Stu
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2002
- Messages
- 2,323
- Reaction score
- 16
I might be a victim of marketing hype, but I can assure you that I've had $10 sunglasses and I've had $270 Maui Jims and my eyes notice a huge difference. Again, we are talking tropical sun, blinding sandy beaches, etc. things that really put shades to a test.Dollar Store will do fine.
I developed advertising for a sunglass maker in the mid Nineties, and was briefed by an overly frank optics engineer.
Basically, ANY glass, polycarbonate, Â or CR-39 acrylic lens with a light transmission in the 10-14% range gives you the same level of UV A and UV B protection. In fact, clear glass lenses aren't much worse-- that's why you can't get a suntan driving around with your car windows closed-- because glass blocks UV very effectively.
So it all comes down to fashion. The Dollar Store sunglasses protect just as well.
That said, I wear RayBan Wayfarers-- because they look good on me.
The thing about my Maui Jims is that my eyes feel at ease. No strain, just a natural feeling. $10 sunglasses tend to give me headaches.