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We take what we do here at Runaways very seriously, knowing that our products can act as much more than a fashion accessory. That is why we do everything we can to create high-quality protective sports sunglasses and to let you know what they can do for you. These sunglasses are more than just easy on the eyes.
Why Do We Wear Sports Sunglasses?
Sports sunglasses are generally worn as protective devices for the eyes when performing physical activities. While there are various types of sports eyewear, which serve specific purposes for the needs of a sport, there are some general benefits that sports sunglasses hold across the board. For the most part, these benefits include shielding the eyes for the sake of the wearer's eye health, and for the wearer's comfort. You do not need to be a professional athlete in order to wear sports sunglasses and reap the benefits. Runaways makes sunglasses for anyone to wear and shield their eyes from harsh winds, dust, and sunlight. In order to find the best sunglasses, you will want to be on the lookout for certain features that will help your eyes.
What to Look for in Sports Sunglasses?
First, you will want to make sure that the sunglasses you choose to wear during physical outdoor activities have a comfortable fit for you. You want them to sit securely on your face without being too tight or loose so that you can run and move around without them sliding off or causing discomfort. The better they fit, the more likely you are to keep them on for the duration of your workout. Check the nose pads to make sure that you are not receiving indents along the sides of your nose. Sunglasses like that are perfect for running because you can stay moving and almost forget that you are even wearing them at all.
Aside from ensuring the sunglasses stay put during your physical activities, you want to look for certain attributes within the lenses themselves. Polarized lenses are popular for sports eyewear because they reduce glare and keep the light from hitting your eyes. In addition to polarized lenses, you will want to find sunglasses that provide protection from UVA and UVB rays. This is an absolute must, as we will continue to explain.
Finally, we come to the most fun element of sunglasses, the design. Of course, we are not going to make the claim that this is just as important as some of the details we mentioned above, but it still is something to consider. Picking out a style of sunglasses that you like makes it more enjoyable to wear them. Especially if you need to wear your sunglasses on a regular or even daily basis. You might as well find a design you enjoy while you are at it. Just make sure that the style of your sunglasses is lower on your priority list than the other protective details that we mentioned. Still, at Runaways, we try to provide you with all of the above so that you do not have to settle. You should be able to find a good pair of high-quality sports sunglasses that checks all of the boxes.
What Are UVA & UVB Rays?
Here is where we start to get a little (but not too) technical, so bear with us. We will be breaking down some scientific terms to what they effectively mean for you and all of us so they are easy to understand. As we mentioned before, you want to find sports sunglasses that provide protection from UVA and UVB rays. Both of these rays are forms of ultraviolet or UV light. There are also UVC rays, but those do not make it down to us on the Earth's surface, so we do not worry about that. UV light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that comes down from the sun and affects us. Radiation as a word has some very worrying implications, but it simply means the emission of energy from a source, in this case, the sun. You might be familiar with the phrase "UV rays" because of your skincare. We wear sunscreen to protect our skin from UV rays, as you will soon discover, we wear our protective sports sunglasses to protect our eyes from them as well.
Looking at the types of rays individually, UVA rays are the ones with the lowest amount of energy and are considered the weakest. They are responsible for the premature aging we see from excessive sun exposure like worsened wrinkles and fine lines. UVB rays are mainly responsible for sunburns, but also cause other forms of skin damage like UVA rays. Both are connected to causing skin cancers and other health concerns, including eye damage. UV rays do not only damage the skin but the eyes as well. Just as you would want to protect your skin from preventable damage, you would want to do the same with your eyes.
What Does UV400 Protection Mean?
All sunglasses are not made equal. When shopping for sunglasses of any kind, you really want to look out for the manufacturer's guarantee that they offer 100 percent or UV400 protection. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You need this amount of protection in your sunglasses for you to feel confident that they are doing their job in truly protecting your eyes. You want UV400 specifically because that means that the glasses provide protection from virtually all of the UV rays that could pass through your lenses to your eyes. That includes both UVA and UVB by the way, so you do not have to worry about one or the other. Before the rays touch your eyes, the lenses reflect them and send them away, keeping your eyes safe.
Remember to look for the label or note with your sunglasses, indicating the amount of protection you will be receiving. If it is nowhere to be found, then your sunglasses might not actually provide proper UV protection. You want to be very sure about the amount of protection your sunglasses provide. Sunglasses from Runaways, for example, offer UV400 protection and we try to make that very clear on our website so you will have that valuable information easily available to you. You do not want to assume that all dark, tinted lenses or polarized lenses have any amount of UV protection. These are all separate traits to look for in your sunglasses. If anything, you should avoid tinted lenses that do not guarantee protection from UV radiation because they could do more harm than good. Under tinted lenses, your eyes will relax and squint less because they do not feel the sunlight hitting them. However, they are still exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and accept all of the damage that comes with that exposure. To truly feel confident that your eyes are safe and healthy, you want to get UV400 protection.
What Happens If I Don’t Wear My Sunglasses?
We've stressed the importance of wearing protective sunglasses, especially when performing outdoor activities like jogging or running, but we have not yet explained why exactly. You know that sun exposure could damage your eye health, but how exactly. Let's get into that here so you understand why we are so committed to eye protection. UVA and UVB rays each come with a laundry list of health concerns for your eyes.
The more time you leave your eyes exposed to the sun and its rays, the more you increase your chances of developing health problems related to them. Some eye conditions might not appear right away, but will slowly build up over time, so you have to deal with that years down the line. Some of the conditions that you may develop include: cataracts, corneal sunburn, pinguecula, pterygium, and various types of eye or skin cancer. The level of severity for these conditions varies, but some can be very dangerous to your health and well-being, putting your vision on the line. You do not want to take the chance if you do not need to. Protective sports sunglasses can help you to avoid these issues as best you can.
Even when we look past the very concerning effects that sun exposure can have on your eyes, we can still see benefits from regularly wearing your sports sunglasses during outdoor exercises. Wearing these sunglasses can help to shield your eyes from the glare of the sun as well as the health effects of it. You want to be able to see clearly and in comfort as you are out and about. The sunglasses also act as a physical barrier, blocking dust and wind from getting to them. This makes a huge difference in the winter when the wind whips into a chill frenzy and lashes at your face. Remember sunglasses are there for your benefit, so please take full advantage of them and wear them as often as need be.
When Should I Wear My Sports Sunglasses?
Those with active lifestyles who like a good outdoor workout will definitely want to wear protective sports sunglasses when they go out. If you are going out to exercise, or even spend any amount of time under the sun, then you will want to wear your sunglasses. This is not limited to athletes or anyone playing sports recreationally. All of us benefit from having and wearing protective sunglasses. When you leave your home and the sun is high, you will want to wear glasses to shield your eyes from the harmful UV rays. The middle of the day and the days in spring and summer will shine the most sunlight, so be careful then.
It is important to note that you should wear glasses with UV protection during the day, even if you do not see much of the sun. While it is not shining as brightly as it might during a hot summer afternoon, it is still there. The sun continues to emit UV rays throughout the day and your skin and eyes will pick up on that. UV rays penetrate through clouds and fog, so you should not rely on them for coverage. This holds up in the winter as well. The sun's rays can actually reflect off of the snow and ice and make contact with you. The rays do not have to be direct but can reach you after reflecting off of other surfaces, so be mindful of that. You want to wear your protective sports glasses whenever you head out for a workout, but honestly, you really want to wear them whenever you are outdoors during the day, workout or not.
How Can I Remember to Wear My Sunglasses?
As important as your sports sunglasses are, the only way they benefit you is if you actually wear them. That means you have to remember to bring them with you when you go out and wear them for as long as you need to. It is easy to forget things at home or leave them behind because you just do not feel like wearing them at that moment, but you really want to make sure that when you need your sunglasses, you have them. To make sure that you remember to wear your sunglasses, you want to set yourself up for success.
One way is being very deliberate about where you choose to leave them. You want to put them right where you will see and reach for them. For you, that could mean leaving them in your car, in your workout or personal bag, or right by wherever you leave your keys at home. You just want them to sit right within reach so that it will be hard for you to forget. Another way is to choose your sunglasses carefully so that you will always want to wear them or feel comfortable throwing them on with whatever you happen to be wearing. You could choose a subtle pair of black shades or more fun, colorful pair that catches your attention.
When you are ready to find yourself a good pair of running sunglasses or protective sunglasses for day-to-day activities, we are here to help. We wanted to provide you with as much information as you might need regarding sports sunglasses. Wearing them is a very easy way to take care of yourself and protect your eyes from not only nuisances like wind and glare, but from more serious health concerns. Our polarized sunglasses with UV protection are here for you in a diverse range of styles to make eye safety easy.
