You think about protecting your skin from UV rays, that's fine! But what about your eyes? They deserve, however, from the youngest age, an adapted solar protection. Before falling for a pair of ultra-trendy sunglasses, make sure they are safe and effective!
Sunglasses are the essential tool to protect yourself from the sun's rays, whether your eyes are fragile or not! Lens tints according to the sunshine situation, protection indexes, sunglasses for children, frames... Discover all the advices of the editorial staff to choose your sunglasses, which will protect you efficiently.
How to choose your sunglasses: which protection index?
Since 1995, European standards have defined the quality of filters: sunglasses are classified into 5 categories from 0 to 4 and must carry the CE mark. The more ultraviolet rays the glass absorbs, the higher the degree of protection of the glasses. This solar filtration index must appear on each pair of sunglasses in the form of a small sticker stuck on the packaging or the lenses. For example, the mention CE2 indicates that it is a filtration of category 2. Here are the different categories from 0 to 4 and their indication of use:
- Category 0: very limited reduction of luminosity ;
- Category 1: reduced solar luminosity;
- Category 2: medium sunlight. General use;
- Category 3: strong sunlight. High protection;
- Category 4: very high sun protection. Not suitable for driving, even in bright sunlight.
Which sunglasses for the mountain?
Use a category 3 or 4 to protect your eyes from extreme light, including UV reflection off the snow, which can be very dangerous for your eyes, causing corneal burns, for example. Fans of high mountains will choose glasses with the mirror effect, which have an additional reflective coating. This treatment reflects some of the incident light for optimal vision.
Which sunglasses for the sea?
Opt for category 3 if you go boating: polarized lenses will provide additional comfort because they eliminate the sun's rays and the light reflected by the water, among other things. They are therefore well suited to those who practice water sports.
Choosing the right tint for your sunglasses
More than just fancy colors, the different tints of sunglasses lenses help reduce light and avoid glare. However, don't confuse very dark lenses with UV protection! Tinted or very dark glasses can distort your judgment and represent a real danger. Indeed, your pupil dilates, and lets in UV rays more easily, because it reacts as if it were exposed to a low light situation. In contrast, non-tinted lenses can filter out 100% of UV!
- Brown reduces glare, improves contrast, and looks brighter. It is recommended for myopes;
- Gray reduces light intensity and distorts colors less. It is the ideal shade for hypermetropes (better vision at distance than near);
- Green highlights contrasts and respects colors. It is suitable for contact lens wearers and farsighted people;
- Yellow and orange reduce glare. Ideal for those with low vision.
When choosing your sunglasses, consider adding, if you can, an anti-reflective treatment, very suitable for an urban environment or driving. Indeed, this anti-reflection treatment makes it possible to remove the reflections caused by the glass surfaces, which reflect the sun.
Corrective sunglasses or solar lenses?
Solar contact lenses are very rare and even seem to disappear from the market, because their principle is not well adapted to solar ones. Indeed, when you go in a dark place, you can't remove them easily...
On the other hand, you can safely wear contact lenses and a pair of sunglasses over them. But circumstances often make it impossible to wear contact lenses all the time. In this case, a pair of sunglasses is very practical.
Those who no longer want to juggle their glasses and sunglasses can opt for photochromic lenses that, depending on the light, darken to protect against glare and ultraviolet rays, thus protecting against UV rays (invisible to the naked eye), even if there is little glare from the sun.
Which sunglasses for children? Which sunglasses for babies?
Children's eyes are particularly fragile in the sun: until the age of 12, their lens is transparent and cannot filter UV rays. Eventually, they risk corneal damage and premature aging of the lens.
It is best to buy your children's glasses from an optician, or even a sports store, as long as they meet the safety criteria (CE marking and indication of the filter category). Beware, no fancy glasses with pink, blue or green lenses, which let too much light through!
Opt for a filter category 3 or 4, which represent strong protection against light. Flexible elastomer temples allow for easy removal, and shatterproof lenses are a must. Up to the age of 3, the back band is recommended because it keeps the glasses on the baby's face.
Tip: Choose your eyewear style based on your face shape
Whether you prefer trendy or classic sunglasses, choose a frame adapted to the shape of your face, for maximum protection! Indeed, if some models are too small, too big, badly positioned on your face, fall from your nose... You will be less protected from the sun. Here is our advice:
- For rectangular faces, you are lucky! This shape of the face adapts to almost all the models of glasses, but the choice can be carried on oval forms;
- For round faces, we turn to models with round shapes or with geometric shapes, angular and stretched;
- For square faces, we turn to models with geometric shapes or on the contrary oval shapes.
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