by Jed Eane

Created on: July 22, 2010   Last Updated: August 20, 2010

Sunglasses are more than merely a fashion accessory. At least they are if you buy the right pair. Designed to protect your eyes from the sun’s potentially damaging ultraviolet rays, sunglasses are essential when the sun’s shining – whatever the time of year. However, given the myriad selection of sunglasses on the market today, there are a number of factors you need to consider to ensure you buy the right pair.

Eye Protection

You may have found a pair that flatter and enhance your features, but there’s little point in wearing sunglasses – at least not outdoors when the sun’s shining – if they offer little or no protection. While eye care specialists believe that exposure to the sun can contribute to cataracts and other eye disorders, according to the Vision Care Institute, only 65 percent of Americans wear sunglasses to protect their eyes. Information on protecting your eyes from the sun can be found at Contact Lens Spectrum and About.com. The US Food and Drug Administration’s website also includes information on this subject.
 
When selecting a pair of sunglasses, check that they carry a sticker that reads Z803.3. This guarantees the sunglasses meet the protection standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and can screen between 60 and 90 percent of the sun’s harmful rays, details of which can be found at Medical News Today and the ANSI website. The American Optometric Association (AOA) also issues its own label for sunglasses that block 99 percent of all UVA and UBA rays. Further information can be found at the AOA website. 

Vistakon has also produced useful guidance on choosing sunglasses to help protect your eyes.

Face Shape

Knowing which styles best suit your face shape will make the task of finding a flattering pair easier. However, first you need to determine which face shape you have! Having done that you can then decide which style of glasses will suit you best. For example, the most flattering pair of sunglasses for someone with a square shaped face is a pair with round frames as these help to soften the angular features of a square shaped face. All About Vision and Frames Direct both offer useful advice on this process, as does Vision Express.

There’s also information about the styles that specific brands, such as Oakley, and Ray Ban, offer and how they may or may not suit your face shape.

You may also want to know how to choose a pair of sunglasses that best suit your skin tone,

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