Eye health resource
Things to Consider When Buying Sunglasses
The most important sunglass feature is verified UV protection, not lens darkness or price. Learn how UV400, fit and coverage, polarization, lens material, and your activities should influence your choice.
Reviewed for accuracy by Justin Bazan, OD on .
When choosing sunglasses, verified ultraviolet protection matters more than how dark, expensive, or fashionable the lenses look. A good pair should block ultraviolet radiation, fit comfortably, provide useful coverage, and match the activities you actually do.
1. Look for 99–100% UVA and UVB Protection or UV400
Choose sunglasses labeled to block 99–100% of UVA and UVB radiation or marked UV400. That is the most important eye-protection feature.
Ultraviolet exposure accumulates over time and is associated with eye and eyelid damage. Sunglasses reduce that exposure, but no pair can guarantee that a person will never develop an age-related eye condition.
2. Do Not Judge UV Protection by Lens Darkness
A very dark lens can still provide poor UV protection if it was not made with an adequate UV-blocking filter. Likewise, a lighter tint can provide excellent UV protection.
Choose the tint based on comfort and the lighting conditions where you will use the glasses, but verify UV protection separately.
3. Consider Coverage and Fit
Larger lenses and wraparound styles can reduce sunlight entering around the top, bottom, and sides of the frame. The frame should also stay comfortably in place rather than sliding or creating pressure points.
A brimmed hat can add useful shade, especially during long periods outdoors.
4. Understand What Polarization Does
Polarized lenses reduce reflected glare from surfaces such as water, snow, pavement, and car hoods. That can improve comfort and visibility for activities like driving, boating, fishing, or spending time near reflective surfaces.
Polarization is not the same thing as UV protection. A polarized lens should still have verified UVA/UVB protection.
5. Match the Lens and Frame to the Activity
Everyday sunglasses and sports-protective eyewear are not the same thing. If you need impact protection for a sport, yard work, or another activity with flying-object risk, choose eyewear designed for that purpose rather than assuming ordinary sunglasses provide enough protection.
Lens material, frame shape, optical quality, scratch resistance, weight, and durability can all matter depending on how the sunglasses will be used.
What About Prescription Sunglasses?
If you need vision correction, prescription sunglasses can combine your optical prescription with sun protection. Your prescription, frame curvature, lens thickness, lens design, and intended use all influence which combinations work well.
Photochromic lenses that darken outdoors can be convenient for some people, but they are not identical to a dedicated sunglass lens and may not darken as much behind a vehicle windshield.
Do More Expensive Sunglasses Protect Better?
Not necessarily. Price can reflect frame materials, lens quality, coatings, design, durability, or brand, but UV protection should be verified directly rather than inferred from the price tag.
Prescription Sunglasses at Park Slope Eye
Park Slope Eye's optical focuses on prescription eyewear, including prescription sunglasses. We can help match a prescription-lens option and frame to your visual needs and everyday use. Current frame availability changes over time, so the most accurate way to see the present selection is in the practice.
Learn more about prescription sunglasses at Park Slope Eye or our in-office prescription eyewear.
Originally published . Substantially updated .