Choosing The Right Sunglasses

It can be a challenge to find the perfect pair of sunglasses. There are thousands of brands, styles and colors to choose from online or in your local sunglasses retail store. You want a style that looks great, offers maximum protection for your eyes, and sunglasses that are going to last. Here are some great tips on finding the sunglasses that are right for you.

Every person's facial shape is unique. Sunglasses that look great on one person will look "not so great" on another. That's why it is important to search for sunglasses that look great on you. Don't choose sunglasses just because someone you know has a pair. Make sure you choose a style that looks great with your skin tone, shape of face, nose shape, and hair.

Tip: If you have a long, slender nose and chin, then small, round sunglasses with a thin frame would look better than large, thick glasses. The opposite is true if you have a round-shaped face and a very small nose.

Sunglasses come in a variety of colors, from pink and orange to green and purple. Choose a color that goes well with your hair and skin color. If you enjoy matching your sunglasses with your outfits, choose several pair in different colors for a variety.

UV protection (ultraviolet ray protection) is important if you plan to be outdoors any length of time. Your eyes are very sensitive to the rays of the sun whether you realize it or not. Without UV protection, your eyes are exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays that could do permanent damage to your retina. There are many types of sunglasses available online in different styles and colors that offer 100% UV protection. Though these may cost more than your average discount store sunglasses, they are going to protect your eyes, which are irreplaceable at any price! Also, sunglasses with UV protection are usually made to last, so you're getting two fabulous benefits in one.

The great thing about shopping online for items like sunglasses, watches and goggles is you get to pick and choose from many brand names such as Maui Jim Sunglasses, Oakley Sunglasses, Ray Ban Sunglasses and Prada Sunglasses, and from all sorts of styles and colors to fit your needs. And, you can take time in the privacy of your home to shop around until you find the perfect sunglasses.

Eyeglasses for Moutain Biking

Your eyes are exposed to many potential hazards when you're biking at high speeds through trees and over rocky ground. Wear glasses to protect your eyes from stray tree branches, pebbles that get tossed in the air, and from the sun. Here are some tips to choose the right type of eyeglasses.

• Select a pair of glasses that are shatterproof.
• Look for glasses that protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• Find a pair of glasses that fits snugly on your face. Glasses need to fit well so that they'll stay in place while you're riding over bumpy terrain.
• Buy glasses with a yellow lens if you plan on doing most of your rides at dusk or dawn. A yellow lens allows you to easily see through shadows that occur at these times of day.
• Select a pair of glasses with rose or amber lenses for all-around conditions in any light or terrain.
• Attach a sunglasses strap around your neck to prevent lost eyewear on the trail.
• Dark sunglasses are not optimal for mountain biking. They can make it hard to see obstacles like rocks and tree roots in the shadows.
• Think about getting prescription sunglasses if you normally wear eyeglasses. They can be used for all other outdoor sports as well.

Fix your broken eyeglasses, Do-It-Yourself style

If you accidentally broke your eyeglasses or it slips through your hand when you're cleaning it and they become broken, there are do-it-yourself method to fix the problem.

1. Examine the cause of the problem with a magnifying glass. Is the hinge stretched out? Is the screw loose or missing? Did the hinge break off?
2. If the hinge is stretched out, cover the tips of a pair of pliers with masking or duct tape to avoid scratching the frames and then use the pliers to bend the hinge gently back into place. Or slide an orthodontic rubber band (available from dentists) or a small rubber ring (an eyeglass repair kit may include this) over the loose hinge to hold it in place.
3. If the screw is loose, tighten it with a tiny screwdriver from the eyeglass repair kit. The tip of a paring knife will serve as a screwdriver in a pinch.
4. If the screw is lost, replace it with one of the screws from the kit, or slip a miniature safety pin into the screw hole and close it. If the repair kit's screw does not fit into the hole, do not force it, as that might strip the threads inside the frame.
5. Dab a tiny bit of clear nail polish on the hinge screw once you've tightened it to hold the screw in place. Let dry.
6. If the metal hinge has broken off the frame, wash both surfaces and scrape away any paint or old glue. Then use a toothpick to dab fast-bonding glue to the break. Hold the pieces in place for 60 seconds to allow the glue to dry.
7. If the earpiece keeps slipping off the frame or has broken off, re-adhere it with fast-bonding glue. If you get the glue on your skin, wipe it off with acetone-based nail-polish remover.

Sunglasses Tips

• Check labels to make sure the sunglasses provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.
• Look for sunglasses that filter out at least some blue light, which can damage the retina and lead to macular degeneration (vision loss from degeneration in parts of the eye). To make sure, try wearing them outside; a blue sky should appear gray with these on. Also ask about polarization, a type of filtering that helps reduce glare.
• Choose a lens color based on your preferences and comfort level. Gray doesn't affect color perception; orange-brown lenses are a good choice for those with macular degeneration, since they filter out UV and blue light rays for maximum retinal protection; green lenses distort color less than other shades, such as red or yellow.
• Opt for lightweight, plastic, shatterproof sunglasses if you're going to be wearing them when playing sports.
• Purchase sun goggles for total protection of your eyes. These cover a large area and include side shields. As an added bonus, they also fit over prescription glasses.

Tips & Warnings

• A darker lens does not necessarily indicate better protection, and lighter-tinted lenses offer better visibility. Check labels to find sunglasses that provide the best protection possible.
• To ensure against mislabeling, you may want to purchase a UV card, a credit card'size device for testing sunglasses. Contact an optometrist, or look for the product online.
• For added eye protection, wear a hat with at least a 3-inch brim.

Knowing LensesTypes

Reducing Eye Distortions
The aspheric eyeglasses lens has flatter curves than a conventional eyeglass lens and is positioned closer to the face. If you are wearing a strong correction lens, this will make your eyes look normal size, flattering their shape.

Conventional farsighted eyeglass lenses enlarge the eyes, making them look overly large, while a nearsighted eyeglasses lens gives your eye a piggy or beady look. The thinnest eyeglass lenses usually have thin edges for strong minus or nearsighted prescriptions. The thinner edges also flatter your eyes and face.

For people with multiple vision problems, an aspheric multifocal or progressive eyeglass lens shows off those beautiful green eyes while improving eyesight.

Sports Lenses
The polycarbonate eyeglasses lens keeps parents from breaking their budget replacing eyeglasses. If the scratch-proof UV-protected polycarbonate eyeglass lens can withstand a rough-and-tumble day at school, your polycarbonate eyeglass lenses can hold up under the pressure of a squash game. They are the thinnest eyeglass lenses designed for athletics.

A caveat: Only use polycarbonate eyeglass lenses in an approved sports glasses frame. A regular designer eyeglass frame may be fine for a progressive eyeglass lens, but won't weather the impact of a football tackle.


Golf Lenses
Bifocal golf eyeglass lenses trump the progressive eyeglass lens on the course. Flat-top bifocals in the low inside corner of the eyeglass lenses of golf glasses allow you to read and write on the scorecard up close, but still hit the ball into the cup. While golf eyeglass lenses aren't the thinnest eyeglass lens on the market, the extra bifocal eyeglasses lens will help you keep your eye on your score and the ball! You may not become Greg Norman or Arnold Palmer overnight, but your game can improve with a bifocal eyeglasses lens.

Concave or Convex, Go High-Index
Whether your eyeglasses lens is concave to correct nearsightedness or convex to prevent farsightedness, traditional corrective eyeglass lenses have thicker edges. In fashionable eyeglasses such as ICU Eyewear and in Calvin Klein eyeglass frames, the rims are thinner than the eyeglass lens. Rimless eyeglasses leave the thick eyeglasses lens completely exposed, giving your specs a bizarre appearance.

The progressive eyeglass lens, the aspheric thinnest eyeglass lenses, and especially high-index eyeglass lenses can bend light more, so are thinner and lighter since they require less surface material.

Advanced Myopia Prescription Lenses
If you have a -6.00 prescription, you have extreme myopia! But your minus prescription number shouldn't mean you have to subtract a lot of cash from your bank account, or suffer with a heavy concave eyeglass lens. An aspheric high-index thin eyeglasses lens or an aspheric progressive eyeglass lens can stand up to your advanced myopia and have you singing, “I can see clearly now...I can see all obstacles in my way...”

Another choice for thinnest eyeglass lenses are polycarbonate, also known as featherweight, eyeglass lenses, which you can wear in regular eyeglass frames if you're not doing sports.

Aspheric Lenses
Aspheric eyeglass lenses are designed to rest lightly on the face and provide superior optical function. However, even though aspheric eyeglass lenses are among the thinnest eyeglass lenses, they can't counterbalance heavy frames. Wearing coke-bottle frames with aspheric eyeglasse lenses is like wearing your baggy clothes after you've lost a lot of weight. In general, the aspheric eyeglasses lens should be in a smaller eyeglass frame such as ICU Eyewear's matte two-tone thin lozenge-shaped frame. Your aspheric progressive eyeglass lens works well in a larger rounded frame.

Eyeglasses Treatment

Prescription glasses that are dirty, scratched or misaligned will not give you the best vision possible and may cause seeing problems. Scratches also can weaken your lenses' impact-resistance. To take care of your glasses:

• Clean the lenses twice a day. Use warm water and soap or detergent to remove oils and dirt from the lenses. An eyeglass cleaner is also OK. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
  
• Never use silicone tissues on plastic lenses or wipe these lenses when dry.
  
• Wash the frames occasionally with soap and warm water.
  
• When not wearing your glasses, keep them in their case. If you lay them down for a minute or two, don't let the lenses touch anything.
  
• Put on and remove your glasses properly. Use both hands to grip the temples (side pieces) about midway and push gently over your ears. Use the same grip, raise the temples and slide the glasses forward to remove them. Even so, you'll need to have your glasses professionally readjusted periodically.
  
• Avoid letting other people put on your glasses. This could disturb the alignment.
  
• If you have trouble seeing even with clean, aligned glasses, you may need a prescription change or have an eye health problem in need of your optometrist's attention.

Lens Coating Technology

Conventional plastic lenses only transmit only 90% of light to the eye. The rest is lost to front and back surface reflections lose light transmission to front and back surface reflections. Now, a lens coating development to reduce reflections from camera lenses is now available.

Anti-reflective lenses transmit more light which provides:

• improved night vision
• decreased computer glare
• reduced eye strain
• less overhead fluorescent glare
• and great looking glasses

Anti-reflective coatings further improve the quality and the value of your lenses. An anti-reflective coating reduces disturbing reflections. It makes your lenses more attractive. And you will experience the most precise, crisp and clear natural vision in a brilliance that is not possible with uncoated lenses.

Anti-reflective coatings provide you with improved safety and faster recognition of potential hazards on the road, especially at night. The reflections of streetlamps and headlights on your lenses are virtually eliminated.

Artificial light in an office environment quickly leads to eye fatigue and working on the computer puts a strain on the eyes. It is particularly important to use anti-reflective coatings to protect your eyes while working.

Anti-reflective coatings improve transparency and cut down on reflections others see in your eyeglasses. You'll enjoy direct eye contact, unhindered by distracting reflections!

Anti-reflective coatings enhance the quality and expand the lifetime of your lenses by providing superior scratch resistance, durability and resistance to dirt and water.