8 of 9

Write now Article Tools

There is a lot of emphasis on sunglasses, an item originally developed to keep the sun out of our eyes, it is becoming a fashion requirement and now comes in all different shapes and sizes.

Buying a pair of sunglasses however, should not be based only on their looks. Sunglasses, like all other accessories, needs to be functional and useful as well. There is no point in buying a pair of sunglasses if they are not going to help filter out the UV rays coming from the sun. Hence, some of the following points need to be considered when buying sunglasses.

1. The shape
Some of the fashion sunglasses are very oddly shaped. Not only are not uncomfortable, they are likely to fall off easily and/or not cover your entire eye area to fully protect ourselves from glare. Nor is there a shape that fits everyone either. Every one of us has different face with different shapes. Some of our cheeks are higher, some of us have a larger forehead. When trying on a pair of sunglasses it is important that we take care to find one that matches the shape of our face. This way, the glasses are more likely to sit better and not to mention, probably will look better on you as it'll look more natural and not out of place.

2. The lenses
Once again, the fault of many fashion sunglasses are not made to protect our eyes from the UV rays, they are made purely to follow a particular trend or for certain fashion tastes. Many of their lenses have colors that does not suit our eyes and hence, upon wearing them for too long, will in fact, damage our eyes instead of protecting them.

To help protect our eyes from UV rays and glare, the best lenses are polarised lenses that will keep out the glare and allow you to see better in broad day light. These are the type of lenses used by resue teams to try to see underwater from above either to search for sharks or for a missing person. The color of the lense is important too, and the most natural color to have on a pair of sunglasses are either a dark grey tint or a dark brown tint, which are natural colors that won't stress out your eyes.

3. The frame material
It certainly look beautiful when you buy sunglasses with frames that are made out of unusual materials, they look cool and hip but unfortunately they are not made to last. Nor are the cheap plastics as they are easily broken and bent out of shape. Some of the new materials being developed by science such as fiber glass and enforced plastics are best as they are light weight as well as durable. Light aluminium also makes good frames and are a cheaper option to consider. These material will ensure that your glasses do not go out of shape when having been in the sun for too long, and does not break easily saving you money not having to replace the sunglasses too many times.

TIP: when checking the frame of the sunglasses, place the glasses on a flat surface fully extended. The two ear tips on the glasses as well as where the lenses end should all touch the surface without a chance of wobbling when you touch it.

4. The looks, of course!
After checking that the sunglasses are functional and useful, the last thing to look for is obviously whether it looks good on you. However, if you have chosen a pair of sunglasses that suits your face and is of the right color, then it is very likely that it'll look just perfect and natural on your face.

Learn more about this author, Amy Huang.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about How to buy sunglasses?
We want to hear your view. Write now!