Colors: Bubble gum pink, crystalized reds, regal purple and "never go out of fashion" black and tortoise

Shapes: Cat-eye, oversized square or round

Style: Retro, disco, and material girl (think 50's and 60's with a splash of 70's and 80's)

Details: Crystalized, fun bling, interesting or artistic metal accents

One super important thing to mention about sunwear is to invest in a pair with 100% UVA and UVB protection from the suns harmful rays. Also, to keep all kinds of glare down, especially when you’re on the water this summer boating, fishing (for compliments or for real fish), and/or lounging by the pool, try polarized lenses. You will love being able to look right at and through the water with virtually no glare! You can thank me later. For more styles, check out our eyewear gallery.

Dan McLean, Consumer Communications Specialist with Transitions Optical

Guest Blogger: Dan McLean oversees all U.S. consumer communications for Transitions Optical, Inc. He lives in Florida, is a triathlete, and spends as much time outdoors as possible.

Last year my wife and I took a trip to Park City, Utah. Born and raised in Florida, I was hoping to hop on a pair of snow skis, like a pair of water skis, and tear down the mountain. Ha! I instead spent my time mastering the bunny slope as children a quarter my size and age fearlessly ripped by. Although tearing down the hills of Deer Valley on fresh powder is different from cruising the beaches of the Gulf, there were some commonalities in the equipment needed and the environment.

For example, the sun can be a sporting buzz kill, especially during the winter. Not only do you have to protect your eyes like you protect your skin from the harmful UV rays, but your run on the slopes can come to a quick end due to a rogue mogul hidden by glare. I wore eyewear with polarized lenses for my winter adventures. Not only did the lenses block the glare off the snow, but they also blocked the UV light from damaging my eyes. 

There’s a belief that on cloudy or overcast days – common for a fresh snowfall – that your eyes aren’t as susceptible to UV damage as on a sunny summer day. This is a myth. UV is present year-round and always a danger, whether it’s winter or summer. What makes winter sports even more dangerous is that 80 percent of UV light is reflected and magnified off the snow, almost doubling your UV exposure. And, like summer sports, winter sport participants are spending hours at a time outdoors exposed to UV rays.

What to look for in your winter eyewear:
Your eyewear is more than a fashion statement – it’s a critical piece of equipment for your sport and your eyes. You want something that is lightweight, comfortable and will protect your eyes from the dangers of the environment, such as kicked-up snow, wind and UV exposure. Make sure your lenses or goggles block 100 percent of UVA and UVB light. Not only are your eyes at risk to long-term UV exposure, but even in the short term your eyes can suffer from photokerititis or, sunburn of the eyes. A second consideration is polarized or color-tinted lenses to reduce glare and enhance contrast, allowing you to see better on the slopes and trails. Other considerations for your lenses include polycarbonate material to keep them from shattering, anti-scratch and anti-fog treatments and, of course, comfort and style, because if you are like me, you may not be able to ski the double black diamond, but you can at least look like you can.

Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.

In today’s guest blog post from Dr. Joel Kestenbaum of Optix Eyecare in Long Island, NY, he discusses protective eyewear and winter sports …

The 2010 Winter Olympics are upon us.  Lets take a look at the common attributes most Winter Olympians have:

• Athletic ability
• Drive and determination
• Support of family and friends
• Excellent vision

If you look at all the skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, lugers and bobsledders, they are all wearing some sort of protective eyewear.  How do they know which lenses to wear?  What if it is cloudy, sunny, snowing, sleeting, raining, foggy, nighttime, or early morning?

Think Safety First

You can be certain that the lenses in an athlete’s goggles are made of polycarbonate.  For fast-moving winter sports, this material is much more impact-resistant than glass or conventional plastic. The frame also needs to be lightweight and flexible reducing the likelihood of the lens breaking or popping out in a bad fall.  Prescription lenses can be made for inserts that sit behind the shield of the goggle or some goggles are actually made to wear over a regular pair of eyeglasses.

Think Visual Efficiency Next

Black, gray, or smoke lenses

Best for bright conditions – they dim the bright sunlight to ease the strain on your eyes. Depending on the intensity of the tint, these lenses do darken your vision but gray does not alter color.  These lenses are best for wide-open areas, especially on sunny days.  One should not ski or snowboard in trees or trails with dark lenses.

Amber Lenses
Amber is a color in between a light brown and a dark yellow lens.  Amber blocks blue light, greatly increases contrast.  This color is a good choice for seeing moguls out on the slopes.  Amber is best for under cloudy skies or on dimly lit trails but is not recommended for sunny days.

Brown or Bronze Lenses
I love brown lenses.  They are a good “all around” lens color choice.  Brown improves contrast, clarity, and depth perception.  Brown filters out blue light waves thereby enhancing shades of green in trees, bushes, and grass.  Brown is best for daytime skiing and snowboarding in good weather.

Vermilion, Red or Rose Lenses
Red lenses, usually referred to as “rose” or “vermilion,” will increase contrast and brighten cloudy, dreary days. It is important to remember that this color lens distorts real world colors.  This fact is probably not important on the slopes.  These lenses are not suitable for bright, sunny days.

Yellow Lenses
Yellow works best in foggy, hazy conditions. Yellow increases clarity even in dense fog.

Best for: Skiing or snowboarding in the early morning fog.  Yellow is not for bright, sunny days.

Clear Lenses
Clear lenses do not alter your vision and work great in dark conditions when you still need to protect your eyes from wind, debris, and harmful UV rays. They are best suited for dark conditions, such as night skiing and snowboarding.

Polarized Lenses

Polarized lenses block reflected glare off the horizontal plane and are great when it’s bright out. But they may not be ideal near the end of the day when long shadows appear in the snow, because they are usually made with a darker tint than most sun lenses.  Polarized lenses are not suitable if you ski moguls or for nighttime use.

Anti-Fog

Look for anti-fogging features, UV protection and scratch resistance.  Some goggles have double lenses that discourage condensation from forming when the warm air of your breath makes contact with the cold lens.

And most importantly, athletes need excellent quality vision.  Whether you prefer eyeglasses or contact lenses, make sure your optometrist takes his or her time determining your best visual correction.

Stay safe on the slopes and enjoy the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

www.optixeyecare.com

Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services division.

Real sunglasses are more than just darkly tinted lenses in a cool frame. Although these types of glasses may serve a function in terms of fashion and diminished light transmission, they are not sufficient, in my opinion, to act as genuine protective sunwear.

Truly protective sunwear should, at a minimum, include a tint with ultra-violet [UV] protection. Many materials, (e.g., polycarbonate), naturally absorb harmful UV rays and don’t require an additional coating. Tinted lenses, however, don’t reduce the disturbing affects of glare—they just reduce light transmission.

Polarized lenses do decrease glare and are an indispensable feature I want when buying my own sunglasses. Glare is created when light bounces off a surface. The more reflective a surface, the more glare is produced. A wet road produces more distracting and interfering glare than a dry one, but both surfaces do reflect light. Glare actually interferes with your vision and can obscure images, like children playing in the street or the rear bumper of the car you’re following.

Polarized lenses can be likened to microscopic venetian blinds for your eyes. They actually contain a filter that’s embedded with iodine crystals stretched so that they are oriented in one direction. When rotated correctly prior to insertion into your frame, they reduce visual interference from glare created from light bouncing off horizontal surfaces by preventing those scattered rays from reaching your eyes. Fishermen love them because they allow them to see into the water, not merely the bright reflection off the water.

There are many lens options you can add to polarized lenses, including anti-reflective coatings, variable tints, and a variety of colors. They are also available in almost any multi-focal or single vision design. Polarized lenses are more expensive than simple tinted lenses, but they serve a vital function in terms of your health and comfort as well as your own and others’ safety.