The Feature Must Haves When You're Shopping for New Sunglasses

Feature Must Haves When You're Shopping for New Sunglasses 

You’ve got plenty of reasons to routinely wear sunglasses when you're out walking, jogging, cycling, or hiking, even during the colder months of the year. Sunglasses can help to protect your eyes from eye conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts because they’ll shield these essential assets from the sun's harmful rays. Sunglasses offer comfort during the brightest parts of the day and help you adapt to the dark more quickly. They could even reduce your odds of developing eyelid cancer. Yes, really.

Not all sunglasses are the same, however. While some sunglasses are no more than a fashion statement, others also act as your eyes’ very own bodyguard. When you're shopping for a new pair — or two; go on, you deserve it — what features should be a priority?

Polarized Lenses

Polarized sunglasses feature a special coating that filters out the sunlight reflected by bright surfaces in your environment. These lenses give you full access to vertical light while blocking the nasty horizontal glare that hurts your eyes and gets in the way of your viewing pleasure. Because of their properties, polarized lenses aren’t just great in sunglasses, in which case they benefit hikers, runners, and drivers, but also in anti-glare glasses designed for people who spend a lot of time using computers.

UV Protection

Polarized sunglasses will liberate you from glare, but UV protection defends your eyes against numerous degenerative conditions linked to exposure to UVA and UVB rays, as well as shielding the sensitive skin around your eyes. For optimal protection, look for a pair of sunglasses that filter out at least 99 percent of UVB and UVA rays and that screen out 75 percent of visible light or more.

Color

If you're on the hunt for a new pair of sunglasses, you'll notice that they come in almost any color under the sun — but which is best? Well, it's important to keep in mind that, contrary to popular belief, sunglasses with darker lenses don't necessarily filter the sun's hazardous rays out better-- That's what UV protection is for. To some extent, the color you choose is simply a matter of personal preference.

Having said that, hikers, skiers, snowboarders, and anyone else who really wants to take in the sights should probably opt for gray sunglasses, which offer the best color contrast.

Size

Believe it or not, the size absolutely does matter when it comes to sunglasses. The larger your lenses, the better preservation of your eyes — as long as your sunglasses offer a high amount of UV protection. Bigger lenses cover more of your skin and eyes and prevent sun rays from creeping up on you from the sides and the top.

There’s no question that sunglasses can be an investment. To get your money’s worth, you will want to make sure that the sunglasses that make it to your shortlist tick all the right boxes. Your new sunglasses may, after all, be an awesomely stylish accessory, but you’ll also want to make sure that they perform their most important task — protecting your eyes from harm.

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