Any Sunglasses Experts Out There?

[lukeskywalker]

There are the 200 baht sunglasses in Tesco that have a UV sticker on them, and then there are the 1200 THB or more glasses in the dedicated optical shops. I want good protection from UV rays but if the cheaper glasses do the same job as the name brand glasses then that's what I want.

Any sunglasses experts out there?

THX

[WinnieTheKhwai]

My wife has a 7000 Baht Gucci one. I have a 49 baht one from Big C. We're both happy. (Especially as I misplace them a lot.. but the cheaper it is, the more it wants to stay with me for some reason...)

(Sorry, can't comment on optical / health topics.. )

[lukeskywalker]

Someone told me the cheap ones can actually do damage to your eyes if they are just plain tinted plastic and created specifically as sunglasses. So I want glasses that protect and my eyes and don't cause damage, but I don't know for sure. Need an expert.

[mmh8]

What ever you do don't skimp on price. Also I have heard there are a number of fakes floating around.

Poor quality high tint as mentioned above will not polarise the light but just cause dilation of pupils allowing more light in and allowing more damage to a wider surface area.

Buy high quality from reputable shops.

Its not worth getting sun blink just cos you did not want to pay a couple of hundred quid on sunnies, otherwise don't use them at all.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Any specific recommendations that would be good value for money? Just spending more and expecting high quality doesn't always work in this country. (or anywhere, I guess)

[mmh8]

Proper shops opticians.(eg optics or whatever the name is), or mail order from your home country.

[H2oDunc]

I remember reading a report of a court case that Ray Ban had brought against a man selling fakes / copies. They actually proved in court that the fakes gave better UV protection than the originals. I came to Thailand with two pairs of expensive sunglasses. I now use the 39 baht ones and if they break, I forget or lose them its no drama.

[StreetCowboy]

I think if I was going to wear tinted glasses, I'd prefer rose-tinted

or maybe beer goggles, for the benefit of the girls along sukhumvit road

SC

[craigt3365]

My mother has macular degeneration. I have been to at least 4 different eye specialists trying to help her out. Unfortunately, nothing can be done. When asked what caused it, genes, age, diet, etc., were all mentioned...as was not using proper sunglasses to protect the eyes. Including light that comes in from the sides. UV light is what causes cataracts. Not good.

So the answer is....there's a huge difference between 39 Baht sunglasses and top quality ones (not necessarily designer ones, though). UV light is not always blocked by cheap glasses...and that's what will kill your eyes. UV-A and UV-B. Have you ever seen a pilot with a cheap pair of sunglasses? No way...their eyes are their lively hood and they protect them as best as they can.

Check out this article, please:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/sunglass.htm

Here's an excerpt from that article:

When you buy a pair of cheap sunglasses, you often give up all of these benefits and can even make things worse. For example, if your sunglasses offer no UV protection, you increase your exposure to UV rays. The cheap sunglasses block some of the light, causing your iris to open to allow more light in. This lets in more of the UV light as well, increasing the damage UV light can cause to the retina.

The article is worth a read...better than getting "expert" opinions here on TV...

You can't tell the difference now, but when you are older, you will know for sure...

[mahtin]

The Top Charoen girls are eye candy, not ophthalmologists.

[BigPanda]

Agreed, cheap sunglasses are not good for you. It doesn't need to be expensive brand name, just something legit with the real UV protection.

[mmh8]

what worries me is those crazy people welding while using cheap sunglasses, ok expensive would not help either, but these guys are gonna blink and those around them way before their time.

And I would not even now how to begin explaining to them

[jubby]

I do think sunglasses are important here. I wear them as much for eye protection from bugs and dust as the Sun.

Sunglasses are expensive here. I always get mine from the UK. can get a decent pair for 20 - 30 pounds.

The cheap ones from a reputable store here maybe OK, I wouldn't take the chance with my Eyes.

[angiud]

Do you prefer to drive a Yugo (Proton-Austin-Fiat) or a Volkswagen (Toyota, Alfa, BMW etc)?

Is more safe a...... or a.....?

Etc etc

[StreetCowboy]

what worries me is those crazy people welding while using cheap sunglasses, ok expensive would not help either, but these guys are gonna blink and those around them way before their time.

And I would not even now how to begin explaining to them

I'm always surprised by how many Thai welders own Mercedes and other flash motors (oops - an accidental pun too far there)

[mmh8]

what worries me is those crazy people welding while using cheap sunglasses, ok expensive would not help either, but these guys are gonna blink and those around them way before their time.

And I would not even now how to begin explaining to them

I'm always surprised by how many Thai welders own Mercedes and other flash motors (oops - an accidental pun too far there)

ok, very drol, I mean not even a proper mask , no education in protection, yet probably expert welders,

[PingManDan]

I but mine from the USA, on ebay, have for years. The brand I buy are Costa Del mar, you know what you are getting.

The model I get are the MP2's in 400 glass lenses, blue tint, they are great glasses and for golf they are the cats meow, no distortion, of any kind, perfect true visual on greens etc.

[RCR]

I used to buy el cheapo $10 sunglasses which lasted a couple of months before falling apart. Then I saw a documentary on TV about troops in Afghanistan. One soldier had been hit by an IED. His face was peppered with shrapnel - except for the area around his eyes. He showed the chewed up military grade sunnies he had been wearing. They had probably saved his sight.

I've only been smashed in the face once, by a wooden plank wielding thug. My sunnes turned into a mangled mess of broken shards of plastic. I wouldn't want that to happen again. So the doco inspired me to look for military sunglasses on the internet.

I ended up buying the Australian "Fuglies SAS Ballistic ADF4". (I'm in Australia). They cost about $100 AUD online and they're excellent. Good looking and extremely comfortable. I pulled off the retainer strap and replaced it with a lanyard. All I need to do now is find someone to smash me in the face to test them. (Joking).

There's other military grade sunnies available, such as the ESS range. Those are SERIOUSLY good looking. There's videos on youtube showing the ESS lenses surviving shotgun and pistol rounds. The youtube comments are positive too. With all those bullets flying around in LOS, who knows? Are your eyes worth a hundred bucks?

[craigt3365]

I used to buy el cheapo $10 sunglasses which lasted a couple of months before falling apart. Then I saw a documentary on TV about troops in Afghanistan. One soldier had been hit by an IED. His face was peppered with shrapnel - except for the area around his eyes. He showed the chewed up military grade sunnies he had been wearing. They had probably saved his sight.

I've only been smashed in the face once, by a wooden plank wielding thug. My sunnes turned into a mangled mess of broken shards of plastic. I wouldn't want that to happen again. So the doco inspired me to look for military sunglasses on the internet.

I ended up buying the Australian "Fuglies SAS Ballistic ADF4". (I'm in Australia). They cost about $100 AUD online and they're excellent. Good looking and extremely comfortable. I pulled off the retainer strap and replaced it with a lanyard. All I need to do now is find someone to smash me in the face to test them. (Joking).

There's other military grade sunnies available, such as the ESS range. Those are SERIOUSLY good looking. There's videos on youtube showing the ESS lenses surviving shotgun and pistol rounds. The youtube comments are positive too. With all those bullets flying around in LOS, who knows? Are your eyes worth a hundred bucks?

Funny you should mention that...my father was a pilot. When I was younger, those military issue sunnies were the ones I wore. Not real fashionable, but good glasses. He hardly ever went outside without his sunglasses...

[Thakkar]

I used to buy el cheapo $10 sunglasses which lasted a couple of months before falling apart. Then I saw a documentary on TV about troops in Afghanistan. One soldier had been hit by an IED. His face was peppered with shrapnel - except for the area around his eyes. He showed the chewed up military grade sunnies he had been wearing. They had probably saved his sight.

I've only been smashed in the face once, by a wooden plank wielding thug. My sunnes turned into a mangled mess of broken shards of plastic. I wouldn't want that to happen again. So the doco inspired me to look for military sunglasses on the internet.

I ended up buying the Australian "Fuglies SAS Ballistic ADF4". (I'm in Australia). They cost about $100 AUD online and they're excellent. Good looking and extremely comfortable. I pulled off the retainer strap and replaced it with a lanyard. All I need to do now is find someone to smash me in the face to test them. (Joking).

There's other military grade sunnies available, such as the ESS range. Those are SERIOUSLY good looking. There's videos on youtube showing the ESS lenses surviving shotgun and pistol rounds. The youtube comments are positive too. With all those bullets flying around in LOS, who knows? Are your eyes worth a hundred bucks?

The last pair of sunglasses I bought was 20 years ago for about US$150. Apart from being a little worse for wear and no longer fashionable, they still do the job of protecting my eyes. In the long run, it isn't really expensive to buy something of quality. As I keep telling Mrs. T who has the propensity to go for bargain-basement stuff that need constant replacing, "We're not rich enough to buy cheap stuff"

Still, I suppose I'm well overdue for a new pair and those Fuglies have really caught my eye. I see on their website that they post internationally and the price for the model you mentioned is USD90 (about AUD100) including postage.

I'm just wondering if anybody in Thailand has received something like this by airmail, trouble-free.

[Englander]

I bought the 200bht ones from Tesco, is this place not a reputable shop as the OP's asking?

Boots would surely be the best bet if not..

[onnut]

I but mine from the USA, on ebay, have for years. The brand I buy are Costa Del mar, you know what you are getting.

The model I get are the MP2's in 400 glass lenses, blue tint, they are great glasses and for golf they are the cats meow, no distortion, of any kind, perfect true visual on greens etc.

same here, the best glasses I have ever owned. cost about 400 pounds UK. I was lucky though, they were a gift from my Brother inlaw who is one of britains leading Carp fishermen.. he swears by this brand and when I tried his on while in Phuket a few months ago I couldnt believe how clear everything was with no glare whatsoever. he was saying these lenses are the best. you could look right into the sun and not damage your eyes!

[craigt3365]

I was looking into those Costa Del Mar glasses and found this...for those who still think cheapies are the way to go:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

If it’s one thing I repeat on this site is to always wear your sunglasses. The sun will tear up your eyes in the long run. Take it from me. The long days and many years spent riding waves have left my eyes red, ravaged, and aged from a condition called pterygiums. They are wing-shaped growths that encroach on the pupils, causing itching and a sever redness across the “whites” of the eyes.

I wouldn’t wish these nasty devils on my worst enemy. Well, there is this one guy…

Seriously, even repeated surgeries have not kept my pterygiums at bay. They returned within a year of each operation.

1. Always look for the OSHA label with 99 or 100 percent UV protection.

2. Look for sunglasses that are close-fitting and wrap-around to help prevent UV rays from getting in the sides and top of the frames.

3. Price is not important! The bottom line: look at UV protection. The higher price just means you are getting a hipper style or more expensive metal frames. Cheaper plastic frames actually last longer.

4. Don’t go by color or darkness of the lens. The outer coating (which is clear) filters out the UV rays, not the color. The color does provide some comfort, but without a UV coating, the darker colors actually fool your eye into opening up more and let in more harmful rays.

Please, wear your sunglasses at all times and start early. Get your kids a pair and get them in the habit of putting them on and leaving them on. A comfortable pair of quality sunglasses can be used all day with very little inconvenience. Also, get yourself a strap, so that you can simply hang your glasses around your neck when your not using them and then toss them back on quickly.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

My brother's best friend is a pro golfer. He is about 50, and now starting to go blind. As a pro, he felt the sunglasses were hurting his game. Well, he is paying the price now.

[longstebe]

Go to a regular store and like so many have said look for the uv protection. Also make sure they fit you well, I have a 50p coin head so I need sunglasses with a bigger/wider/longer lens.

[JimShortz]

I buy all of mine from Tesco, because they are all labelled as UV400 and I trust (sort of!) them to be genuinely providing UV protection.

At the moment in Tesco the normal range are 159 Baht, and polarising for 299. Polarising (and yes they genuinely are) for that money is great. I always sit on them or lose them so getting them cheap makes good sense for me - but I do want UV protection, al least; and polarising preferably.

[anothertorres]

might i also give a bit of fashion advice. do yourself a favor and spend the extra baht on a good set of sunglasses. and knock it off with the excuse "i always lose them". what are you, 6 years old? so, buy a classic pair. look at the Ray Ban's for example and find a classic pair, meaning a pair that has been in fashion for 30 years and will stay in fashion 30 more years.

we don't buy cheap cell phones because we'll lose them. why would you have that same attitude about your eyes? buy a classic pair and make it a point to not lose them. expect 5000baht for a nice pair of Ray Ban's.

[onnut]

might i also give a bit of fashion advice. do yourself a favor and spend the extra baht on a good set of sunglasses. and knock it off with the excuse "i always lose them". what are you, 6 years old? so, buy a classic pair. look at the Ray Ban's for example and find a classic pair, meaning a pair that has been in fashion for 30 years and will stay in fashion 30 more years.

we don't buy cheap cell phones because we'll lose them. why would you have that same attitude about your eyes? buy a classic pair and make it a point to not lose them. expect 5000baht for a nice pair of Ray Ban's.

Hear Hear!

So true.

[mahtin]

Hear Hear!

See See!

Gags and blindfolds, what's with people's sensory perceptions?

[onnut]

!

[mahtin]

and all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be