Sunglasses: Why I Wear Them & How To Buy The Right Pair
Today is national sunglasses day. I can’t stress enough how important it is to protect your eyes outside in bright sunlight. With me I am losing my sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. With RP, one of the side effects is glare. I’ve been glare sensitive since 2005. And wear sunglasses all year round because of this. These aren’t just to protect my eyes. But to also help me see better. What people don’t understand with me, is that with the glare it feels like I’m looking at a frosted wall. Because of this scene objects in sunlight is very difficult even painful to see. When I wear sunglasses it knocks out most of the bright white light and I can see objects better. Sometimes I can see things vividly and comfortably. Other times I can only see shadows. Even worse: pair it up with blue sky and even bright white snow and it becomes unbearable. The reason why you see aviators wear ray-bans is because of sunlight and blue sky. And skiers wear those large tinted goggles not because of the bright white snow but to keep snow from hitting your face. But for me it’s because I can’t see well.
For example: at an outdoor public pool some girls saw me wearing my sunglasses in the pool. As soon as the clouds covered the sun they noticed I still had them on. One girl made a comment and then her friend/family joined in until I stopped both from continuing on. While my sister and brother in law were annoyed at their behavior, I went into advocacy mode. Calmly informed them that even though it’s not sunny out I still gotta wear shades because of glare sensitivity. I also told them why I’m glare sensitive and that there kept them from commenting further. They apologized and I swam away. Sometimes my long white cane can’t give a cue to my disability. But when cane isn’t in view, I gotta explain my situation. Some say I shouldn’t have to, but I want to. Advocacies such as American Council of the Blind encourage public awareness.I only do the education awareness/PSA bit only if asked or needed. I was taught never to force it down the public’s throats. After that awkward exchange at the pool, the girls didn’t say another word about my shades and I was able to continue on south my workout.
So how should you choose the perfect pair of sunglasses? Consider these pointers:
Type of sunglasses
They come in all shapes, sizes, material, colors and cost. Not only do you gotta do the research on cost. But what type or color. So once you have a price range it’s time to go into stores and try on different frames.
Color and tint of frames and lenses
It’s ok to have a favorite color. But stay away from color lenses. I currently wear deep green shades and find they’re no longer helping me. I’d like to stick with polarized or a deep dark colored lens. Not always will I get this lucky. But if all else fails I go with Amber lenses. But if you gotta have color in lenses then that’s up to you. But make sure that you’re near a bright Window so that you can see the difference in each pair you try on.
Shape of face and the right frame for it
Every face is different. Knowing which frames flatter your unique features will make hunting down the perfect pair a breeze.
Oval face is an exciting blank canvas for choosing frames—you can wear just about any style of glasses. Seize the opportunity to play with a variety of textures, colors, and angles that’ll accentuate your best features.
Round faces have youthful features and pair well with contrasting geometric shapes. Look for striking rectangles, and choose thinner frames that will add length to your face.
Heart-shaped faces feature high cheekbones (lucky you) and a well-defined, narrow chin. Go for a playful look with glasses that are wider than your forehead, and choose thinner temples to enhance your face’s symmetry.
Square faces have well-defined angles that are complemented and softened by round and oval shapes. Work those angles with thin, curved frames, and don’t be afraid to experiment with cat eye and semi-rimless glasses.
Function over fashion
I’ve seen people at eye glass stores make this error a lot. I’ve done it with regular glasses. When large frames were out and small were in I found small looked better. But when I recycled mine into sunglasses I got a large bright halo like ring. This paralysed me because it didn’t protect me like I had hoped. I ended up having to go back to my old wrap arounds. I also did the same thing with transitions lenses. The auto tint was too slow and not dark enough. My error was not taking the time to see which was better. After that I finally found frames and lenses I was comfortable with. With cocoon shades they not only completely block out glare but fit over my regular glasses. These have both style and function. If you go this route measure the width of your glasses from lens to lens.
Cost
It differs. If you don’t need a eye glass prescription then you can get away with sunglasses that are affordable. You can buy in store and wear same day. Some cost between $25-50 others cost more (Ray-bans) or less (drug store brand). My advice: do your research. I also try to stay away from buying from an eye doctor’s office as it can go over $100. If I need new glasses with a prescription I ask for a copy of my script so I can shop around. When my vision was strong enough I use to recycle old frames into sunglasses to cut the cost down. Today I wear hard plastic wrap arounds that fit over regular glasses to cut down on cost and glare.
Where to buy
Never buy eyewear of any kind online. It’s always wise to buy from a eye care provider or a store in your area that sells glasses. I also recommend this because you gotta go in and try them on. I tried ordering clip ons once. But found they didn’t stay on. End result: having to buy a new pair of sunglasses. The clip ons were not refundable.Just because it looks good and works for one reviewer it night not work out for you. This goes double for celebs and athletes who wear expensive brands to coax fans to buy. It looks good on them because they’re paid to wear and endorse products. You still gotta try on shades to make sure it looks good on you before you buy. However if it’s non-prescription and you can’t get the brand in store (and you previously wore/love the style/color and brand) then that’s when you go online. When you buy shades that can also be bought online, save the info of your shades. This way if you like a specific frame and color you’ll have the info at your finger tips and you know you’re getting what you pay for. But if you buy online blindly (like on Amazon) without doing research or trying them on then you’re taking a risk. Buying glasses and sunglasses is like buying clothes. You try on clothes before you buy unless you bought it before. But like clothes not all glasses are for all face types or eye needs (not to mention cost). Plus some places might not have a refund policy. So buy online at your own risk.
Recycle instead of trash it
If you go with style over function then the frames will be trashed by end of year. It use to be by season but more and more people try to get the most of their shades. But to those who wear theirs for a short while simply recycle them. Lions Club International takes old glasses, fixes them up, clean then distributes to low income patients. Got a drawer full of glasses that you no longer want? Send them to a Lions Club chapter near you. They will collect then fix/clean them before passing then on to someone else. However some chapters won’t accept sunglasses with prescriptions or sunglasses at all. So do the research first and make contact before you send in you old or unused shades.
Links:
Lions Club Vision Program
Lions Club Locator
Conclusion
Do what feels right. If you feel comfortable in a certain pair of eyewear then by all means wear it.
Jessica's Blog 