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Eyewear: Protecting your vision
Eye protection is a vital part of your outdoor experience, whether you’re walking down the street, shredding it up at the resort or racing down some single-track. A bad lens can create a number of problems, not the least of which is strain and deteriorating vision from regular use. We understand eye needs at The Alpineer and want to make sure you get in the right frame so you can thoroughly enjoy the pleasures (or tortures!) of being outside.
What to Consider
There are 4 main things to look for when you’re buying sunglasses. They're all tied into the final decision, though, so be sure to consider all aspects. • Lens material • Lens color/tint • Frame material • Purpose
Lenses
Although any eye protection is better than no eye protection, consider the kind of lens you get since the lens filters the ultraviolet rays (UV) that damage your eyesight. Look for a lens that “provides at least 98% protection from both UVA and UVB rays” (www.allaboutvision.com). It’s also a good idea to choose a frame that wraps around a bit, as sunlight bursts through the side of the frames as well.
MATERIAL Lenses come in two materials: glass or plastic. Glass is naturally transparent to UV rays so is not going to provide great protection unless it is treated (like Smith's Techlite lens). Additionally, glass is heavier than plastic and is more likely to shatter or break on impact. On the plus side, glass provides better optical clarity and is resistant to scratching. Plastic is the preferred lens, especially for highly active folks. It’s lighter than glass, relatively shatterproof and nearly unbreakable. In the plastic family, you have acrylic, polycarbonate and CR-39. Polycarbonate is the lightest and most shatterproof of them all. It’s about a third of the weight of acrylic, but it’s also more expensive. CR-39 is common in many mid-range and expensive lines due to its overall lightness and scratch resistance. It has a low transparency of UV and infrared radiation as well. Acrylic is the least burly of the plastics but is still about 17% lighter than glass.
VISUAL LIGHT TRANSMISSION (VLT) Visual light transmission is “the ratio of the amount of total visible solar energy…that is allowed to pass through a filter, to the amount of total solar energy falling on the filter” (www.sgia.org). The lower the percentage, the less visible solar energy is passing through your lens. On bright, sunny days, you want a lens with a low percentage. On flat, cloudy, grey days, you'll want a lens with a higher percentage.
TINTS Lens tints can numb the brain. The most common colors are grey, brown, rose (and rose copper) and yellow to some extent. We’ll touch upon those because they cover the most ground of uses.
	Grey is a good all-around lens that allows colors to be seen in their most natural, visible state. Your basic grey lens offer 15% visible light transmission (12% for polarized). Only blue mirror and most polarized lenses offer smaller VLT. Brown is a different good all-around lens. It offers 18% VLT (14% polarized brown) and is a great choice for sunny days and mild overcast conditions. It provides good depth perception, which is often essential in sports. Brown has a softening effect on the eye, reducing strain. Rose copper (also RC30) combines rose and copper tints to increase depth perception and reduce glare. It is not specifically polarized, but it reduces reflection a bit better than grey and brown. RC30 offers 30% VLT. If you see RC36, it’ll offer 36% VLT. (Polarized RC22 offers 22% VLT.) Rose in its own state is a lighter lens with 59% VLT. It’s not meant to block rays on a bright, sunny day. This one works in flat light and brings out detail and contrast. Yellow is a popular one on the slopes. It’s not the best on bright sunny days, but since a sunny day can quickly turn to snow, yellow does about the best job possible of increasing visual acuity in low or flat light. It can bring out the definition of a bump on the cat track or provide better outlines for the moguls ahead of you. VLT on yellow is 68% (polarized it’s 31%). Polarization blocks 99.9% of reflective glare in addition to increasing a lens’ VLT
Frames
For the most part, we carry sunglasses with nylon or metal frames. Nylon in general is light, flexible and can bend a bit and return to its original shape. Metal is rigid and perhaps more prone to damage from accidents. They’re also cold if the mercury drops! Grilamid TR90 is a type of nylon you might see frequently. It is a homopolyamide nylon with an extremely high bending strength, low density and a high resistance to chemical and UV damage.
Purpose
We know you’re buying sunglasses to protect your eyes. But what’s the overall purpose? Style? Work? Driving? Sports? If you’re looking with a specific purpose in mind, this will help you decide what to get.
STYLE Stylish shades might include the Smith Audrey, made for the starlet to hide her identity and create an aura of mystery. There’s the popular Smith Method in a variety of frame colors as well. With its curved design, you block sun coming at you from the sides. There’s also the metal Smith MHC, reminiscent of Steve McQeen in a race car. We carry an extensive line of Suncloud since Smith bought the company, but Suncloud had a reputation for inexpensive, quality shades well before the purchase. For day-to-day wear, try the Suncloud Hook or King, with a slight wrap form and strong shape. The Suncloud Mixer is a good one as well, projecting a sleek, smooth look to the world. On the small side, we like the Suncloud Tess for the ladies.
SWEAT-GENERATING ACTIVITY OR WATER SPORTS Sunglasses just don’t stay on your face when you sweat or when you’re getting sprayed with water. Sure they’ll stay secure with a retainer, but sometimes a retainer is neither comfortable nor practical. To get your shades to stick, look for styles with hydrophilic rubber pads on the temples, the nose bridge or both. Hydrophilic rubber works with moisture to create a sticky surface, making the rubber adhere to your skin. And it’s quite comfortable. Most of Smith’s interchangeable lens styles have this feature, because the styles lend themselves to adapting to a variety of outdoor sports. The Smith Theory has been a popular choice as has the Smith Sequel. For small faces, the Smith Toaster has been a good one for the ladies.
INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES Smith pioneered the interchangeable frame in 1995 and continues to hold a significant corner on that market. Offering a wide array of styles and shapes, the Smith Catalyst is a cool cat-eye shape. And the Smith Theory gives you a sleek, lightweight frame to keep your comfort level high. The interchangeables took a new turn with the Smith Interlock system. The temple twists to open the frame so you can change the lens. It’s a bit more secure and offers a frame that doesn’t look like an interchangeable. We carry three models. The Interlock 01 is the smallest shape and fits small to medium faces. The Interlock Trace has a squarer frame and might crossover as an all-around frame. And the Interlock Whisper suits the larger face, with a wider frame and bigger lens.
Go to our Eyewear page to shop!
updated: 10/22/07