Sunglasses are an essential travel accessory, especially with heat wave threats during the summer. Even in moderate temperatures, you must protect your eyes while enjoying your vacation. So, you must emphasize maximum eye protection when choosing your sunglasses.
Besides eye protection, you will also need to consider your eye prescription, especially if you’ve been wearing them before. You will still need to protect your eyes from the sun’s UV radiation to avoid eye conditions affecting your visual clarity. So, you’ll need to consider these factors when choosing the best sunglasses for your travels:
- Prescription
- Protection against UV radiation
- Polarization for better color contrast and clarity
- Durability – something that can last you more than a single trip
This article will explore these factors in detail to help you choose the best sunglasses for your travels.
Eyewear Prescription
If you’ve always been a bespectacled fellow in your daily life for prescription reasons, you must also have prescription sunglasses for your travels.
You should get your most preferred premium eyewear brand that packs your vital prescription lenses. You can choose from Nike, Ray Ban, Costa, Wiley, and Oakley prescription sunglasses that offer premium quality prescription lenses. With a recent eyewear prescription, you can check out your preferred and suitable brand for your prescription sunglasses online.
Note that you should only use up-to-date eyewear prescriptions to buy prescription sunglasses. Our eyes change with age, and any older eyewear prescription may not show the exact condition of your eye condition and clarity. So, take a recent eyewear prescription before traveling to help get the most appropriate prescription sunglasses.
Comfort to Your Eyes and Face
You don’t want to have deep marks on your face because your sunglasses are too tight. That discomfort can ruin your traveling experience. Also, you shouldn’t choose loose sunglasses that don’t fit you properly.
So, take your sweet time and try several styles and shapes before choosing the best fit.
Last Longer Than A Single Trip
You should also consider how many trips the sunglasses will last. Premium quality sunglasses like Nike, Ray Ban, or Oakley can last beyond just a single trip. Some are scratch-resistant with strong frames that can withstand even the roughest sports activities like rafting or horseback riding.
You will rock the sunglasses on hiking trails, chill with them on the beach, or engage in other active sports like river rafting. As such, they will go through intense wear and tear. So, choose a sunglass that will serve and last you longer. Plastic or acetate frames can withstand extensive wear and tear.
Protection Against Sun’s UV Radiation
One of the primary reasons for buying sunglasses is eye protection. Most dark sunglasses get their color from a coating that blocks UV rays. But the darkest color doesn’t necessarily provide the best protection against the rays.
UV ray protection has four categories worth considering before choosing your sunglasses:
| UV Protection Category | Level of Eye Protection |
|---|---|
| UV 0 | Does little to protect your eyes as it allows 80-100% UV light through the coated lenses. |
| UV 1 | Are sunglasses considered only as a fashion accessory as they let in about 43-83% UV rays. |
| UV 2 | These sunglasses offer enough protection during cloudy days as they block 18%-43% UV rays. |
| UV 3 | The ideal UV rating for sunglasses It lets in about 8-18% of UV rays – which is perfect for everyday wear. |
| UV 4 | These sunglasses only let in 3-8% of UV rays and are preferable for high-altitude activities like water sports. |
So, pick the UV 3-rated sunglasses for everyday wear. You can choose whatever you want, but not all dark glasses offer the same protection against UV radiation.
Lens Quality
The lens quality is also essential to check before picking your sunglasses, particularly the tint and quality. So, choose a lens with a uniform tint. Use these tips to verify the lens quality:
- Hold the sunglasses in a straight line at arm’s length and look for imperfections at a distance
- Move the sunglasses slowly across the line.
- The straight edge will distort, move, or curve if the lens is not perfect. But it will maintain a straight edge if it is perfect.
Choose a sunglass with an excellent UV rating and lens quality to protect you against harm to your eyes. Avoid low-quality lenses because they will expose your eyes to excess damage.
Lens Color
The lens color does not influence UV protection so much but improves your visual contrast. The common tints and gradients in the market include brown, grey, and green. The colors can significantly increase your visual contrast, making them perfect for outdoor sports.
So, if you look forward to swimming, water rafting, horseback riding, gold, etc., during your travels, consider the best lens color.
Better Polarization for Elimination of Sun’s Glare
Polarization of the lenses can also help you reduce the sun’s glare. Better polarized lenses will also enhance color contrast, making them excellent choices for outdoor activities, as stated in the “lens color” section.
Polarized lenses will also reduce glare from polished surfaces and glasses. Protection against the sun’s glare and UV radiation can prevent you from developing common eye conditions like:
- Cataracts – a cloudy eye lens condition that blurs vision
- Macular Degeneration
- Photokeratitis – the swelling of your eye’s cornea
So, the more you indulge in outdoor travel activities, the more you risk developing complicated eye conditions due to the sun. So, get maximum protection from well-polarized sunglasses.
Cost and Brand
Leading brands like Nike, Wiley, Ray Ban, and Oakley sunglasses have great reputations. They offer premium quality in visual clarity, refraction lenses, UV protection, comfort, and durability. As such, they cost much more than other brands.
However, it does not mean cheaper sunglasses are less safe. You can check out online sellers that stock some premium brands like Oakley prescription sunglasses for discounts and better bargains.
In Conclusion
Traveling may involve a lot of exposure to the sun, which can affect your eyes. So, whether you are heading for Southeast Asia, North America, or on an African safari, you’ll need maximum protection against the sun’s rays.
Sunglasses will come in handy for the effective reduction of the sun’s glare and UV radiation. If prescription glasses are part of your daily routine, you’ll need prescription sunglasses for your travels. Premium quality brands like Oakley prescription sunglasses can come in handy.
Other factors to consider when choosing your sunglasses include comfort, durability, lens color, and quality. Enjoy your travels, but take care of your body, including your eyes.
