You may already know that sunglasses aren’t just for summer. They’re a year-round must-have for protecting your eyes from the damaging effects of sunlight. (Though wearing them at night is a personal call.)

So, when it comes to something you’ll wear a lot, make sure you pick a quality pair. Here are five tips for picking the perfect shades.

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1. Choose the Right Size

Bigger is better when it comes to sunglasses. Opt for something a little more oversized compared to what you might choose for eyeglasses. The extra coverage gives you more UV protection. Plus, bigger, bolder frames are what give sunglasses their cool factor.

If you want even more coverage, consider wraparound frames that also shade your peripheral vision.

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2. Find Your Flair

Here’s a little insider secret to why sunglasses are so fun to shop for and wear: Face shape doesn’t really matter. That’s right. As much as we guide you to finding the right frame based on your face shape for eyeglasses, with sunglasses, the rules don’t apply.

How can that be? With eyeglasses, where your eye falls within the frame affects how the glasses look on your face. But since the dark lenses of sunglasses hide the eyes, this frees you to find a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.

Embrace the freedom and have fun exploring new styles.

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3. Pick a Lens Tint

Once you’ve decided on the frame, consider the lens color. Your first choice is to go with the manufacturer’s lens or add a custom-colored XP Health lens.

Manufacturer Lenses

If you go with the manufacturer’s lens, lens color choice is usually more limited. And UV protection varies by manufacturer. But, if your desired shades come with the brand’s name on the lenses and you want to keep it that way, you’ll need to stick with the manufacturer’s lens.

XP Health Tinted Lenses

Opt for an XP Health lens if you want a choice of lens tints and guaranteed UV protection (more on that below).

One decision down. Now, here’s your next one. If you want XP Health lenses, what color tint to choose?

There are several ways to arrive at your lens tint choice. One is to consider how objects look through the lens. 

• If you want objects to have a more natural color, choose a gray or green (called G-15 Green) lens color. 
• If you want a bit more contrast, go for a brown lens.

Another way to choose is based on how much light gets through the lens. This is called light transmittance. If your eyes are sensitive to bright light, you’ll want a lens that allows the least amount of light to pass through. Gray lenses block the most light, followed by G-15 (Green), then brown. Keep in mind that gradients will block less light because part of the lens is lighter. Some people prefer gradient lenses because they allow more light to pass through the bottom half. It can make tasks like reading or seeing the dashboard while driving easier to do with sunglasses on.

Of course, you can always choose a lens tint just for its fun color alone. Want to stand out with a bright color or light shade? Go for it! Want to match your hair or skin tone? That works too! 

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4. Know That You’ve Got Full Protection With XP Health Lenses

Beyond their cool, sunglasses play a critical role in protecting your eyes from the damaging effects of the sun’s UV rays. All XP Health lenses come standard with a built-in coating that absorbs, blocks, and reflects rays away from your eyes. Our lenses provide UV400 protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays. 

Note that if you buy non-prescription sunglasses and use the manufacturer’s lens, their UV protection may be different. To ensure you get full UVA and UVB protection in non-prescription lenses, make sure you choose an XP Health custom color lens – instead of the manufacturer’s one – during checkout.

Our XP Health lenses also come with anti-glare protection, advanced blue light filtering, and water, smudge, dust, and scratch resistance – all at no extra cost.

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5. Decide If You Want Polarization

Polarization provides superior glare protection, especially from bright, reflective surfaces like water and snow. Polarized lenses can be very useful for people who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially around lakes or the ocean. Polarized lenses may also be a good choice for people who are susceptible to eye strain from glare.

We offer polarization for the full range of lens colors for non-prescription lenses. For prescription sunglasses lenses, we offer polarization in solid (not gradient) lens tints.

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Start shopping

Sunglasses are a chance to have fun and add a bold and playful element to your look while protecting your eyes. We’ve got all the shapes, colors, and sizes to suit your style. Shop our sunglasses now.