Sunglasses are an essential accessory when heading outside on a sunny day.
They can help protect your eyes and improve your vision.
When it comes to buying sunglasses, you can find very cheap options, but you can also find sunglasses that cost $100 or more.
You may wonder what features expensive sunglasses offer and if the extra price is worth it.
Are Expensive Sunglasses Worth It? (10 Reasons They Are)
1. Better Glare Protection
Expensive sunglasses are worth the extra price because many offer glare protection.
A problem you might have with cheaper sunglasses is that they do a great job of preventing the light from reaching your eye, but they don’t do anything to reduce glare.
As such, you might be driving down the road and a sudden glare on a puddle might still blind you.
It manages to pierce through the coating of the lens and causes you to temporarily go blind or have sun spots in your eye.
Depending on what you’re doing at the time, such an experience could be dangerous.
More expensive sunglasses protect against glare as well as regular sunlight.
When met with the same puddle that is reflecting light, you’ll be able to look past it.
You can avoid certain dangerous situations.
Anti-glare sunglasses are also helpful when driving in the snow on a sunny day.
The sun can make the snow have a terrible glow and glare to it.
Without sunglasses, you might have a difficult time seeing the road or even walking outside.
Anti-glare sunglasses are a great way to ensure your eyes are completely safe outside.
The fact that they’re expensive is likely because the manufacturer had to spend a bit more money on their glasses to give them anti-glare properties.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because they can prevent blindness by glare.
2. Scratch-Resistant Lens
Some expensive sunglasses also have added scratch-resistant protection.
One of the most difficult parts of owning a pair of sunglasses is keeping them safe.
If you don’t keep them inside a case, there’s a good chance that the lenses of your sunglasses might get scratched.
If you keep your sunglasses in your pocket or purse, for example, there’s a chance that they might brush up against other objects in there.
Cheaper sunglasses might have deep scratches on the lenses as a result.
More expensive sunglasses are usually able to take a bit more abuse.
That’s because the manufacturers use a type of coating or lens that is capable of withstanding abuse.
The coating covers the lens and keeps the object from being able to reach the glass.
This coating is an extra cost on the manufacturer’s side, so the sunglasses are a bit more expensive as a result.
The benefit of wearing expensive sunglasses with a scratch-resistant coating is that you save money.
You no longer have to pay for lens replacements or even new glasses entirely when they become scratched.
Your sunglasses last longer.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because many of them come with anti-scratch properties.
3. Can Help Reduce Headaches And Eye Strain
If you’re someone who experiences headaches whenever you wear sunglasses, there’s a good thing that the sunglasses aren’t doing their job.
Sunglasses block UV rays from passing through the lens and coming into contact with your eye.
This provides a few benefits.
The first is that it keeps harmful UV rays from coming into contact with your eye.
That means there’s a reduced chance of the light damaging your eyes over time.
When you expose your eyes to UV light, you’re essentially damaging them.
This is why staring into the sun can become painful after a while.
It’s also why your vision darkens after you look into a bright light.
Another benefit is that, since it’s keeping the UV from contacting your eye, you’ll also experience considerably less eye strain.
When your eye has contact with light, it’s doing its best to see past it.
That causes a lot of stress and strain which can result in a headache.
If you experience frequent headaches even after wearing your sunglasses, then it’s probably because your sunglasses are cheap.
They’re not doing a great job of protecting your eyes.
Expensive sunglasses usually do a better job of protecting your eyes.
Since they’re reflecting more light, it means your eyes aren’t straining as much.
That results in fewer headaches.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it to prevent headaches and eye strain.
4. Carbon Fiber Frames Last Longer
One of the reasons some sunglasses are more expensive than others is manufacturers use more expensive materials to make their frames.
One such example is carbon fiber frames.
Carbon fiber is an extremely strong material.
It’s also more expensive to produce than other types of materials.
Despite its expense, carbon fiber has quite a few benefits.
For one, it’s extremely durable.
This is beneficial because it means you don’t have to worry about your frames breaking as much.
If your glasses are constantly breaking because you dropped them, your dog chewed on them, or something heavy fell on them, you might benefit from carbon fiber frames.
Another benefit is that despite being durable, they’re also quite light.
You don’t have to worry about frames that are weighing heavily on your ears or nose.
Since carbon fiber is durable, it also means you save money.
You don’t have to spend as much money on repairs or buying entirely new glasses because your frames broke.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because some of them use carbon fiber frames which are extremely durable.
5. Added Comfort
A problem you might experience with cheap sunglasses is that they’re not that comfortable.
Cheap sunglasses tend to be quite basic.
You receive a pair of glasses that sits on your nose and protects your eyes from the sun.
That’s about it.
More expensive sunglasses add a few features like extra comfort.
For example, some will have padded ends that make wearing sunglasses more comfortable for your ears.
Instead of the metal sitting on top of your ears, the padded ends make things a bit comfier.
Some also come with padded nose rests.
If you experience pain when your sunglasses rest on your nose, then a padded nose rest could change your life.
The padded rest softens the weight.
Wearing sunglasses over time is no longer painful.
Since the sunglasses have more parts to them, it makes sense that they’re more expensive.
Their manufacturing costs are a bit higher.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because some come with comfort pads that can make wearing them more enjoyable.
6. More Style Options
One of the biggest differences between expensive sunglasses and cheap sunglasses is that expensive sunglasses tend to have more variety.
They have different colors, prints, and even styles.
You’re able to customize your sunglasses a lot more.
Since sunglasses are often worn more as an accessory than as a means to keep your eyes protected from the sun, style matters.
You can buy more expensive sunglasses that match your outfits.
You might even end up making an outfit that complements your sunglasses.
Either way, you’re going to find more options with expensive sunglasses than cheap sunglasses.
That’s because manufacturers of cheap sunglasses have to make their production processes as efficient as possible.
To make their processes efficient, they can’t change or add more to them.
They need to stick with the same product.
Makers of more expensive sunglasses have the budget to adjust their production processes or have several processes going on at the same time.
They can produce a lot of printed sunglasses or ones with different colors at the same time.
Since they’re taking on more costs to make those sunglasses, they charge more for them.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because you can find some that fit your style.
7. Photochromic Lenses
Photochromic or transitional sunglasses tend to be more expensive than standard sunglasses.
The benefit of photochromic sunglasses is that they adjust their tint based on the amount of light that they detect.
These are often ideal glasses for those who use prescription glasses.
They can wear their glasses indoors and see clearly, and when they go outside on a sunny day, their glasses automatically become darker.
They don’t have to worry about switching their glasses or adding anything to their glasses to turn them into sunglasses.
It makes wearing glasses extremely convenient.
The problem with photochromic sunglasses is that they’re on the expensive side.
The manufacturers have to put a special type of covering on the lens that can detect and change when exposed to light.
That’s more expensive to make than just putting a coating on a lens that reflects the light all the time.
Some transitional sunglasses are better than others.
Some do a better job of reflecting light than others.
Those tend to be more expensive since they perform better.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because photochromic sunglasses can be very convenient for people who wear glasses.
8. Custom Sunglasses For Eye Prescriptions
Another type of expensive sunglasses is made specifically for those who have eye prescriptions.
These aren’t transitional sunglasses.
Rather, they’re actual sunglasses that contain prescription lenses.
These sunglasses tend to be expensive because they’re made to custom order.
Not everyone has the same eye prescription.
Some people even have differing prescriptions based on the eye.
One might have perfect vision while the other has terrible vision.
Since the manufacturer has to specifically make a pair of sunglasses for the individual, the costs are considerably higher.
If the wearer chooses to make their sunglasses more stylish or add other benefits, then they become even more expensive.
The benefit of these sunglasses is that the individual can wear them without sacrificing their vision.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it because it allows those with eye prescriptions to wear stylish sunglasses.
9. Status And Prestige
Because sunglasses can add a sense of style to your outfit, some also see sunglasses as a form of status and prestige.
The more expensive the sunglasses are, the more status you have.
That’s why you’ll often find some sunglasses that come from luxury brands or famous designers.
Those who wear sunglasses that come from luxury brands carry status with them.
If showing off to others is important to you, you might find expensive sunglasses to be worth the extra cost.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it if you want to show off your status to others.
10.Collectible
A final reason expensive sunglasses are worth it is that some of them are quite collectible.
Some well-known luxury brands release limited edition versions of certain sunglasses.
They might have a unique style, color, or even print on them.
Since they’re only released for a limited time, they become quite valuable.
Only a few select people will ever own them.
That also makes them collectible.
Some people collect sunglasses and have very valuable collections.
If they were to sell their collections to the right people, they might earn a lot of money.
If you’re interested in collectibles, then expensive sunglasses might be worth pursuing.
Expensive sunglasses are worth it if you have an interest in collecting them.
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