Time for some sunglasses 101

There’s more to sunglasses than just fashion.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s summer or winter, it’s important to protect your eyes from glare and UV.

For those who normally wear prescription glasses to help them see better in the distance,  having a pair of prescription sunglasses is also important to help make driving, sport or just spending time in the great outdoors as safe and as comfortable as possible.

How to choose a good quality pair of sunnies

It’s important to make sure that the pair you’re buying stacks up to local standards. If you’re shopping in Australia for sunglasses, the lenses must pass testing and be labelled to meet those standards. You can easily check the label, to make sure. Remember, darker lenses don’t necessarily mean greater protection.

Even the frames that you choose can help protect your eyes. There are plenty of options available now that sit close to your face by wrapping around and blocking UV radiation and glare, without that protection glare can actually bounce off the lenses into your eyes.

Another option is polarised lenses, which dramatically cut the glare on a sunny day, if you’re on the water or in the snow. They don’t, however, carry a higher level of UV protection.

When it comes to the actual fit, the frames should fit comfortably but not be too tight and your eyelashes shouldn’t touch the back of the lenses. You should be able to look down to your feet, while gently moving your head ‘no’ without the sunglasses falling.

What do the different ratings mean?

Just like sunscreen, there’s varying degrees of protection that sunglasses will give you from UV radiation. The standards rank them from 0, which is very little protection to 4 which is very good. Anything labelled 2 or above will absorb 95% of UV light, so we usually recommend category 2 or 3 for everyday use.

Category 4 sunglasses are for special purposes, like snow sports, because they have very high-glare reduction but they’re not suitable if you’re driving, because they’re so dark and can impact what you can see. 

That said, the Australian Standard doesn’t apply to prescription sunglasses so it is best to talk to your optometrist about your options. There are a wide variety of tints available, and a UV filter is recommended. If you spend a lot of time outside in high glare environments, you might like to have a polarised tint in your prescription sunglasses.

Picking the right style for you

Don’t just buy a pair of sunglasses because your favourite celebrity or influencer wears them, find a pair that sits comfortably on your face, is good quality and fits your budget. If you need some help, it can always be helpful to bring a friend or consult your local optometrist who can talk about which styles suit which face shape.

Have some fun with it and protect those eyes!