Archive for the ‘Sunglasses’ category

Choosing a Pair of Sunglasses for Your Sports

October 13th, 2010

In modern cities, people are leading a fast-paced life. As most of their time is occupied by work, they nearly have no time to do some exercise. To our delight, they understand the meaning of sports. They can go out to do outside activities with friends on weekends. But imagine that it is a shining day and you are playing baseballs, tennis or others in the direct sunlight. Can your eyes adapt to the situation?

In order to resolve the problem, a pair of sports sunglasses is indispensable. Someone may feel confused: How can I do sports with glasses? It’s not convenient. Actually, you haven’t needed to worry about it. The designers have already designed sunglasses especially for sportsmen or sportswomen. The sports sunglasses can be variable, such as baseball sunglasses, tennis sunglasses and cycling sunglasses.

Sunglasses will provide you with the ability to see everything clearly – without the sun, glare, or any other factors distorting the clarity of your eyesight. When picking out a pair of sun glasses for your sports, you can enjoy the sports to the greatest extent.

Sports sunglasses are suitable for games played in the strong sunlight. When you plant to choose a pair of comfortable sunglasses, the tints of lenses need to be considered very carefully. It is best to use clear lenses which have an anti-reflective coating to offset or absorb the glare of bright stadium lights. For instance, baseball players sometimes use sunglasses with yellow lenses for outdoor game.

Another aspect of the importance of wearing sports sunglasses is their ability to shield players from serious injury. In fact, figures from the National Society to Prevent Blindness show that thousands of injuries were caused directly or indirectly by playing games outside. Many of the injuries were inflicted on players’ eyes when something like the ball would hit them.

If you would like to do sports like baseball, tennis and cycling when you are free, you can also own a pair of sports sunglasses. It is not exclusive to athletes. Based on your taste and choose a pair of fashionable sunglasses.

Do the Children Need to Wear Sunglasses?

October 12th, 2010

An expected summer holiday is coming. To many students, it is a pleasant thing. They needn’t concentrate on doing homework all the time. They can have a wonderful holiday finally.

At the time of the year, many families are planning their summer vacation. After deciding where to go, they start to get ready for the necessaries they need. They realize that there must be many outside activities during their tour. And they prepare hats, sunblock and sun umbrellas for their children. They also prepare a pair of sunglasses for themselves, but forget their children’s. Actually, hats or sunblock alone will not protect your children totally from the sun and the harmful UV rays. In other words, children also need a pair of comfortable sunglasses.

According to many experts, our eyes get 80 percent of their total lifetime exposure to the sun’s UV rays by age 18. And excessive exposure to UV radiation has proved to be linked to the development of cataracts and other eye diseases. The main factor is that children’s eyes are more susceptible to UV than the adults’ eyes because the lenses inside young eyes are less capable of filtering these high-energy rays. Also, be aware that your children’s exposure to UV rays increases at high altitudes, in tropical locales and in highly reflective environments (such as in a snowfield, on the water or on a sandy beach).

So it’s a wise choice for kids to wear protective sunglasses as soon as they begin playing in direct sunlight. Of course, children don’t how to look for a good selection of sunglasses. Parents should go together with their children. The best places to find children’s sunglasses are the sunglasses specialty stores like Sunglass Hut and your local optical shop. The experienced opticians can do an exam for your children’s eyes and provide the suitable sunglasses with them. Meanwhile, optician will explain the benefits of the sunglasses and how to take good care of them.

If you are too busy to have enough time, why not do it online? Cheap reading designer sunglasses from Firmoo.com will make you enjoy excellent service. And special frame materials and styles designed for rough activities are available as well for children’s sports eyewear and sunglasses.

Corrosion-resistant and lightweight titanium sunglasses

September 2nd, 2010

Sunglasses are a must-have for many people in each summer. Due to the increasingly serious damage to the ozone layer, protecting the eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays becomes more and more critical and necessary. Sunwear frame is absolutely an important factor that may determine the overall quality and related features. Today, sunwear manufacturers are allowed to take use of traditional and modern plastics and metals, as well as rarely used materials like horn, wood and even precious stone. Eyeglasses and sunglasses made of wood and horn frames are to some extent widespread. But the mainstream is still occupied by plastic and metal frames. Making a brief comparison, plastics and metals have their own pros and cons. Customers would resort to specific items according to their own needs. However, there is a trend in sunwear industry that some superior metals are favored by an increasingly number of people. And titanium sunglasses are exactly one of the items.

The increase in popularity gained by metal sunwear frames is mainly contributed by their untraditional feature named lightness. From a traditional perspective, only plastics like zyl and nylon are lightweight and customers expecting fewer burdens on the nose would choose a plastic frame. And those metal frames are traditional thought to be too heavy to afford. It is true that some manufacturers produced bronze frames or frames made of heavy alloys in the past. But the current situation is that metals frames no longer have inappropriate weight. Titanium sunglasses, stainless steel sunglasses, memory metal sunglasses and aluminum sunglasses all feature lightness. And these new forms of metal frames still bring another category of benefits.

In explaining the second point, titanium sunglasses are a good example. A unique benefit offered by a titanium frame is corrosion-resistance. Sunglasses are very likely to be used in a humid environment like on a beach or boat. Keeping sunwear corrosion-resistant is quite necessary. No metal is born to be resistant to corrosion. And in fact, titanium and beta-titanium used in sunwear frames are alloys. They have also wide applications in other industries, ranging from Gemini and Apollo space capsules to medical implants.

Mild and dramatic forms of funny sunglasses

August 25th, 2010

Sunglass and eyeglass designers always work hard to make their products appear in various ways. Providing a wide variety of eyewear styles can maximize the satisfaction of customers with different tastes. One special category of products in the sunwear world is funny sunglasses. It is easy to understand that they refer to sunwear products that look funny and cute. Creating such an effect relies mainly on the frame shape or structure. Sunglasses are largely a unique form of accessory and thus allow free and bold designs. Their frames can take use of any possible shape. Of course, various colors have been widely applied to sunglass lenses in recent years. The utilization of attractive colors certain enhances sunwear charm, but they are not directly associated with a funny look. Currently, funny sun glasses coming in funny shapes are available in quite a wide variety. They can be either mild or dramatic.

Funny sunglasses are available in lots of mild designs. Heart shaped sunglasses have been brought into existence for many years. Taking this style brings the look of love into the wearer’s eyes. And in most cases, a red color will be applied to the frame. Cat eye sunglasses have a frame that is similar in shape to a cat’s eye. These items were quite popular in 1950s in the United States. And now they appear as a type of retro sunglasses. Mr 50s black sunglasses are now commonly thought to be funny, even they were once a time considered as a formal style. 60s gold rimmed round novelty sunglasses are sold also as retro sunwear. Their appearance is quite unique and cute.

A funny look can also be created by some dramatic sunglasses that use unusual shapes. Funny sunglasses of this type perform well especially in special festivals or parties. In some cases, they are called party sunglasses. Margarita party sunglasses use drink shaped frame and the lenses are normally made with appropriate UV protection. They will bring exciting entertainment during celebration parties. Another example is Happy Birthday sunglasses, which have small candles on top of the frame. Designers of funny sun glasses have made many other funny frames available.

Materials for metal sunglasses

August 24th, 2010

Frame material is quite critical that it should be carefully considered by every customer while shopping for eyeglasses, sunglasses or protective glasses. Prescription eyeglasses, UV sunglasses and safety goggles are generally for different purposes and vary in frame and lens designs. For instance, these different eyewear types may use regularly different lens and frame materials since related customers have specific requirements. Protective goggles do have particular requirements on frame material that regular plastics are seldom utilized. Compared with regular prescription eyeglasses used in an indoor environment, UV sunglasses also impose their own requirement on this factor. A phenomenon that proves this extra requirement is that metal sunglasses are more popularly seen than plastic sunglasses. There are some brands that exclusively use metal frames in producing sunglasses, such as Ray Ban Aviator.

The superiority of metal frames over plastic frames is rooted that sunglasses usually have large lenses which require a strong frame. Making a comparison between regular metals and plastics, sunwear designers and manufacturers may naturally find that the first group features better strength. This briefly explains that leading role gained by metal sunglasses in the current market. Metals like titanium, beryllium, stainless steel, Flexon and aluminum all have the property of strength, thus being able to hold the large sunglass lenses in place. In contrast, plastics ranging from cellulose acetate, zylonite to propionate can hardly be strong. This is the biggest shortcoming that prevents plastics from being widely applied in the sunwear industry.

Metal sunglasses can benefit from several advanced materials which feature strength and other advantages. Stainless steel is an alloy that is hypoallergenic, lightweight and strong. In particular, this material used in sunglass frames can be corrosion-resistant. This attribute is unparalleled by other materials. Titanium is also a good material for sunwear frames. It has similar features to stainless steel. The popularity of memory metal can not be overstated. In fact, both eyeglass and sunglass frames take use of this new form of metal widely. The extreme flexibility offered by memory metal is incomparable by other metals.

Possible benefits of wearing plastic sunglasses

August 22nd, 2010

Plastic eyewear frames have a traditional negative image in some people’s mind. There are some conventional drawbacks associated with plastic sunglasses and eyeglasses. For example, these frames are more fragile than metal frames under external impact. Even if they are not easily ignited, plastic frames may burn after a long period of sunlight exposure. In addition, long-term sunlight exposure may also lead to a decrease in frame strength. Well, it is possible to point out a couple of other reports on plastic frames’ shortcomings. An opposite side is that metal sunglasses are prevailing. Titanium, stainless steel, aluminum and memory metal have been widely used to make eyeglass and sunglass frames. And it seems that these advanced forms of metals tend to replace gradually those traditional plastics. But the current fact is that plastic frames and metal frames develop generally in parallel.

The current status or proportion maintained by plastic sunglasses in this market is well founded. And most people may suppose that plastic sunwear frames have their own features or advantages. This is the emphasis of this article. It is the plastics’ natural properties that help these materials maintain their popularity in lots of industries including the eyewear industry. The first priority should be given to lightness, which is an attribute claimed by nearly all types of plastics, varying from zyl, cellulose acetate propionate to nylon. This feature or advantage is a common place among all plastics. Sunglasses are usually used in an outdoor environment. Lightness is an important contribution, especially to performance or sports sunglasses. It is true that metals like titanium, beryllium, stainless steel and aluminum also claim lightness. However, they are lightweight only compared with traditional metals like iron, bronze or gold. Plastics are unbeatable in this aspect.

Another point that helps plastics gain the current status in the sunwear industry is their flexibility in color application. Plastic sunglasses can be easily found in various colors like green, orange, red, purple and any other. In contrast, metal sunglasses are generally disappointing in color provisioning. The reason is that plastics are easier to be tinted than metals. In regular, colors are applied to the surface of plastics or metals. Yet most plastics also allow a color mix-up in them.

What are gradient tint sunglasses?

August 17th, 2010

In the market filled with diverse products, it is nearly impossible to find a pair of sunglasses with clear lenses. Almost all sunglasses come with tinted lenses in different ways. That is for sure that UV protection is the key function provided by sunglasses. And in fact the degree of UV protection is determined by the lens material used and some additional lens treatments. Various tints only determine the darkness of the lenses. But this factor does not determine directly the capability of UV protection the lenses have. With this explanation, some people may wonder that why these lens tints are so popularly used, like a rose, a yellow tint, green tints and gradient tint sunglasses. Remember that different tints have specific degrees of darkness, which determine the amount of sunlight that is allowed to pass the lenses.

There are generally two ways to tint sunglass lenses. Some manufacturers add a substance such as metal oxide to the lens material during lens production. The other way is more popular that surface application allows a wide variety of tints and creates different darkness across the lenses. Most sunglass lenses are tinted in the second way, including gradient tint sunglasses. The intensity or darkness of a tint is expressed as a percentage of the light that is allowed to reach the eyes. It is well-known that sunglasses are used for different purposes, ranging from pure fashion enjoyment to outdoor sports. A fashion tint usually blocks 10-20% of sunlight. Outdoor activities and daytime driving require related lens tints to have an intensity ranging from 70-80%. 90% tints are suitable for sports like climbing and snow skiing.

Among all types of tinted sunglasses, gradient tint sunglasses are quite special that they have different degrees of darkness from the top to the bottom. Rose tint sunglasses, gray tint sunglasses and some others all use tinted lenses that have a uniform darkness across the entire lens. Dissimilarly, a gradient tinted lens has a dark tint at the top, and fades gradually to little or no tint at the bottom. This design allows the lens to block more sunlight coming from above, without blocking too much light from straight ahead or below. A variation of this design is double gradient tint lens, which has a darker tint at the top and bottom, and a medium tint in the center part.

Target users of bendable sunglasses

August 11th, 2010

Sunglasses are an important accessory during an outdoor activity, sport or just a regular entertainment. Regardless of the detailed usage circumstances, one point is undeniable that sunwear products usually function in outdoor environments. Another associated point is that active individuals like professional athletes and sports amateurs are more likely to use a pair of sunshades. Of course, people wandering around the streets may also take sunglasses as an accessory. But for people who spend much time in doing outdoor activities or sports, sunglasses mean a lot in terms of eye protection provisioning. Yet it is also important to make sure the sunwear can last long even under regular usage. This reasonable requirement makes bendable sunglasses a natural choice. Today, bendable sunwear is very popularly because of its unusual flexibility.

Sometimes called memory metal sunglasses, these products can be twisted, bended like a pretzel but they will go back to the original shape. Contributed by this advanced feature, these glasses are less likely to break or bend up, leading hardly to any adjustments. Of course, bendable sunglasses take a little longer time to make the original adjustment during production. After forming the original shape, bendable sunglasses can maintain the shape for a much longer time than frames made of other materials. This flexibility makes memory metal sunglasses quite durable and more resistant to accidental bending or twisting. However, it is unadvisable to just twist bendable frames only for fun, because they can be definitely broken. Moreover, some models use plastic temples or semi-rimless styles.

The above precious capability makes these bendable sunglasses particularly suitable for active children and sports enthusiasts. Where does this capability come from? In fact, the frames are made of a shape memory alloy, which can remember its original, cold-forged shape. This material is now widely used by several eyewear manufacturers like Marchon and Nike in their products. Furthermore, this alloy contains a famous ingredient called titanium, bringing additional features like lightweight, hypoallergenic and corrosion-resistant.

Purple sunglasses and orange sunglasses

August 9th, 2010

Purple sunglasses and orange sunglasses are just two types of colored sunglasses. These unusually colored sunglasses are mostly designed for fashion, especially for women. They offer both UV protections as ordinary sunglasses and prevailing color enjoyment as a specialty. Purple sunglasses and orange sunglasses are both provided in various types and brands.

Purple sunglasses can be purple frame sunglasses and purple lens sunglasses as well as their combination. Like blue, green and violet sunglasses, purple sunglasses belong to the cool-colored type so that suit people with warm skin, hair and eyes.

Ray Ban Wayfare purple sunglasses have been long-existed. One recent style that resembles Wayfare purple is Dita. Dita purple sunglasses have varying shades of purple from their “lavendar crystal” materials. These sunglasses are manufactured with modern designs and have tiny logos. All of their frames are hand-made in Japan with the highest quality materials. Other brands also provide purple sunglasses, such as Electric, Anon, Smith etc…

Orange sunglasses are also available in orange frame sunglasses and orange lens sunglasses. These sunglasses are opposite to purple sunglasses in coloring. They fall into warm colors. Orange sunglasses with orange tints can heighten contrast in overcast, hazy, low-light conditions outdoors.

The brand Kirra offers several types of orange sunglasses, including Kirra Neon model and Kirra Retro Splatter model. The Retro Splatter orange sunglasses are made of orange frames and dark tint lenses.

Purple sunglasses and orange sunglasses have always been good accessories for fashionable women in summer.

Rimmed sunglasses offer maximum protection

August 9th, 2010

Prescription eyeglass users are currently allowed to select a pair of full-frame, semi-rimless and rimless glasses. These three styles have respective pros and cons. Partial-rimmed eyeglasses and those without a rim may bring a more attractive look, but they are delicate and easy to be broken. It is widely known that the sunwear industry allows more innovative and bold designs. Since half-frame design has been long around in the prescription eyewear world, sunwear designers will also apply it to their products. Till now, both rimmed sunglasses and half-rim sunglasses are widely available. These two forms are quite similar in frame structure to related styles in prescription eyeglasses. Some people may wonder that why rimless sunglasses can hardly be found, when half-rim sunglasses have gained a certain degree of popularity.

Well, sunwear designs are largely limited by the essential features of these products. The most important and traditional point of developing sunglasses is to gain eye protection against UV rays. The lenses over the eyes are the key part which offers this protection. Only the covered part of the eyes will be under such protection. The situation in prescription eyeglasses is quite different that by seeing through the lenses proper vision correction will be present. Due to this essential feature of sunwear, all designers try to enable their products to shield the wearers’ eyes as much as possible. A common and natural design is to use large frame and lenses. And only rimmed sunglasses are able to hold the big lenses firmly.

Sunglasses in a rimmed design have been the mainstream in this industry for many years. Sunwear designers usually use a full frame to wrap around the large lenses, covering closely a maximum part of the eyes. This full-rimmed design is nearly the sole player in the protective sunwear world. Protective rimmed sunglasses are now widely used in circumstances involving balls, racquets or flying objects. Protective sunglasses must be strongly impact-resistant. From the lens perspective, polycarbonate is the most popular material used to make protective sunglasses. Moreover, a full-rimmed frame design is equally important. Only a full frame can achieve maximum impact resistance.