I understand that they have been in a dark environment for months, and that sunglasses would be prudent thing to have when they first came out into the daylight, but is there any particular reason that the miners would still need to be wearing sunglasses more than 24 hours after their rescue? (They’re even still wearing them indoors!)
Personally, I spent a comparable time without seeing the sun (i.e. artificial light only) aboard a submarine on several deployments. We had fluorescent lighting though, and it certainly wasn’t as dark as what the miners experienced. Still, we didn’t take any particular precautions when we finally surfaced.
Having been in both, I don’t think you can compare conn to a mine.
(Incidentally, this whole incident allowed me to share some family history with my children and have it resonate with them a bit better. Many of my family used to work in coal mines, and one of my great-grandfathers died in a mining accident.)
Two months in near total darkness is way different than serving on a submarine. Sure, the miners had some lights, but with limited power the lighting in the mine was very, very dim. Their eyes adjusted, and will need a little time to readjust, not just a few hours or a day.
I read an article (can’t remember the source) that said that there is an enzyme that helps control the muscles in your eye. It is responsible for the closing/widening of the iris. When a person is in very dim conditions for a long period of time, the enzyme breaks down and the iris remains very open. It takes time to rebuild this enzyme to normal levels, thus the reason the miners must be very careful to protect their eyes. They will need to gradually expose themselves to brighter lights over time to re-engage that muscle. It would be dangerous for them to be exposed to bright lights (cameras, flashes, sunlight, etc.).