- Aim to protect your eyes first. Excessive exposure to UV radiation can cause a variety of problems for your eyes such as cataracts, burns, and cancer.
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If you want your wholesale sunglasses to protect you from these risks, look for pairs that block at least 99% of UVB rays and at least 95% of UVA rays. Also, look for the coverage the sunglasses provide. Look at how much you can see around the frames—will the sunglasses let in sun from the top or sides?
- Are you getting these sunglasses for sports or spending significant time outdoors? Choose ones with a nice close fit, possibly with rubber grips on the arms. If they are for fishing or use on water, polarization is necessary; polarized glasses provide more sun protection.
- Don't buy designer wholesale sunglasses if they're labeled as "cosmetic" or don't provide any information on UV protection. Look for scratch resistance; many lenses have very fragile coatings. If you are spending much money, you want them to last. Fortunately, damaged lenses can be replaced for most models.
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Select a size. Sunglasses come in all shapes and sizes! Generally, finding a contrast between your face shape and the frame shape will look good. For example, if you have a round face, frames that are more angular will work well, and if your face is squarer, a rounder softer frame shape will look good. Here are a few popular styles:
- Mirrorshades – Mirrored coating on surface. Used a lot by police officers in the U.S. They usually come in an aviator or wraparound shapes.
- Aviators – Teardrop-shaped lens and thin metal frames. Often used by pilots, military personnel, and law enforcement personnel in the U.S. Good with any face shape, but best with an oval shape.
- Wayfarers/Spicolis – Popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
- Teashades – Popularized by John Lennon and Ozzy Osbourne. They're not very effective at keeping light out of your eyes, though.
- Wraparounds – Associated with athletics and extreme sports.
- Oversized – Associated with models and movie stars. Glamorous, darling.
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Note that the color of the lenses doesn't just affect your fashion statement, it affects how well you detect contrast and differentiate colors. Some colors enhance contrast, which can be useful; however, this is often at the expense of color distinction, which can cause problems (when you're driving, for example, and need to be able to clearly differentiate the colors of a traffic light). Some sunglasses even come with interchangeable lenses so you can change the color easily, depending on what you're doing.
- Gray lenses reduce light intensity without affecting contrast or distorting colors.
- Brown lenses partially enhance contrast by blocking some blue light. Good for snow sports. Also generally good for hunting in bright light, against open backgrounds.
- Amber/yellow lenses significantly enhance contrast because they block most or all blue light, and that makes them popular among hunters who benefit from that contrast when looking at targets against the sky. They're bad, however, for any activity that requires color recognition (like driving!). Good for snow sports.
- Red/orange lenses are good for snow sports but only on overcast days. If you're a hunter, orange lenses are good for clay targets against open backgrounds.
- Violet lenses are good for hunters who need to see clay targets on a green background.
- Copper sunglasses will mute the sky and grass against a golf ball.
- Blue and green sunglasses enhance contrast with a yellow tennis ball.
Wholesale Sunglasses Blog
Tips for Picking Sunglasses
Olympic Eyewear offers several helpful tips for picking the right bulk sunglasses for the ultimate protection.
