What sunglasses are right for your favourite activity?
There's a perfect pair of sunglasses for any occasion
More than a cool look: a good pair of sunglasses isn't just a stylish accessory – it also helps provide optimum vision in bright sunlight and protects your eyes from harmful UV radiation. However, not every pair of sunglasses is equally well-suited for every situation. Whether playing sports, spending time on the beach or heading up into the mountains – depending on when you'll wear your sunglasses, there are different factors you should keep in mind. Our sun protection categories will help you find the right sunglasses for you. We'll explain what level of protection you need, how the different sun protection categories vary, and which pair of sunglasses is best-suited for a particular activity.
Protection, style and convenience all year long
A good pair of sunglasses means you'll only enjoy the sunny side of life. However, this requires sunglass lenses that accommodate your needs and daily routines. Keep in mind that the better the fit to the individual wearer, the more comfortable the sunglasses are to wear. So if your eyes are sensitive to bright light, then you should choose a somewhat darker tint. Bright and gradient tints are ideal on cloudy days with little sunlight, whereas dark tints protect your eyes in strong sunshine.
Please note: when selecting sunglasses or glasses with tinted lenses, make sure they provide complete UV protection up to 400 nm1. Sunglass lenses from ZEISS offer this protection – no exceptions. But the benefits don't stop there: with the right add-ons, these lenses improve colour and contrast perception and minimize unpleasant glare caused by bright sunshine or distracting reflections.
Sunglasses that adapt
Any spectacle wearer knows that, without glasses, you don't see clearly. Hence it's great to have a pair of sunglasses with your prescription. However, often they're suddenly too dark – either when you enter a store from outside, move from the sunlight into the shade, or when it suddenly turns cloudy while playing sports outdoors. Yet just taking off your glasses isn't a solution since then you can't see clearly and your eyes aren't protected. So should you be ready to constantly change your glasses? That's inconvenient. With AdaptiveSun sunglass lenses from ZEISS, there's now a pair of sunglasses that adjusts to the particular situation: the lenses clear up in reduced light, ensuring continued optimum vision without clearing up completely. Unlike traditional self-tinting lenses, your sunglasses continue to act as sunglasses – trendy, stylish and, of course, with full UV protection up to 400 nm.
Remember: since even on cloudy days UV light can damage your eyes, clear spectacle lenses should protect them from UV radiation. Learn more about UV protection in clear lenses here...
Which sunglasses are right for which situation?
Basically, we differentiate between three main situations where you need sunglasses: for the city, driving, and sports. There is an optimum tint intensity for any given situation so that your sunglasses are neither to dark nor to bright. You can choose from tint levels ranging from 0 to 97 percent light absorption – in line with the light intensity and when you'll be wearing your sunglasses.
You can see that there is an optimum pair of sunglasses for every activity, whether indoors, on the golf course or up in the mountains. If you're unsure which tint intensity or colour is best for you, talk with your optician. And no matter what colour tint you choose, make sure your lenses have a hard coating to protect them against scratches along with an anti-reflective coating to keep irritating reflections in the lens to a minimum.
All the benefits at a glance
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1
A range of healthcare bodies and studies recommend advanced UV protection up to 400 nm. They include: the World Health Organization (WHO), International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and Health Physics. (2004): 87(2) 171-186, American Conference of Governmental and Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), ISO 21348 (definitions of Solar Irradiance Spectral Categories), Australian Sunlens Standard AS/NZS 1067:2003