How to choose the right sunglasses?

Summer or winter, in the city or at the beach, sunglasses protect your eyes and complete your look. How to choose them? Canopéa reviews the technical and aesthetic criteria to help you choose your next sunglasses.

Sunglasses: what does the CE mark on the frame mean? From souvenir shops to fast fashion stores, including markets, sunglasses can be found almost everywhere. Since 1995, a European standard has required the CE mark on frames. Products bearing this mark filter 99% of UVA and 99.9% of UVB. Unfortunately, since this marking is easily falsified, it does not provide any real assurance of the quality of the product. Be wary of glasses sold on the sly, especially by street vendors.

Sunglasses: 5 protection indices A common misconception is that the more tinted a lens is, the more UV protection it provides. Lens tint actually has nothing to do with UV protection. The function of tinted lenses is to protect against glare, not UV. Some prescription lenses, as well as most contact lenses, although completely transparent, have a UV filter. Sunglasses are classified into 5 categories, ranging from 0 to 4, from the lightest to the darkest lenses. These categories allow you to adapt your sunglasses to the weather conditions and your activities:

• category 0: little protection, aesthetic interest above all, usable in winter;
• category 1: low sunshine, grey weather, cloud cover;
• category 2: sunny location, for use in town;
• category 3: strong sunshine, to be preferred in summer and for outdoor activities (holidays, sea, mountains, winter sports, etc.);
• Category 4: extreme sunlight, especially in cases of intense reflections (mountaineering, glaciers, walks in high mountains and at sea). These heavily tinted glasses should not be worn for driving.

What color lenses for your sunglasses? Lens color is not just a matter of taste; some colors are more suited to your needs than others. Pink and blue lenses have no protective role, modify the perception of colors and can interfere with driving; their function is therefore purely aesthetic. Brown lenses are well suited to myopia, green to hyperopia, gray is suitable for everyone and is particularly recommended for athletes (golf, cycling, running, tennis). Yellow lenses enhance contrasts and reliefs. They are suitable in low light, especially for night driving. An ideal frame for each face shape Every year, fashion imposes particular shapes of glasses. Being fashionable may be tempting, but it is better to have a frame adapted to the shape of your face, rather than a trendy model that will not enhance you enough. If your face is round, you can reinforce this aspect by choosing glasses that are also round, or on the contrary, play on contrasts by adopting a frame with angular shapes. If your face is square or rectangular, you can soften it by adopting an oval frame, or accentuate its character with glasses with geometric shapes, such as cat eyes or butterfly, for example. For long faces, choosing round or oval shapes will round it out. If your face is oval, you no longer have to ask yourself any questions; all shapes are suitable. If your face is small, thin and discreet glasses will avoid drowning your face behind your frame. Large frames are better suited to thick hair. If, on the other hand, you wear short hair, or a hairstyle that shows off your face, avoid large frames that would take on too much importance.

For children, sunglasses are essential For your child, sunglasses are as essential for their eyes as sunscreen is for their skin. Up to the age of 12, the lens of toddlers is not yet fully formed and must be put under high protection. Children's eyes are much more sensitive to UV rays than those of adults. Before the age of one, the retina absorbs 90% of UVA and 50% of UVB rays. Before the age of 12, 60% of UVA and 25% of UVB rays. It is only from the age of 25 that the lens is formed and blocks a large part of UV rays. Toddlers should not be exposed to the sun. When going out, wearing a hat will protect their eyes and skin. Around 6-8 months, when your baby can sit up, you can equip them with their first pair of sunglasses. Preferably buy them from an optician, to be sure that they are really protective. The specialist will also be able to give you advice on how to preserve your child's visual capital.