What You Need to Know About Sunglasses

What you need to know about Sunglasses.

Sunglasses make a huge fashion statement today, but sunglasses are not all about just fashion.  Sunglasses protect your eyes from harmful UVA & UVB rays preventing macular degeneration.  Macular degeneration is a condition that results in a loss of vision due to damage to the retina.  Macular degeneration makes it difficult to read or to recognize faces.  Ways to prevent macular degeneration include the following:

 TIPS

 1.  Wear Sunglasses that offer 100% UVA & UVB Protection

2.  Wear wrap around sunglasses or bigger style sunglasses to block UV rays from all directions.

3.  When purchasing sunglasses look for a tag or a sticker on the glasses stating the lenses are   100% UVA & UVB Protected.

4.  Be sure to purchase sunglasses for your children and get them use to wearing sunglasses at a very young age.

5.  There is absolutely no point in buying $2 sunglasses, I can assure you they will not be UV protected and will serve only as an accessory to your daily outfit.

STYLES

Different activities require different styles of sunglasses.  If you are looking for something for athletic activities you want to find sport sunglasses with rubber nose pieces and rubber ends on the stems.  This will prevent slippage even if you are sweaty and/or vigorously moving about.

If you drive a lot or are planning to be around water fishing or boating, polarized sunglasses are what you need.  Polarized Sunglasses reduce the glare from water and wet surfaces such as roads and windshields.  Light reflected off of wet surfaces is horizontally polarized as opposed to scattered which creates a much more annoying band of light that is extremely bright making it hard to see.

If you are looking for riding sunglasses you have a few choices.  You can buy sunglasses with foam inside the frame which prevents debris, bugs and wind from affecting your eyesight.  These are referred to as foamerz.  You can also choose to wear wrap around sunglasses with big lenses or riding goggles with or without interchangeable lenses or photochromic lenses.  Interchangeable lens kits include clear, yellow and charcoal.  These can be used from morning to night riding by simply changing the lenses as the sunlight permits.  If you do not like the idea of having to stop to change the lens you can opt for the photochromic lenses which change colors as the sunlight changes from morning to night without any work on your part.  These type of sunglasses are also referred to as transitional sunglasses.

Last but not least, if you are looking for just casual everyday sunglasses, there are plenty of options to choose from and they too should have lenses that are 100% UVA & UVB protection.

SHAPES

There are basically five different face shapes and listed below are the typical styles that fit these shapes.

Round faces have the most curves therefore the sunglasses should have minimum curves with narrow frames and/or a wrap around frame.  The newer retro sunglasses fit round faces because the placement of the temples is higher than a lot of the latest styles today.

If you have more of a square face you should opt for curvier sunglasses such as a round or oval style.  This will help compliment the square jawline.  For men, since they do not usually wear sunglasses with curves, they should opt for sunglasses with more of an angle to help compliment the square jawline.

If you have more of the oblong face you should opt for oversized sunglasses.  The oblong face is generally wider than the normal face so you should look for wider frames as well.

If you have a wide forehead but a narrow chin you are considered to have a triangular face.  You should look for sunglasses that have rounded edges.  Wrap around frames and smaller frames are a great fit for those with triangular faces. 

The oval face is the best face to have!  Oval faces can literally wear just about any style they prefer to wear.  There are no hidden rules, if you like it, wear it!

LENSES

Charcoal lenses are the more popular color choice in everyday sunglasses.  Charcoal lenses reduce glare, dims sunlight and do not change the color perception of other colors.  

Yellow lenses enhance depth perception, but they also distort color perception.  Yellow lenses help to sharpen your view and are especially great for motorcycle riding and/or driving in the rain.

Green lenses help to filter out some of the blue light and are great for contrast.  Green lenses do not distort other colors and absorb UV rays.

Brown/amber lenses are great for driving in fog because they reduce the blue light making your surroundings less hazy .  Brown lenses reduce glare and increase depth perception.  Brown lenses do distort colors, but not near as much as yellow lenses.

Rose lenses improve contrast against blue or green backgrounds and filter light effectively.

If you follow these tips you should have no problem finding sunglasses that will not only fit your personality and style, but also protect your eyes, making you happy and comfortable while enjoying the outdoors.