When most people buy sunglasses, they focus on how the sunglasses look. Of course you want your sunglasses to flatter your face and look stylish. Yet, sunglasses play an important part in protecting your eyes. As a result, there are some other factors to consider when you order your prescription sunglasses or grab your sunglasses off the rack.
The first thing to look for is the color of the lenses. Even though blue, green, purple, or red-tinted lenses look cool, they do not offer much protection from the sun or from glare. Amber, brown, or yellow-tinted lenses offer the best protection from glare and improve contrast. This feature is especially necessary if you are driving or boating. If you do not like the yellow tint, gray-tinted lenses block the sun and offer contrast that is almost as sharp as yellow-tinted lenses.
If reflections bother you while wearing sunglasses, choose polarized lenses. Polarized lenses block reflections that can inhibit your clear vision. If you are wearing the sunglasses in a very bright environment or one that needs accurate vision, polarized lenses will greatly improve your vision.
Sunglasses that will be used for sports or driving should offer a generous field of view. Sunglasses with lenses that are 52 millimeters or bigger provide a 140-degree field of view, which allows you to see more without having to turn your head. The large field of vision can improve your performance in your chosen sport or make driving or boating more covenient.
If you will wear the sunglasses nearly exclusively outside, versus inside a vehicle, photochromatic lenses may be a good choice. Photochromatic lenses become darker when UV light hits them however lighten up when you go indoors. For this reason, they are not useful for wear inside of a vehicle. Since the glass in most cars is designed to block some UV rays, the sunglasses may not work.
Finally, look at the UV rating of the sunglasses. Sunglasses that have an UV rating of 400 will block 99 percent of the UVA and UVB rays and 95 percent of blue light. These sunglasses offer the highest protection that is currently available.
If you need further assistance choosing lenses that are right for your needs, ask your optometrist or optician. He or she will be glad to show you the several kinds of lenses and help you select one that is suitable for you and your vision.
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