Contrary to popular belief, there are clear safety glasses available that block UV light. Many of the safety glasses available on the market are made of a lightweight plastic known as polycarbonate which will absorb 99% of UV light.
There are also many types of tinted safety glass lenses that will prevent the loss of color recognition which, for example, allows a driver to see the red of a stop sign or the flashing caution light at an intersection. These safety glasses lenses are known are rated as TSR (Traffic Signal Recognition) in which, when wearing, the tinted lenses still allows accurate detection of surrounding colors.
Without UV protection the short term effects include an inflammation of the cornea caused by a brief exposure to UV radiation, known as Photokeratitis. It’s commonly referred to as an eye sunburn, which is painful and has the potential of long term damage. The long term effects of prolonged exposure to UV light or radiation is cataracts, pterygium, and pinguecula. Remember this, usually damage to your retina is irreversible.