Black shades may be more than a fashion statement for Prime Minister Balendra Shah when he walks into Parliament on Wednesday. Doctors have advised him to wear them to protect his eyes from bright light. Parliament, however, has decided that lawmakers should leave their dark glasses outside the chamber.

Shah was advised to wear sunglasses after complaining of difficulty seeing in bright light, following an eye examination at Birendra Military Hospital in Chhauni.

Ophthalmologist Associate Professor Lieutenant Colonel Dr Sachit Dhakal recommended that Shah use sunglasses as needed and apply eye drops when required.

The Prime Minister’s Office has forwarded the medical report and doctors’ recommendations to the Federal Parliament Secretariat, which confirmed receiving it.

The timing is notable because Shah is scheduled to face lawmakers in a direct question-and-answer session in the House on Wednesday.

Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal on August 6 instructed chief whips and whips of all political parties to tell lawmakers that dark sunglasses will no longer be permitted during House proceedings.

At the meeting of the House Business Advisory Committee, Aryal said lawmakers’ use of dark glasses had repeatedly prompted questions and criticism, leading to the decision to prohibit them during parliamentary proceedings, except for medical reasons.