by Andy DeShong

Whether you wear them to correct vision problems, protect your eyes from sunlight or to disguise yourself, sunglasses are a surefire way to change the way you look. Choose the right size, shape and color and they will not only serve the purpose of protection and correction, but bring out your inner celebrity look. Choose the wrong one and you could look, well, like a stereotypical dork.

Sunglasses have a very practical purpose. They are not just fashion statements. Sunlight damages the eyes and the damage is cumulative. It should be stated for those who don’t know that UV-A and UV-B rays cause cataracts and macular degeneration — a leading cause of blindness in older people.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, inexpensive drugstore shades are as likely to give you the same quality of protection as designer brands. To be effective, lenses should block both UVA and UVB rays.

Sunglasses should transmit only 15 to 35% of the available light. If you can see your eyes through the lenses in a mirror, they may be too light. If you wear contacts, use sunglasses as well; contact lenses that claim to be UV-absorbing have not yet been proven to do so.

Glasses should fit close to your face with lenses large enough to cover the entire eye area. Wrap-around lenses give extra protection.
Optically precise and distortion-free lenses help prevent eyestrain and fatigue. Don’t take it for granted that high prices mean good optical clarity. A simple check is to turn your head while looking through the glasses at a pole or a tree — a pole that appears to waver indicates a minor distortion.

Different Types Of Lenses And Coatings:

Plastic lenses are popular as they are lighter, thinner and more impact resistant than glass. However, they scratch easily.

Glass lenses are thicker, heavier and more fragile. But they provide the clearest vision and are more scratch resistant.

Aspheric lenses are lightweight and thin. So if you have thick glasses, these will make a big difference.

Photo-chromatic lenses automatically change from light to dark in bright light, which is convenient for people who can’t switch from regular glasses to sunglasses. But they don’t turn as dark as sunglasses inside a car, since the windshield blocks some of the light rays that make them darken. They may also turn darker indoors than you really want them to.

Polarized lenses minimize glare by filtering horizontal light. They do not protect against UV rays, unless specially coated.

Anti-reflective coating can reduce reflected glare and blurred images which is useful for night driving, but the lenses are difficult to keep clean.

Mirror-coated lens have a thin metallic coating that reflects light away from your eyes but they won’t give you full UV protection.

Scratch resist coatings are available and highly recommended for plastic lenses.

Tints: How And Why To Choose Them

Tints add color to your face and help to hide the wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes. Darker lenses do not mean better protection! Very dark lenses can reduce clarity, make the pupils dilate and let in even more ultra violet light.

A tint with 50% transparency is adequate for all day wear for sun protection. For bright light situations, an 80% tint provides maximum protection.

Lenses with “gradient tint” have a full tint at the top, which fades gradually to no tint at all at the bottom. Driving glasses are often graded so you can see the dashboard clearly.

“Double gradient tint” lenses will have full tint at the top as well as the bottom of the lens, but with a medium tint in between. They are popular with skiers because the lenses cut glare from the sun above and the snow below, but allow for a clear view through the centre.

Colors – What They Mean And Do:

The color of the tint will absorb some parts of the light spectrum and this can help to make an object, like a ball, stand out clearer; or de-emphasize the background for better contrast.

Lenses should either be the same color as the object you need to focus on; or be from the opposite end of the color spectrum to get maximum contrast. For Baseball, rose lenses will filter out the green field, while orange will make the ball stand out against the blue sky. For tennis, yellow lenses will allow you to see the yellow ball better.

Gray is a good tint for daily wear. It will reduce brightness, but let colors stay true. Gray lenses cut glare and are excellent for driving. This is the best tint for people with color blindness.

Brown, amber and gold are excellent for general use. They block “blue light”; i.e., the near UV spectrum rays that are also not good for your eyes, but still allow the widest range of safe rays in the spectrum to reach your eyes.

Brown lenses suit activities that require constant distance perception, like in tennis or skiing. They are good for activities in lower light situations like early morning or evening and can help golfers distinguish a white golf ball better against the green.

Yellow tints cut off blue light and make things seem clearer and sharper. Blue light tends to scatter the most; which creates a kind of “blue glare”. Snow reflects a lot of blue light which is why snow lenses are yellow. Yellow also suits low light conditions, but you should remember that this tint distorts colors and is not suitable for any activity that requires accurate color perception.

Green tints offer the best color contrast and visual clarity since they let through high levels of yellow-green light to which the eye is the most responsive. However, green is not suitable for people with red-green color blindness.

Purple and rose tints will give you the best contrast for objects against a green or blue background and are suitable for hunting or water skiing.

Rose tints give best contrast as well as low-light image resolution.

Blue tints are the best ones to avoid! Blue enhances blue light which not only creates more glare, but is also thought to damage the eyes.

Choosing The Right Fit And Shape For Your Face

Your spectacle frames can make you look fun, funky, classic, sexy, intellectual or individual… It only requires careful choosing to get the perfect fit for your face to give you the image you wish to project.

Frames:

Modern frames come in a huge range of colors and shapes and are usually made of plastics or metals.

Plastic frames are colorful and durable. Most plastic frames are made of cellulose acetate or propionate. Other options like Nylon are suitable for people with allergies.

Metal frames usually have a nickel-silver core which is coated on the exterior with other materials. Stainless steel and titanium frames are available for those who are allergic. Titanium frames are also extremely light, but they need to be 100% titanium to be hypo allergenic.

If your frames tend to distort easily, try special materials like Flexon which have a “memory” that helps them retain their shape.

Fit:

Frames should cover your eyebrows and pupils should be centered at the middle of the lenses where vision is the clearest.

The bridge or the nosepiece supports most of the weight of the glasses and should sit evenly and lightly on your nose.

The temples or the side pieces of your glasses should go behind your ears comfortably without obstructing peripheral vision. Comfort cables can hook behind the ear to keep your glasses in place during strenuous activity. Library temples extend straight back and are held in place by pressure, which makes it easier to slip them on and off.

Color Co-ordination:

The color of your frame should suit your skin tone. Cool complexions have undertones of pink and blue and can carry off magenta, black, pink, blue, beige and silver.

Warm complexions have a yellow base. Earthy and autumn colors like brown, gold, maroon, peach, orange and khaki will go well with them.

Selecting A Frame To Suit Your Face:

Your frame’s shape should balance that of your face. Generally, contrasting shapes off set each other well. Pull your hair back and take a good look in the mirror to judge your face shape. Often, faces have a combination of shapes; so trial and error and a second opinion is the most reliable way to a good choice. Here’s a general guide to point the way!

1. Square Face: Has a wide forehead, broad jaw line and a square chin. The face is usually as broad as it is long.

* Choose: Round or oval frames will soften the jaw and add length to the face. The frame should have more horizontal depth than vertical and be wider than the broadest part of the face. Some weight on the top and temples set at the top of the frame will draw attention away from the jaw.

* Avoid: square, narrow styles and ones that emphasize the bottom rim.

2. Round Face: Fairly short with few angles; broad forehead, full cheeks and rounded chin. The breadth and width of the face will be equal.

* Choose: Angular, upswept styles with color or decoration at the temples to draw attention to the upper part of the face and add length. Metal frames with adjustable nose pads are ideal as they will stop lenses from pressing on the full cheeks. Frames should be wider than they are deep.

* Avoid: Overly square, round, or large frames which will add to the roundness.

3. Oval Face: Balanced and proportionate, with the forehead slightly wider than the chin, high cheek bones and small features. This is considered the ideal shape and many different styles will suit this face, so you can afford to be adventurous!

* Choose: Small geometric shapes which are in proportion to the face.

* Avoid: Low swooping temples or large styles that will unbalance or overwhelm the features.

4. Oblong Face: The length of the face is longer than it is wide with a long cheek line and nose.

* Choose: Frames that break the length of the face and give it width. Frames should have vertical depth. Try round, deep or low triangular frames. Strong horizontal lines and decorative temples will add width. A low bridge will help to shorten the nose. Curved frames will help soften the angular nature of this face.

* Avoid: Angular frames and small square shapes that emphasize the length of the face.

5. Heart Shaped Face: Broader at the forehead, tapering to a pointed chin and small mouth.

* Choose: Low triangular shapes like aviators and butterfly frames. Very light colors, rimless glasses and frames with rounded tops and squared bottoms will help to reduce the width of the top half of the face. Low temples will add balance.

* Avoid: Frames which are wider or heavier at the top.

6. Triangular Face: Comparatively narrow forehead and eye line, with a broader jaw.

* Choose: Frames with heavy detailing on the top half. Square, straight top aviators and semi-rimless glasses will help to fill out the top half of the face.

* Avoid: Low temple styles and bottom heavy or small, narrow frames.

Other Features To Consider:

1. Hair:

* For graying hair, avoid silver colored frames. Try brown toned ones instead.

* If you are balding, it makes your face look longer. A strong brow bar will draw attention away from a large forehead.

* Facial hair requires a light frame for balance. Square bottomed frames pair well with a round beard.

* Thick eyebrows require thin frames.

2. Eyes:

* A thick or dark bridge will draw widely spaced eyes closer together. For close set eyes, using a thin, clear bridge will make them seem wider.

3. Nose:

* A low set bridge will make a long nose look shorter, while high temples draw the eye up and away from the nose. A high bridge will make a short nose look longer.

Caring For Your Shades:

Do:

Use both hands to hold the temples, mid way on either side, when you put on or remove your glasses. This will keep them aligned and in shape for longer.

Moisten eye glasses before wiping clean. Warm running water and a drop of mild liquid soap will help remove surface dirt and smears. Wipe dry with a soft paper towel. Spray cleansers are also available at eye care stores.

Use Micro-fiber cloth for wiping. It traps dust and lifts it from the lens. Be careful to machine wash the cloth weekly to remove the dust it holds, or it will scratch your lenses. Do not use any fabric conditioners or softeners while cleaning micro-fiber cloth since it leaves residues.

Ask your optician to apply a special fixing solution on the tiny screws in the frames to keep them from falling out.

Keep glasses inside their protective case when not in use so they do not get scratched, bent, or crushed.

Don’t!

Never use household cleansing agents like alcohol, ammonia, acetone, harsh detergents and such to clean your frames or lenses.

The chlorine in swimming pool water could ruin your glasses.

Never wipe your glasses when they are dry.

Excessive heat will damage both your lenses as well as the frame, so leaving your glasses on the dash board or in the glove compartment of your car is a big no, no!

For more great tips and advice on style and fashion visit The Executives Closet

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