Sunglasses Related Terms
Acrylic Plastic Lenses made of this will weigh less and are the least expensive. They are soft and will scratch very easily and must be specially treated to block UV rays.
ANSI The American National Standards Institute has served in its capacity as administrator and coordinator of the United States private sector voluntary standardization system for more than 80 years. Founded in 1918 by five engineering societies and three government agencies, the Institute remains a private, nonprofit membership organization supported by a diverse constituency of private and public sector organizations.
Blue Light A portion of sunlight which is blocked by yellow or amber lenses. Some people feel that filtering out blue light increases contrast and makes distant objects appear more distinct.
Bridge The part of sunglasses that extends across the nose.
Flash Coating A highly reflective coating which greatly reduces the amount of light that reaches your eyes. Generally applied over a dark sunglass lens, but can be applied over any base color. Mirror coated lenses absorb anywhere from 10% to 60% more light than uncoated lenses. These are good for higher altitudes, sand, water and snow. Although the most common are the silver, gold and copper metallic coatings, you will find many colors available. *Also called Mirror Coating
Glare Caused by a direct light source (the sun) or is reflected from a surface (roadway, water). Your eyes can be subjected to more than 10 times the level of light you need to see. When it reaches these levels it will become physically painful.
Graphite Combines carbon and fiberglass materials, it is extremely lightweight and strong.
Ground and Polished Some non-prescription glasses are ground and polished when they are manufactured to improve the quality of the lenses. If glasses are not ground and polished it will not hurt your eyes.
Impact Resistant Polycarbonate used in lenses and frames is safer than traditional material because it isn't brittle and holds up better under impact. It tends to absorb the impact rather than shattering, but this is not a guarantee of non-breakage.
Infrared (IR) Radiation Long wavelength rays, sometimes called "heat waves". Half of the sun's energy is infrared, IR is stronger at high altitudes. Electric heaters, house radiators, and ordinary light bulbs also emit infrared energy. The rays cause the skin to feel hot and may contribute to the discomfort caused by exposure to bright light.
Metal Frames Frame metals usually start with base metals that are copper or nickel alloys. They are then plated with fine metals, such as gold, to give them a rich finish.
Mirror Coating A highly reflective coating, which greatly reduces the amount of light that reaches your eyes. Generally applied over a dark sunglass lens, but can be applied over any base color. Mirror coated lenses absorb anywhere from 10% to 60% more light than uncoated lenses. These are good for higher altitudes, sand, water and snow. Although the most common are the silver, gold and copper metallic coatings, you will find many colors available. *Also called Flash Coating
Nylon Lightweight and durable synthetic material, derived from coal, water, and air which is very flexible.
Optically Correct Lens When looking through a non-optically correct lens, you will continually refocus due to distortion. This leads to eye strain/fatigue, causing headaches, nausea and dizziness.
Peripheral Vision The edges of your visual field. Most commonly refers to the left and right sides of your eyes.
Polarized Lenses A filter sandwiched between the front and back surface of the lens which filters out horizontally reflected glare and allows you to see through reflected glare on the surface of water, snow, ice, glass etc. Ideal for water sports or winter sports where the water and snow increase the reflected glare. Absorbs 98% of the reflected glare.
Polycarbonate Remarkable strong plastic. It weighs the least and is the most impact-resistant making it a perfect choice for rugged sunglass frames and lenses. The lens will also offer built-in ultraviolet protection.
Protective Glasses Eyewear made with impact-resistant lenses, usually polycarbonate, that protects the eyes, especially in working situations or sports.
Silicon Type of flexible and comfortable plastic commonly used in nose pads in eyeglasses. People who are allergic to silicone should be aware and seek a different type of nose pad.
Spring Hinge Type of hinge on eyeglass frames that is more flexible than a regular hinge, making the frames more durable and better fitting.
Temple The "arm" of a pair of glasses, running from the ear to the lens area.
Titanium A type of metal alloy that is very strong. Eyeglasses made of titanium are lightweight, durable and often hypoallergenic.
Ultraviolet (UV) Rays The invisible part of the light spectrum whose rays have wavelengths shorter than the violet end of the visible spectrum and longer than X-rays. UVA and UVB light are harmful to your eyes and skin. UVC are blocked in the upper atmosphere and almost never reach the earth.
Visible Light That part of the sun's energy that you can see. it is made up of a spectrum of colors; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The eye is not equally sensitive to all of these colors. It is most sensitive to yellows and greens which it can see the best. The eye is less sensitive to reds and blues.
Wrap-around (wrap) Type of eyeglass frame that curves around the head, from the front to the side. Wrap-around sunglasses tend to offer extra sun protection because the lenses usually wrap as well.
