I squinted into the bright sunlight, trying to see down onto the track at Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium.

The 385 black-robed members of the Lawrence High School Class of 2005 were walking ceremoniously last Sunday to their seats in the north bowl.

Then I spotted my twin daughters.

My waving finally caught Julie’s attention. I gave her a big theatrical gesture, pointing to my camera.

She nudged Bonnie. They both turned around toward me.

I zoomed in, but it was hard to read their expressions — underneath the mortar boards, both were wearing dark sunglasses.

After I snapped a photo, I squinted around and noticed everyone around me had sunglasses, too.

Shading my eyes, I wished I had some.

Eye protection

Ritchie Price, Kansas University baseball coach, watches practice this week through a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Price says players are issued the sunglasses, which help reduce glare.

Randy Bouligny, an ophthalmologist and assistant professor of ophthalmology at Kansas University’s School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kan., gave me some advice.

“If you’re going to spend a lot of time outdoors, wearing sunglasses makes good sense,” he said.

Bouligny said being exposed to UV radiation from sunlight over a long period of time could lead to cataracts. And UV radiation sometimes can accelerate their growth.

There’s also some thought that UV radiation plays a role in degenerating the macula, an area in the back of eye where visual perception is at its greatest.

Bottom line: If you regularly wear sunglasses, it’s going to help you in the long run, he said.

Through the glare

“What you’re looking for is any pair of sunglasses that can block UVA and UVB radiation,” Bouligny told me, noting two wavelengths in the ultraviolet spectrum.

He also said that amber-colored lenses would enhance contrast in bright-sunlight conditions.

“When you’re driving into the sun, amber sunglasses probably are the best in terms of being able to see and also being able to distinguish things out on the road,” he said.

Randy Bougligny, professor of opthamology at KU Med, on things to avoid in sunglasses Ritchie Price, KU baseball coach, on Oakley sunglasses Jon Francis, owner of Francis Sporting Goods, on why the Oakley sunglasses are so special

Hunters and skeet shooters often prefer amber lenses because the lenses give them a clearer view at a moving target, he said.

If you play a lot of contact sports outdoors, he recommends buying strong glasses that won’t break easily.

If you wear glasses, he suggested getting a prescription pair of goggles, which also can protect your eyes from sports injuries.

Performance-enhancing contacts

I asked Bouligny if he knew about the MaxSight contact lenses, which are being developed jointly by Nike and Bausch & Lomb.

News reports indicate that the lenses being tested by some Major League Baseball players, including Orioles’ second baseman Brian Roberts.

The contact lenses are tinted and are being developed for people who play outdoor sports, such as baseball.

The buzz in the sports world is that they’re expected to enhance performance by filtering out the blue light and letting players more easily see the seams of the baseball.

Bouligny said the principle behind the lenses was sound.

“It seems like some of the players who have used them, they’re seeing better,” he said.

Standard equipment

KU baseball coach Ritchie Price says the performance-enhancing contact lenses sounded interesting.

“I think it’s probably a really good idea,” Price said. “I could see if the technology is advanced to that, with vision being so important in the game, I think it could be a huge benefit to the players’ performance.”

Price said that in his playing days, he learned how to use “flips,” which are sunglasses that you flip down over your eyes when you have to follow the ball into the sun.

Tech Check columnist Dave Toplikar is pictured with his twin daughters, Bonnie, left, and Julie after their Lawrence High School graduation ceremony Sunday at Kansas University's Memorial Stadium. Toplikar said he wished he would have been as bright as his daughters and wore sunglasses.

“Now everybody’s wearing the Oakley styles. And they’re wearing them the whole time they’re on the field,” Price said.

Many professional baseball players keep them on, he said, even while they’re batting.

KU players are supplied with Oakley sunglasses, which wrap around the eyes, removing the glare.

And they’re very comfortable.

“You can wear them while you’re running and they’re not bouncing around,” Price said.

Optically correct

Jon Francis, owner of Francis Sporting Goods in downtown Lawrence, said Oakleys were technically designed better than other sunglasses.

“They’re optically correct, meaning they actually run a test where they shoot laser beams through the eyes on a mannequin,” he said.

The laser points are marked 25 yards away. Then sunglasses are put over the mannequin’s eyes. Most sunglasses bounce the laser beams a foot or more higher or lower than the original points, Francis said.

“But if you put the Oakleys on over the mannequin, it’s within two inches of the target,” Francis said. “So optically, they’re ground correctly and they don’t distort your vision at all.”

Oakley sunglasses also have unbreakable glass in the frames. Oakleys also cover much of the face, wrapping around and under the eyes to prevent glare, he said. Francis says he prefers polarized glasses.

Marksmen, baseball players and other athletes who find vision important in their sports often seek out high-quality sunglasses, he said.

“And that’s what sunglasses can do, is give you a little bit of an edge, because your eyes don’t strain as much,” he said. “And they let you relax a little more and let more light in, even though you’re wearing the sunglasses instead of squinting.”

You’ll pay a lot more for the Oakleys than a $10 pair from a department store — Oakleys range in price from about $65 to $400, he said. (And they even make some with MP3 players and audio earbuds built in.)

Let it shine

Squinting in the bright sunlight, I made my way down the bleachers after the graduation ceremony, taking lots of photos.

Jamie Sakamura, one of Bonnie’s co-valedictorians, posed with my daughters. Jamie’s dad, Dave, lined them up for some photos.

“OK, now let’s get one without the sunglasses,” Dave said.

The girls obliged and beamed at the cameras. As I snapped away, I could finally see their expressions.

Sometimes it’s best to just let the sun shine in.