As part of an operation that involved numerous provinces in Italy, the Venice Guardia di Finanza (Italian tax police) seized about 560,000 pairs of sunglasses made in China and valued at 10 million Euro: the lenses were considered to be an extreme health hazard.
The operation was triggered by a display of eyeglasses in a Venice store with price tags that were well below market prices.
Technical analyses of the material demonstrated that in addition to not having UV filters, the lenses also released nickel on contact with perspiration.
http://www.mido365.com/index.php?idcont=13919
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LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Customs agents at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex seized 13,200 pairs of fake Givenchy and Armani sunglasses and reading glasses in a shipment from China, authorities announced Thursday.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/02/10/13000-pairs-of-fake-sunglasses-seized/
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These sunglasses and prescription glasses often end up in bargain stores or on the internet at too good to be true prices. A knowledgeable person can quickly ascertain a fake by the quality of the materials and the lenses. A true quality pair of sunglasses will have at least a polycarbonate lenses, which won’t be found in these fakes (too expensive) the metal hardware is often flimsy and has no protective coatings. The plastic from the cheap molds will have rough edges, rather than the smooth hand polished edges from a real pair. All in all, they are cheap, but dangerous toys that will allow more UV exposure to your eyes and damage them over time. F.E.