Sally Green

Sun Glasses - Do We Need To Spend Big Bucks For "Good" Protection?



Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2007

by
Chic Alert

Over the years sun glasses have become a important personal accessory from both fashion and health perspectives. When it comes to fashion it's simply about looking good, being trendy and stylish! It's because of this that we want to wear the latest trendy sun glasses from leading brands as worn by celebrities and models, the beautiful people, don't we?

From a health perspective, we all know about the importance that sun glasses play when it comes to eye protection from the sun's damaging UV rays. This is not only important on sunny days but is also important all year round because the sun's UV rays get through even on cloudy and overcast days.

But do we need expensive sun glasses to satisfy these requirements or can the much more affordable sun glasses like those found in mall stores such as Sun Glasses Hut satisfy both our fashion and health needs when it comes to sun glasses? Well there isn't any doubt that even sun glasses under $30 can satisfy our fashion needs so the real question is, at that price can they possibly provide good UV Protection?

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, "sun glasses don’t have to be expensive to protect your eyes and...unfortunately, a high price is not always a guarantee of high quality and protection." Yes Oh dear indeed! Fashion aside, when it comes to sun glasses the most important factor to look for is UV protection and the Glaucoma Research Foundation says that we should not be deceived by color or cost. "The ability to block UV light is not dependent on the darkness of the lens or the price tag. While both plastic and glass lenses absorb some UV light, UV absorption is improved by adding certain chemicals to the lens material during manufacturing or by applying special lens coatings." It goes on to say that we should "always choose sunglasses that are labeled as blocking 99-100% of UV rays."

So from this, just because sun glasses are at the top end of the price range doesn't at all mean that they offer superior or even good quality sun protection!!! Also, just because one pair of sun glasses is darker than another doesn't at all mean that the darker sun glasses will offer better UV protection!!! And it doesn't at all mean that just because a pair of sun glasses are at the bottom end of the price range, that they offer poor quality sun protection. For example, Foster Grants at under $30 comply with ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Regulation Z80.3 and offer 100% UVA and 100% UVB protection and FG offers a big range of trendy, fashion sun glasses in a huge array of styles designed to meet all needs.

According to ANSI, "determining if the sun glasses you wish to purchase meets the standard is important and until every pair of glasses is built to standard and labeled, consumers must put some consideration into factors other than fashion and design. Looking into which manufacturers do follow standards is a good place to begin." So it's all a matter of caveat emptor when buying sun glasses and you don't need to spend big bucks to get a fashionable style and good sun protection and the savings you make can mean a better fashion outcome as you may even be able to also afford more than one or two pairs and can accessorize using different styles. Of course, it's also important to check the quality of manufacture. Afterall, if the sun glasses you buy are likely to fall apart after a few weeks of wear then they are not any good at any price!

Therefore, in summary, when buying sunglasses it's important that you (a) check the fit and style and make sure that you'll be happy with the look, (b) only choose sunglasses that are labeled as blocking 99-100% of UV rays and (c) check the frame and lenses for quality of manufacture and satisfy yourself that that the sun glasses will last and not fall apart on you!

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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)
» left by Laine Killua
from NJ 4 years 290 days ago.
From my experience, I've never spent more than 15$ on sunglasses, and many many people said they look great on me. I've got all of my sunglasses tested at my contact lenses store, and they said that all of them had 95% and up of UV protection (although label says 99%). However they told me that 5% doesn't make much of a difference, they said that anything above 80% won't make much of a difference, which I thought was good to know. -k
» left by Annie
from Sydney 4 years 290 days ago.
Yes it's amaziong what you can get for even 15$ when it comes to sunglasses. As in your case, with the savings you make you can even afford to have them tested for UV protection quality and still be financially way in front. I did the same as you and have about 5 pairs and all tested above 95% so I was happy with that and they all look great even without the big brand label signatures.
» left by Anonymous 3 years 349 days ago.
i always go with expensive sunglasses because the dont fall apart and they are much more comfortable. You can wear them for hours and not know they are on your face. Its worth the extra money
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