye surgery, such as cataract surgery (Blind Veterans UK).

Then there's everyday protection. Writer Belo Cipriani lost his sight at 26. In his first mobility lesson at the Orientation Center for the Blind in Albany, California, his instructor told him to always protect his eyes with glasses, because they keep things from flying into them (Cipriani, 2014). The same thinking applies in a science lab: writing for Perkins, Caroline Karbowski explains that even someone who is totally blind needs safety goggles, because chemicals in the eye still hurt (Perkins).

Personal choice and appearance

For some people, sunglasses are part of how they want to look or feel in public, as they are for many sighted people. Cipriani wrote that at first he kept his eyes covered partly to look the part: his eyes look unchanged, and people in public sometimes told him he was faking it (Cipriani, 2014). He also met people whose eyes had scarring or other visible changes, who still had some light or movement perception and preferred to keep their eyes covered in social settings.

Choices can change. A few years later, a few minutes into a photo shoot, Cipriani took off his dark glasses and did the rest of the pictures without them. He still wears glasses on some occasions, but decided he didn't need them for photos, realizing "there are many ways to be a blind person" (Cipriani, 2014).

A visual cue for others

Dark glasses are also one of the things people use to tell that someone is blind. A 2017 paper on stereotypes about blindness notes that blind people are often identified by attributes such as a white cane, a guide dog or dark glasses, which work as a kind of identification in public (Śmiechowska-Petrovskij, 2017). The same paper points out that blind people may themselves feel these attributes are stigmatizing, and it argues that the fixed picture of a blind person with a cane, a dog and dark glasses should change. For Cipriani, as above, fitting that picture was simply easier at first.

In practice, the white cane and the guide dog are the tools that help with getting around; sunglasses are not a mobility aid. See our guides to the white cane and guide dogs. And since many sighted people wear sunglasses and many blind people don't, sunglasses alone don't tell you whether, or how much, someone can see.

Why do blind people wear dark glasses, even indoors or at night?

"Dark glasses" usually just means sunglasses or tinted glasses, and the reasons are the same. Light sensitivity doesn't stop at the door: RNIB suggests trying sunglasses in the places where your symptoms happen, which can mean a supermarket with strip lighting as well as a bright day outside (RNIB). Veronica Lewis's eye pain came from fluorescent lights at school. She now wears tinted prescription glasses, and still puts on sunglasses outside or at places with a lot of bright light, such as sporting events or band performances (Perkins).

Those indoor tints can draw questions. When Lewis switched to a darker tint, people sometimes asked whether she was wearing sunglasses inside or at night; she explains that they are tinted prescription lenses, not sunglasses.

Do all blind people wear sunglasses?

No. When AFB worked with Mattel on the blind Barbie, the sunglasses were made optional. On the AFB AccessWorld podcast, Tony Stephens of AFB explained that not everyone who is blind or has low vision uses sunglasses: he does, but not everyone does (AFB). Cipriani, as above, stopped wearing them for photos. Whether someone wears them depends on their sight, their eyes and their own preferences.

Sunglasses for blind people: what to look for

This is general guidance from eye-care organizations, not medical advice. An optometrist or a low vision specialist can help find what works for a particular person, and RNIB notes that a low vision specialist can help people make the most of the sight they have (RNIB).

• Full UV protection. The AAO recommends sunglasses that block 99 to 100% of UV light, labeled "100% UV protection" or "UV400", or that block both UV-A and UV-B (AAO; AAO).
• Darker doesn't mean safer. The color and darkness of a lens say nothing about how much UV it blocks, and polarization has nothing to do with UV either (AAO). RNIB and Blind Veterans UK say the same about darkness.
• Coverage from the sides and above. Wraparound frames keep light from getting in around the edges (AAO). RNIB says most glare comes from above, so frames with top panels and wider arms, or eye shields, can help; there are also glare shields that fit over prescription glasses (RNIB; RNIB).
• Try tints where you'll use them. RNIB says there's no current evidence about which tint color is best for eye conditions, so it suggests trying a wide range, in the kind of place where the symptoms happen (RNIB).
• Balance light and sight. For people with low vision, ordinary sunglasses cut light but can also reduce what they see, RNIB warns.
• More than one pair. Blind Veterans UK says some people need a couple of pairs for different activities or seasons. Photochromic lenses, which darken in sunlight, can help people who move between indoors and outdoors, though RNIB notes they change slowly (Blind Veterans UK; RNIB).
• Think about screens. Lewis notes that polarized sunglasses can distort LCD screens, while her non-polarized tinted lenses don't (Perkins).
• Add a hat. The AAO and RNIB both suggest a broad-brimmed hat or a cap along with sunglasses (AAO; RNIB).

If you're thinking of sunglasses as a present, it's worth asking the person first, since needs vary so much. For other ideas, see our guide to gifts for blind people.

Where Braillito fits

Sunglasses, a white cane, a guide dog: each blind person chooses the tools that work for them. For reading, one of those tools is braille (how blind people read), and braille is learned. Braillito, our app, teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. It is meant for anyone learning the code, such as sighted parents and teachers of a braille reader (learning braille as a sighted person) or adults who are losing their sight (learning braille as an adult).

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

Why do blind people wear sunglasses?

Mostly because of light. About 85% of people with eye disorders have some sight, and bright light and glare can be uncomfortable or make it harder to see. Sunglasses also protect the eyes from UV and from things flying into them, and for some people they're a personal choice.

Why do blind people wear dark glasses?

"Dark glasses" is another way of saying sunglasses or tinted glasses, and the reasons are the same: light sensitivity, glare, protection and personal preference.

Can a totally blind person benefit from sunglasses?

Yes, for protection. The AAO says everyone is at risk of sun damage to the eyes, and glasses keep things from flying into them. Wearing them or not is also a personal choice.

Do all blind people wear sunglasses?

No. AFB made the blind Barbie's sunglasses optional precisely because not every blind or low-vision person uses them.

Why do some blind people wear sunglasses indoors?

Light sensitivity doesn't stop indoors. Fluorescent and strip lighting can bother sensitive eyes, so some people wear tinted glasses or sunglasses inside too.

What sunglasses are best for people with low vision?

Eye-care organizations suggest 100% UV or UV400 protection, wraparound or top-and-side coverage, and trying different tints in real conditions. An optometrist or a low vision specialist can help choose.

Are sunglasses a sign that someone is blind?

Not on their own. Dark glasses are part of a common picture of blindness, along with the white cane and the guide dog, but many sighted people wear sunglasses and many blind people don't.