Pair of Sunglasses are not only a fashion accessory but also a necessity for protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays. However, not all sunglasses are created equal. The quality and price of sunglasses lenses can vary widely and affect how well they protect your eyes and how comfortable they are to wear. That’s why we have the cheap and expensive sunglasses categories. Now, we will explore some factors of expensive sunglasses and why you should invest in high-quality sunglasses.
What makes a pair of expensive sunglasses?
UV Protection
The main purpose of wearing sunglasses is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which can harm your vision and cause serious health issues like cataracts, macular degeneration, and even skin cancer around your eyes. However, not all sunglasses lenses offer the same level of protection. Some factors that determine the effectiveness of sunglasses lenses are:
UV Protection: This is the ability of the lenses to block both UVA and UVB rays, which are invisible rays of sunlight that can damage your eyes. You should look for sunglasses that offer 100% protection against both UVA and UVB rays, or UV 400 protection, which is the industry standard for ultraviolet ray protection.
Lens Coatings: This is the layer of material applied to the lenses to enhance their performance and appearance. Some lens coatings that can improve the UV protection of sunglasses lenses are anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, anti-fog, or mirror coatings.
- Expensive sunglasses lenses usually have a high-quality UV coating that blocks 99% or more UVA and UVB rays. This coating is also more durable and lasts longer than cheap sunglasses lenses. This means expensive sunglasses can shield your eyes from the sun’s damage.
- However, cheap sunglasses lenses may not block enough UV rays or may lose their UV coating over time due to wear and tear. This means that wearing cheap sunglasses can be worse than wearing no sunglasses, as they can trick your eyes into dilating more and letting in more UV rays.
Lens Material
Another factor between cheap and expensive sunglasses is lens material. Different materials have different properties, such as durability, resistance to scratches, cracks, and breaks, weight, and optical quality. The most common materials for sunglasses lenses are plastic, acrylic, glass, and polycarbonate.
- Expensive sunglasses lenses are usually made of glass or polycarbonate, which are more durable and resistant to scratches, cracks, and breaks. These materials also have better optical quality, meaning they can provide clearer vision, enhance colors, reduce glare, and improve contrast. This can make it easier for you to see and enjoy the scenery around you, as well as prevent eye strain and headaches.
- On the other hand, cheap sunglasses lenses are usually made of plastic or acrylic, which are lightweight and inexpensive materials. Plastic and acrylic lenses are prone to scratching, cracking, and breaking, which can impair your vision and damage your eyes. Moreover, cheap sunglasses lenses often have poor optical quality, meaning they can distort colors, create glare, and reduce contrast. This can make it harder for you to see clearly and cause eye strain and headaches.
Optical Quality
Optical quality is the next factor. This is the clarity and accuracy of the lenses in transmitting light and images to your eyes. Optical quality affects how well you can see colors, contrast, and details through sunglasses. Poor optical quality can distort your vision, create glare, and reduce contrast, which can make it harder for you to see clearly and cause eye strain and headaches.
- Expensive sunglasses lenses have better optical quality, meaning they can provide clearer vision, enhance colors, reduce glare, and improve contrast. This is because expensive sunglasses lenses are usually made of high-quality materials that have a smooth and uniform shape and thickness. These materials can transmit the light that passes through the lenses without bending or scattering them, resulting in considerably better quality materials in sharp and accurate vision.
- Clearly, cheap sunglasses lenses often have poor optical quality, meaning they can distort colors, create glare, and reduce contrast. This is because cheap sunglasses lenses are usually made of low-quality materials that have imperfections or irregularities in their shape or thickness. These defects can bend or scatter the light that passes through the lenses, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
Frame Materials
This is the substance that the frames are made of. Different materials have different properties, such as durability, comfort, fit, and style. The most common materials for sunglasses frames are metal and plastic.
- Expensive designer sunglasses and frames of luxury brands are often made of high-quality materials that are sturdy and comfortable. The higher quality frame material can last longer and maintain its shape better. They may also have smooth edges and soft surfaces that can feel pleasant on your skin. Moreover, expensive sunglasses frames may be designed to fit your face shape better or may offer different sizes and styles for different face shapes.
- While low-end materials are flimsy and uncomfortable. They may break easily or lose their shape over time. A cheap pair may have sharp edges or rough surfaces that irritate your skin or cause allergic reactions. Moreover, many cheap glasses or sunglasses frames may not suit your face shape or may be too big or too small for your face.
Tint Quality
The last factor is tint quality. This is the color and intensity of the lenses that affect how much light they filter out. Different tints have different effects on your vision and mood. For example, brown tints can enhance contrast and depth perception, while blue tints can reduce glare and eye fatigue.
- Expensive sunglasses lenses provide a tint to enhance your vision. They offer optimal light filtering, depending on the category of the lenses (from 0 to 3), ensuring your visibility. They also have uniform and consistent tints that can match from one lens to another and from one part of the lens to another. This can result in color enhancement and balanced vision.
- You won’t find this in cheap sunglasses lenses that offer a tint that might obscure your vision. They may not filter out enough light, or they may filter out too much light, affecting your visibility. They may also have uneven or inconsistent tints that can vary from one lens to another or from one part of the lens to another. This can result in color distortion or mismatched vision.
Why are a pair of sunglasses expensive?
You may wonder why some sunglasses are so expensive compared to others. The price of sunglasses depends on several factors, such as the brand name, the frame style, the lens material, the lens coatings, and the optical quality. Expensive sunglasses tend to have higher quality and performance in all these aspects than cheap sunglasses. Some factors of expensive sunglasses:
- Reputable and designer brands: Expensive pairs of sunglasses have a long history and a loyal customer base. These brands invest a lot of time and money in research and development, design and innovation, marketing and advertising, and customer service. They also have strict quality control and testing standards to ensure their products meet their expectations and satisfy customers.
- Design: Expensive pairs of sunglasses also have more sophisticated and stylish frame designs that can appeal to different tastes and preferences. They may use premium materials such as titanium, stainless steel, wood, or acetate for their frames, which are more durable and comfortable than cheap materials such as plastic or metal. They may also offer different sizes and styles for different face shapes or even customize their frames to fit your specific measurements.
- Better lenses: Expensive sunglasses have better lenses that can protect your eyes from the sun and enhance your vision. They may use advanced materials such as glass or polycarbonate for their lenses, which are more resistant to scratches, cracks, and breaks than cheap materials such as plastic or acrylic. They may also apply various lens coatings such as anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, anti-fog, or mirror coatings to improve the performance and appearance of their lenses. They may also offer different tints and categories for their lenses, depending on your needs and preferences.
- Higher optical quality: You cannot find higher optical quality in cheaper sunglasses. A pair of expensive sunglass can provide clearer vision, enhance colors, reduce glare, and improve contrast through their lenses. They can also avoid distortion or mismatched vision that can result from low-quality lenses. They can also ensure that their lenses block 100% of UVA and UVB rays or offer UV 400 protection.
Conclusion
Sunglasses are not only a fashion accessory but also a necessity for protecting your eyes from harmful UV light. We hope this blog post can help you have a perfect choice that can protect your eyes from the sun, enhance your vision, and improve your comfort and appearance.
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