If you’re looking for sports sunglasses, it’s important to look past factors like style and color and consider attributes like durability, safety and performance.  They’re available for nearly every sport, and may even enhance your athletic performance.

When you participate in sports, your eyes should be protected.  Wearing sun glasses, especially wraparound sunglasses or safety goggles will guard your eyes from dust, debris and injury.  They’ll also protect against UV rays.  High-impact frames and lenses made of virtually indestructible polycarbonate resist cracking and shattering.  High-tech flexible hinges provide a custom fit to your face.  They’ll ensure that your glasses will fit comfortably and stay on, even through vigorous movement.

If you play it, there’s probably a sport shade for it.  Many of them come with the option of polarized lenses.  This type of lens has a built-in filter that helps diffuse bright light and glare that results from the sun reflecting off of flat surfaces.  They make for more comfortable, clear vision.  You can also get them fitted with prescription lenses, so you can be protected even if you wear corrective lenses.

Cycling sunglasses will provide unobstructed peripheral vision, and if you choose polarized lenses, road glare will be reduced.  Wraparound glasses are a good choice here because they fit close to the head, with no sharp angles, and they’re aerodynamic so they direct airflow cleanly around them.  Fishing sunglasses may be polarized to eliminate the brightness from the reflection of sun on water.  Driving glasses help cut road glare and improve your driving experience.

Besides polarized lenses, sport sunglasses are also available in different tints for different purposes.  Grey is a good choice for general use, from driving to extreme sports.  Brown lenses help improve depth perception, and are good choices for sailing, skiing and golfing.  Yellow lenses are great for fishing.  Some sport sunglasses offer interchangeable lenses so you can change them for different activities or light conditions.

Another consideration is how secure you need your sunglasses to fit.  Sport goggles are a good choice for skiing, to protect your eyes from snow, ice and other materials that can act as projectiles and injure the eye.  They conform snugly to the face, and a foam liner helps them fit comfortably and block out air and foreign objects.  Lightweight, comfortable sunglasses with a leash cord are a good choice for less active sports.

No matter what you do outside, don’t forget the sunglasses!  They’ll not only protect your eyes from harm, but they’ll help you see more clearly.