Tips

Choosing Sunglasses

  

8 Tips to Choose the Right Sunglasses:

Choice of Tint:

Sunglasses with graduated tints – dark at the top and gradually lightening at the bottom – may look appealing, but always test them in the sunlight before you buy them. The check is necessary because they may not provide sufficient protection. Such glasses are extremely useful when you are out driving, boating or doing something in a situation where there is a great deal of overhead light and low-level glare.

Cool Selection:

You may also opt for reflective sunglasses. A thin metallic coating in them reflects some of the light away and reduces the amount of light that reaches the eyes. They are thus the coolest pair to wear – in terms of heat, not style – and when worn outdoors, avoid intense glare from strong sunlight and light reflected from ice, water and snow.

Eliminate the glare:

Polarized lenses also make a good choice. Made by adding chemicals to the glass or plastic when they are being manufactured, they are very effective in eliminating the vertical glare. They are comfortable to wear and are best to reduce the glare from water, snow, car windows and other reflecting surfaces.

Shut out UV rays:

The UV lenses filter out ultraviolet rays. They act as a shield against the UV rays and slow down the progress of changes in the eye lens and degeneration of retina.

Suitable for Youthful years:

Yet another good option is photo chromatic lenses which automatically adjust to the amount of light, becoming darker in bright sunlight and turning clear when the light faints down. But buy them when you are young. On the other side of fifty you may not quite like them, as you may feel that the lenses take too long to light up.

The Color Choice:

No matter what the fashion gurus dictate, never opt for looking out at the world through pink, purple or orange sunglasses. The best colour is neutral gray. It allows the best colour perception, and the least distortion. Unfortunately, as it is the most difficult tint to produce, it is only available in better quality, more expensive sunglasses.

Rose, orange, pink, purple and striped lenses, however appealing they may look are best left glued on a mannequin. Green and brown-tinted lenses are also good choices. Do not be tempted to empty out your wallet for sunglasses that may match the colour of your sari but ones which do the needful to protect your eyes.

Check the Lens Quality:

Again, guard against branding, for a high-class label is no guarantee of quality. In today’s market, a designer label is often merely a license to inflate profit margins. It is best to do a quality check yourself. To rule out the most commonly found flaws, subject the pair of sunglasses you wish to buy, to the following tests:

• Examine them against light for scratches, bubbles, blurs and other defects.

• Hold them at arm’s length away and focus on an object that has strong vertical and horizontal lines. Move   the glasses up, down and sideways. If the lines waver, it is a sign of distortion in the lens. But mind you, this test works only on non-prescription lenses. With minus or plus lenses, some distortion may be built in for corrective purposes.

Find the Best Frames:

You must also access the suitability of frames before you make the purchase. By all means, select the material (meter or plastic), and colour of your own choice, but make sure of the following points:

• The frames should be sturdy and well-constructed with smooth hinges and screw joints.

• They should fit lightly on the ears, nose and temples, so that you do not feel burdened on wearing them. At the same time, they should also be snug.

• The size of the frame depends on the size of your head and distance between your eyes. This holds particularly true for people who go in for glasses with optical correction. A trained optician can help you through this. But, in general, people with large heads and eyes that are relatively widely apart need lenses and larger frames.

TYPES OF CONTACT LENSES TIPS

Contact Lens Materials:

There are 3 basic types of contact lens materials: hard lenses, gas permeable lenses and soft lenses. Hard contact lenses are specailty lenses that are hardly ever prescribed today. Gas permeable contact lenses are small, rigid contacts that are excellent for individuals with astigmatism or very high prescriptions. Soft lenses, the most commonly prescribed lens, are flexible and generally the most comfortable type of lens for new contact lens wearers.

Colored Contact Lenses For Improved Sports Performance:

Recent developments of colored contact lenses with light filtering tints are enabling athletes to gain a performance advantage over their peers. These contacts come in a variety of light hues which mute certain colors and enhance others. This can be helpful in a variety of ways. For example, tennis players can purchase light filtering contacts which enhance the color yellow for greater visibility of the ball.

Contact your eye care professional for more information on these colored lenses.

Why You Need a Prescription for Non-Prescription Colored Contacts:

Many people, even those who do not require eye correction, like to wear colored contacts to create a different look for themselves. Colored contacts are available in both prescription and non-prescription; however, even when the contacts are not required for vision correction a prescription is still needed. This is necessary because the prescription defines the strength as well as the fit of the lenses. For this reason, a fitting should be done by an eye doctor to ensure the colored contacts do not damage your eye.

Hard Lenses vs. Rigid Semi-Permeable Lenses:

The main difference between hard lenses and rigid semi-permeable lenses is rigid semi-permeable contacts allow oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye, while hard contacts do not allow oxygen to pass through the lens. Both types of lenses are ideal for those who require an inflexible contact lens which will help to reshape their cornea. Those with an astigmatism benefit most from a hard lens because the lenses have an orthokeratology effect in which a series of flatter lenses are used to achieve a desired cornea shape.

Acuvue 2:

Acuvue 2 Contact Lenses are one of the most popular brands and have been for some time. Acuvue Contacts are an affordable, quality lens that you can wear for 1-2 weeks. Acuvue 2 Contacts have an outstanding visual acuity which makes everything appear crisp. These lenses are great for the normal, everyday contact lens wearer.

Why You Need Gas Permeable Contact Lenses:

Most soft contact lenses are sufficiently permeable to maintain good eye health but not all hard contact lenses are permeable enough to allow for sufficient oxygen levels to reach the cornea. In the 1970s, a hard contact lens constructed of plastic mixed with silicone was introduced. This new contact lens was still hard but the use of silicone allowed for oxygen to penetrate the eye. These rigid gas permeable (RGP) contacts allowed those who were not candidates for soft contact lenses to enjoy eye correction without risking oxygen deprivation to the eye.

Soft Contact Lenses Aren't Always Recommended:

It is true soft contacts are beneficial in many situations but they are not recommended for everyone. The following situations are just a few examples of when even soft contact lenses may not be recommended:

• Those who work in an environment where they are exposed to chemicals which may adhere to the contacts

• Those with Sjogren's syndrome which includes symptoms of chronic dry eyes

• Those with arthritis who would have difficulty handling, cleaning and inserting the contacts

• Those with medical conditions such as diabetes, allergies or asthma which may make wearing contacts uncomfortable

• Those who are not willing to expend the energy to care for their soft contact lenses properly

Extended Wear Contacts:

Extended wear contacts are contact lenses that are approved by the FDA for overnight wear. You still need to check with your doctor if this is safe for you - not everybody's eyes are suitable for overnight contact lens wear. Focus Night & Day Contact Lenses are one popular extended wear lens.

Toric Contact Lenses:

Toric contact lenses correct astigmatism. If you are in toric lenses your prescription will contain two columns entitled cylinder and axis. These numbers related to the correction of your astigmatism.

Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses:

Silicone Hydrogels are a type of contact lens that are designed to be worn for an extended period. The Focus Night & Day is the only such lens currently available in the US. This lens can be worn, with your eye-doctor's approval, for up to 30 days continuously.

Silcone Hydrogels and Eye Health:

Silicone Hydrogels are approved for extended periods of wear because they are designed to allow plenty of oxygen to reach the surface of your eyes - That's the reason conventional eyewear can't be worn for such long periods, your eyes would become oxygen starved.

Astigmatism Can Be Corrected:

Lens.com Tip: Not only will Soflens 66 Toric contact lenses aid your vision while you're wearing them, but they can help you even when inside a contact lense case. Soflens 66 Toric lenses have a special tint making them easy to find in contact solution. This tint does not show up while wearing them.

Understanding Hard Contact Lenses:

Roughly 85 percent of those who wear contact lenses wear soft lenses, but there is still a need for hard contact lenses in a small percentage of the contact lens wearing population. Fortunately for those individuals, hard contact lenses have become much more comfortable than the original hard contacts that were developed in the 1960s.

The two types of hard contacts are polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contacts. The PMMA contacts consist of a stiff plastic while the RGP contacts combine other materials such as silicone with the plastic to form a lens which allows more oxygen to reach the eye. The increased flexibility combined with increased permeability makes RGP contacts much more comfortable than PMMA contacts.

Although hard contact lenses are much less widely used than soft contacts there are some situations which make the use of hard contacts necessary. These situations include:

• An astigmatism which cannot be corrected by a soft lens

• Allergies to elements used in soft contacts

• Individuals who have a propensity to produce excessive protein buildup

Colored Contact Lenses For Improved Sports Performance

Lens.com Tip: If you are an athlete, you may prefer to wear different lenses on and off the playing field. The good news is that many brands, such as Focus contact lenses, come in a wide variety of styles ranging from disposable to color to bifocal to toric.