Share your thoughts on Flying Sunglasses

[Wankel7]

First, I would recommend against polarized sunglasses. The reason being they cut down on glare. When could glare be important? When you are looking for traffic and the only thing you might see of another airplane is a little glare off the metal of the other airplane. In that case. You want to see the glare. However, I only read this and have no experience.

I am a diehard for Oakley’s. What can I say, I just love the glasses (And have a place that cuts me a deal). I have the Iridium lenses and love them. The only downside is I cannot wear them under my headsets. The reason being is because they break my anr seal and let noise in. So I just slide the arms above my ear cups. It doesn't distort the view at all. Might look a lil odd but does the job.

Wankel7

 

[TonyC]

You don't have to buy super-expensive glasses, but make sure to get ones that have UV protection which usually rules out the very cheap kind which are worse than not wearing sunglasses at all. Spend the $$ to ensure this, because dark lenses that dilate your pupil but don't at the same time filter UV aren't good for your eyeballs. There's a reason why your pupils turn into a tiny pinholes in the sun.

UV protection isn't the same thing as "polarized". Get UV protection but avoid polarized lenses for the reasons stated by others.

I was wondering if anyone would mention this aspect. When I first learned about UV-A and UV-B protection, or lack thereof, I was somewhat alarmed. To think that the sunglasses I wore to ostensibly protect my eyes could have actually been doing the opposite was scary. By reducing the amount of light that reaches the eyes the glasses cause the iris to dilate (enlarge) and thereby allow more light to enter. If the glasses don't at the same time stop the harmful rays from coming through, the end result to the eyeball could be MORE harmful rays, and MORE damage than if there were no sunglasses at all. And that's when I stopped wearing sunglasses altogether.

Call me paranoid, but I feel more comfortable relying on the defenses naturally built into my body. The eyelids can squint, the irises can constrict, and the hand can go up to shield from the light when necessary.

If you insist on trying to look cool, the most important factor, in my humble opinion, is UV blockage.

 

[apdsm]

I have a pair of non-polarized Revo's. The most important thing is.......


THEY LOOK REALLY COOL!!!!

 

[Big Duke Six]

Tony - I know it works for you cuz I didn't squint much when I flew at night either

All seriousness aside, Tony does bring up a good point. The only problem I see with his theory is that our eyes were never adapted to spend time 39,000 feet above the Earth's surface. So, take his advice and be sure the ones you wear are actually doing you some good!

Bottom line Squale is pick out some good shades. I feel that no matter what you get, they won't be that uncomfortable with your headsets. The headsets' noise attenuation qualities will suffer from the break in seal around your ears, but if that really concerns you, you can wear earplugs under your headsets and turn the volume up as necessary. It worked great in the Metro as I stated in my PM. Something with spade earpieces like the Randolphs are meant to be easy on/off with a helmet on, and may offer more comfort with headsets too because of the increased side area of the earpieces. Personally, I've never had noticeable discomfort that I can remember from ANY combination of sunglasses/headsets/helmets. So I'd focus on the optical qualities of the sunglasses more than the physical, i.e. lens color, clarity, amount of coverage the style provides, UVA/B protection etc.

And again, this won't be the last pair you buy anyway. You won't know exactly how they'll work for you until you get them and try them out. And try as you might not to, you will drop them, sit on them, scratch them etc, so you'll have another opportunity to buy the perfect pair in another year or so! Good luck.