When it comes to finding fashionable sunglasses, I don't think price matters. You can buy shades from H&M, Forever 21 or Target for under $10 that look great, won't break, and if you lose them while leaning over the edge of some national monument during your summer roadtrip, no one's crying.
But when it comes to your health - that is, protecting your precious eyes from the sun's harmful rays - which is the best route to take? Budget brands or the pricier, designer brands?
To find the answer to this question, I decided to consult the Beauty Brains. So I emailed them my question and a few days later, they actually posted the answer on their blog! They misspelled my name but I was still stoked.
In a nutshell, the Beauty Brain crew said budget sunglasses are just as good as designer shades when it comes to protecting your eyes from UV light so long as they are clearly labeled with the type of protection they offer.
While this news should have been music to my ears, I soon realized there is more to this debate than meets the eye: The catch is that the government doesn't regulate sunglasses (nor should they), so you can't necessarily trust the labels. The only real way to be sure would be to take your shades to your local optometrist and have them run some tests. Yeah, that's probably not going to happen.
Upon further research, I discovered still other factors to take into consideration: The UV coating on cheap sunglasses may wear off over time. Certain color lenses or cheap plastic may also distort your view causing eye strain. Still other types of lenses may cause your pupils to dilate, without blocking the harmful rays, thereby causing even more damage than if you weren't wearing shades at all. Yikes!
So now I'm beginning to rethink the whole cheap sunglasses thing. Maybe I should invest in one great pair of mid-priced shades and just be more careful with them. You could always find designer shades for less at Overstock.com or Bluefly.com, too. Cool shades that fit your face can really up your style quotient, too, so if you find an amazing pair, by all means. You'll wear them for years.
But getting back to the UV protection: My advice is that if you're doing sports, especially water sports or skiing, invest in some high-quality reputable shades just to be safe. And if you're going to be spending a lot of time in the sun and out on the beach, again, you may want to pony up a couple extra bucks for shades you can have more confidence in. But if it's purely a fashion statement you're after, stick to the cheap & chic.
Which do you think is better? Cheap shades or designer sunglasses?
unless you have some random guy on the street corner of Italy telling you the 10 dollar sunglasses hes making you buy has the protection =)
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=150406
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1c867c77-9612-42af-80ad-a700865bef2f
http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/06/12/do-designer-sunglasses-give-better-uv-protection-than-cheap-ones/
I think you should choose shades that offer your the right protection, fit your face, and that you LOVE enough to actually keep them around and actually care if you sit on them or destroy them.
I'm trying to move away from an attitude where everything is always replaceable, and if that means I spend an extra $20 to know I'll care, I"ll do it.
there's no reason that $10 pair of sunglasses you like can't last a long time if you take care of them properly.