Frames, lenses and how to choose eyewear that suits you
Sunglasses should sit closer to the face and cover more of it than prescription glasses do. Everyday glasses are built for a clear, undistorted view straight ahead; sunglasses have a second job — blocking stray light and UV from the sides, above and below — which means more wrap, less gap, and a slightly tighter … Read more
You tell by the label, not the lens. Genuine UV protection is stated explicitly — as “UV400” or “100% UVA/UVB protection” — printed on the lens, the arm, or the swing tag. If that wording isn’t there, the tint tells you nothing about UV filtering at all, no matter how dark or expensive the sunglasses … Read more
Prescription sunglasses are a single lens, ground to your prescription and tinted or coated at the factory, sitting in one frame you wear on their own. A clip-on is a second, separate tinted lens that attaches to the front of glasses you already own. The correction lives in your everyday glasses; the clip-on only adds … Read more
Most sunglasses headaches come from one of three things: a frame that squeezes the temples or nose too tightly, a lens with distortion the eyes keep trying to correct for, or a dark tint with no real UV filter forcing the pupil wide open in bright light. None of it means the sun is the … Read more
Glare is light that arrives at the eye in a disorganised, overwhelming way — too much of it at once, or reflected off a surface at an angle that scatters it straight into your line of sight. It makes it hard to see detail, and it’s uncomfortable. Sunglasses help in two separate ways: reducing overall … Read more
Sunglasses for a child need three things, in this order: a genuine UV filter (look for the words UV400 or 100% UVA/UVB on the label, not just a dark tint), a frame built to survive being sat on, and a fit that stays on a moving head without pinching. Everything else — colour, shape, whether … Read more
No. A £15 pair with a stated UV400 rating blocks the same UV light as a £400 pair with the same rating. Price buys frame materials, lens clarity, hinge engineering and finish — not the ultraviolet filter itself. That filter is either present and certified, or it isn’t, regardless of what the pair costs. What … Read more
Sports sunglasses are built differently for movement: they stay put during running, cycling or any activity that involves sweat, impact or sudden head turns. That means a wraparound shape that grips the temples and nose, lighter and more flexible materials, and lenses shaped to cut peripheral glare rather than sit flat like a fashion frame. … Read more
Sunglasses are suitable for driving when they cut glare without cutting away too much visible light, carry a genuine UV filter, and don’t distort colour or restrict your view of mirrors and dashboard. Tint depth, frame size and lens type all matter more behind a wheel than they do on a beach towel. None of … Read more
UV protection blocks ultraviolet radiation from reaching the eye and is a health measure. Polarisation filters out horizontal glare — the harsh reflected light bouncing off water, glass, wet tarmac or a car bonnet — and is a comfort and clarity measure. A lens can have either, both, or neither, and a dark tint on … Read more
About what you read here. Everything on The Designer Glasses is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. This is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for speaking to an optometrist, optician or eye doctor about your own eyes, vision and eyewear. We are writers and researchers, not clinicians. We do not recommend prescription treatments or give doses. If something is painful, getting worse, or worrying you, please talk to a professional — going early is not an overreaction.