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Summer is here, and it's time to break out your sunglasses.

But if you are in the market for a new pair, you want to make sure they're actually protecting your eyes from the sun's rays.

"Your eyes are your most important sense, so we need to keep that healthy," optometrist Dr. Ryan Yealy said.

When it comes to sunglasses, Yealy said there is a difference – other than price – between over-the-counter sunglasses and polarized ones. Only one helps reduce sun glare.

"When light comes off the sun and it bounces off of surfaces, it becomes horizontal in nature and that we know as glare. The polarized lenses have a special technology which is a filter that blocks the horizontal light coming off of surfaces, and it blocks 99% of that," he said.

Yealy also said colored lenses can provide benefits other than fashion.

"We have different colors so brown lenses, they block more of the intense light so those are great for on-shore fishing and for baseball. If you get triggered by migraines, rose-colored lenses actually reduce migraine triggering. You have blue lenses, which is actually great for contour so those are great for skiers," he said.

And when looking at polarized lenses, you want to make sure they offer UV protection. Without that protection, you could be exposing your eyes to harmful rays that could lead to eye damage later in life.

Yealy said if you can't get a polarized pair of sunglasses, wearing any is better than nothing at all.

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