Picking the right shades

Key things to look for

• Appropriate Eye Protection
• Feel
• Stylish Look

It is a rule of thumb to look for shades that have the recommended UV (ultraviolet radiation) protection. The blockage of ultraviolet-a (UVA) and ultraviolet-b (UVB) radiation should be at 99-100% ideally with a label of UV 400 protection or corresponding percentage. Pay attention to the words like "blockage" or "absorption" and not "protection". You also want to make sure that the shades feel comfortable on your face, nose. This part can be abit annoying or might take some getting used for people who had not previously wore any type of glasses. The last but not least and very important objective to get a design you feel good in. Sun shades can give you a brand new look. Make sure it is one that makes you feel good!

Lens materials

• Polycarbonate, special light plastic.
• Allyl Diglycol Carbonate (CR-39), another type of plastic mostly for prescription lenses.
• Glass, solid, less likely to scratch than plastic, heavier to wear.

Lens colors

Lens colors are mostly a matter of preference. However there are some key differences.

• Gray - reduce sun brightness, but do not distort color
• Brown/Amber - reduce glare, may make things look hazy. Distorts colors more than gray does.
• Yellow - reduce haze better than browns, sharpen up the view, cause color distortion.
• Green - reduce glare, help filter out some blue light. Good for contrast between objects.
• Red - for sports or outdoor activities, good contrast for objects against blue/green backgrounds.

Other things to consider

Polarizing films help reduce the glare created when light bounces off of some objects, such as water, highways and other similar surfaces. Mirror finish (last layer) can surly look stylish, however they are more likely to scratch. Photochromatic lenses is a neat feature. It shifts the darkness depending on your surroundings. Sometimes the shift can take short time to readjust causing a delay - really a personal preference. If you are planning to use them for driving, choose sunglasses that are fairly dark. Consider Bi-focal sunglasses. They have two different focal lengths. Essentially the glass is split in two focal lengths. The bottom portion have a magnifying portion to help you focus when you read.

While it might feel great to get a nice good Armani or other brand shades for a higher price, keep in mind glasses are the easiest to loose. However if you are a stylish person I am sure you know that whether you're dressed in a swanky suit or lounging shirtless on the beach sunshades add to your outfit. A pair of glasses can range from $5 to as much as $1000. When you are setting your budget - ask yourself first - how likely are you to loose them. Sunglasses are one of the most easy things to loose while on vacation. Let's get back to summarizing the styles. If you have small eyes, pick a style with smaller lenses. For bigger eyes - bigger frame. One question you may want to think twice about is do you have beautiful eyes or not. If you can attract the opposite sex with your nice eyes, you might want to reconsider. But we are slightly off topic here. Some people buy sunshades for protection after all or they just hate squinting.

Main Sunglasses Styles

• Aviator Sunglasses / Oversized Sun Shades - 70's look, highly in fashion today
• Tinted Frames / Eye Visible - amber, yellow, blue, and purple. Seems more like a passing fad than a stable look in the fashion - Dolce and Gabbana are good designers
• Sporty / Futuristic - more what is considered standard, oposite of style of the oversized trend

Main Sunglasses Focal Types

• Bi-Focal - double functionality, might be somewhat of a bother to certain individuals as the glass is split on focal lengths
• Photochromatic - changes the darkness depending on the light (indoor/outdoor)

Once you have the picked style, the technicalty pick the finish - polorizing or possibly mirror finish and you are set to buy a pair!

Tip! How to check the quality of the lens!

Find a surface with repeating lines. A peace of line paper is good! Hold the shades a short distance from your nose and cover one eye. Look through only one of the lenses at your piece of paper while moving the shades from left to right and then up and down. Do the move fairly slowly. The lines should stay straight. If the lines wiggle, the lenses will distort your vision.