Sunglasses, Sunnies, Shades. Whatever you call them, sunglasses are important to the health of your eyes. They come in many shapes, colors, and lens designs. How do you know what is right for you? Each person is different, and the best person to help you is a qualified optician.
Frames today vary from wraps to Jackie Os. There are metals, plastics, and everything in between. When looking at frames, remember this: choose a frame that is slightly larger, with placement close to the face. This will help prevent light from streaming into the eye. The best example of this is a wrap frame. Several manufacturers make these, including Nike and Carrera. The only disadvantage is that it is difficult to put a prescription in them due to the extreme wrap of the frame.
Most prescription lenses are too flat to successfully stay in a frame and give you clear vision. Popular trends in frames include a lot of embellishments, including rhinestones and inlays. Examples of this are the Christian Dior Monday and the Via Spiga 402-s. Another popular trend that continues strongly is drilled-mounted shields. Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, and Giorgio Armani all provide excellent choices for non-prescription.
Lenses also come in various designs. The most suggested lens for sunwear is polarized. It removes all reflective glare. It has been recommended to boaters and fishermen to see clearer into the water for years, and now it is recommended for everyone. It comes in many colors, including neutral gray, contrasting brown, and the popular G-15 Rayban color. They come in all types of prescriptions, including SV, bifocals, trifocals, and the popular Varilux Progressives. It doesn’t matter the thickness either, because they come in all types of materials, such as polycarbonate, high-index, and plastic.
There are other choices, too. There are photochromic lenses. These lenses change color with the UV rays from the sun. They are 100% UV protective, come in gray and brown, and allow a person to have one pair of glasses. Also, when an anti-reflective coating is added, the lenses are perfectly clear indoors and the sunglasses are dark in direct sunlight. There is one drawback: the lenses do not change color in a car. The windshields of cars absorb the ultraviolet rays needed to change the lenses.
The last choice is traditional sunglasses. It is a dark lens in either gray (the number one choice), brown, or any other fashion tint under the sun. Some of the trendiest colors are cooper, coral, mint green, and aqua. Keep in mind that these are not true sunglasses. If they are tinted dark, they can effect driving and effect contrast. Standard tint should allow between 8% and 30% transmission of light to the eye. The most important thing to remember is that each pair of sunglasses must be 100% UVA and UVB-protective. Don’t go by the stickers or by the designer’s name. Have them checked.
