09-23-2016, 06:36 AM
I saw a documentary many years ago, which tested various brands and said that sun glasses at a few dollars were just as effective as high end name products, as long as they offered UV protection.
In the last 50 years, the technology of the actual lenses has not really progressed much - what more can they do but reduce glare and brightness? Not quite like we can upgrade the lenses and have them do new things (unless you consider something like Google glass), and augment reality - then I see a justification for a price hike.
But to keep pumping out the same bits of plastic decade after decade and charge higher and higher prices, that is just insane.
In the last 50 years, the technology of the actual lenses has not really progressed much - what more can they do but reduce glare and brightness? Not quite like we can upgrade the lenses and have them do new things (unless you consider something like Google glass), and augment reality - then I see a justification for a price hike.
But to keep pumping out the same bits of plastic decade after decade and charge higher and higher prices, that is just insane.
Quote:Here was our lineup: Bright orange, rubber-frame child’s sunglasses, bought for $4, at a flea market; jade women’s rectangulars, $4, flea market; black faux-Porsche, $10, Spadina Ave. shop; metal aviators, $20, drugstore, and brown-framed unisex, $60, optician’s shop.BLT
From the display cases at Queensway Optometric Centre in Mississauga, we selected name brands by price range: a sedate Michael Kors, $120; the ever-popular Ray-Ban Wayfarer (think Blues Brothers), $208; a classy Chanel, $358, and a rhinestone-bedecked wraparound Bulgari, $488.
While fashionable shades may help you channel your inner movie star, sunglasses are most importantly a health aid to shield your eyes from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Consumers are advised to buy sunglasses labelled “100 per cent UV protection” or “UV 400.” The ultraviolet spectrum ends at 400 nanometres.
Sunglass manufacturers follow voluntary industry standards when labelling their products, according to Health Canada. But how can you be sure the label is truthful, especially with the market flooded with inexpensive glasses? A consumer can’t see this important ultraviolet protection. The darkness of the lens has nothing to do with it.
At Queensway Optometric Centre, Dr. Joe Chan passed the nine pairs of sunglasses, both lenses, through the UV meter in his office. All nine registered 100 per cent UV protection, even the cheap ones.
So why pay more?
Apparently, for a less distorted view of the world.