 |
|
 |
|
|  |
Functionally speaking, shades are SPORTIER than ever. But they're much more interesting to behold. Shades makers are getting devilishly clever at delivering wrap-back lenses, which mimic the curvature of the eye surface, in packages that look less and less like the aggro bug-eyed wraps that were all the rage in the 1990s.
1) Shades tend to break at THE HINGES. Make sure yours can take it. Primo hinges are spring-loaded metal..
>> back to the top
2) Trick features don't mean a thing if the shades don't FIT your one-of-a-kind noggin, protecting your eyes from light and wind—not just straight ahead, but high, low, and to the sides. The only way to know is to check them out... thoroughly.
>> back to the top
3) Most for-real sport glasses have LENSES made of safe, light, shatterproof PLASTIC—a.k.a. polycarbonate or any number of techy-sounding proprietary names. This is the only way to go if your sports of choice involve the risk of getting smacked in the face.
Speed junkies and outdoorsmen should go with WARM TINTS—brown, orange, red—which improve depth and detail perception. Cool, color-neutral tints—GRAYS and GRAY-GREENS—are easier on eyes around town but flatten the view.
>> back to the top
4) Don't settle for less than 100 percent UV PROTECTION. Visible-light block: 75 to 90 percent is ideal.
>> back to the top
5) The major argument for GLASS is optical superiority, which isn't as evident as it used to be. Glass is more scratch-resistant, too.
POLARIZING FILTERS, which reduce glare off "planar" surfaces, are a cheap ($20-$30) and increasingly common option. Buy up, by all means. Such surfaces—water, ice, interstates, cars, buildings—are pretty much everywhere.
>> back to the top
6) Join the party, four-eyes: More manufacturers will make PRESCRIPTION shades straight from your eye doctor'sorders.
>> back to the top
7) Frames should firmly, but not painfully, HOLD THE HEAD—especially important when you play rough. The harder and sweatier you recreate, the more you need strategically placed hydrophobic rubber patches.
>> back to the top
|
|
|
|
