sailing sunglasses

pvb said:
I've been very happy with Gill Classic sunglasses - polarised, UV400 protection, lightweight, and they float. Good wrapround frames give reasonable wind protection too. I have another pair in the car for driving.

http://www.gillmarine.com/gb/sailing-accessories/sailing-sunglasses/classic-sunglasses.html

Gill-9473-Classic-Silver-A2.jpg
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Yes, I have also been wearing (and losing) Gill sunglasses, ashore, for years. Luckily, they float or I would have lost more.
My grumble is that the new 'classic' design is not as good as the original (but obviously not classic enough) design that it replaced. For a start, they don't fold flat and are awkward for a shirt pocket. Very comfortable to wear, though.
 
As a kid we wore vuarnets. After moving to the uk they were a bit difficult to get and I have had oakleys, kore, Bollywood, dirty dog etc. Etc

All I can say is thanks god vuarnets are back. Absolutely brilliant sunglasses. Lenses are glass, and they do specific lenses for sailing; used to be nautilux, now called blue polar or the really cool blue polar Lynx which has a darker strip top and bottom.

Not having had a pair for some years; the quality of the lenses is so far ahead of anything else on the market I forgot how good they were.

As long as they make them, I won't buy anything else. Bought mine at vision net; good price and quick delivery.
 
Boat441 said:
As a kid we wore vuarnets. After moving to the uk they were a bit difficult to get and I have had oakleys, kore, Bollywood, dirty dog etc. Etc

All I can say is thanks god vuarnets are back. Absolutely brilliant sunglasses. Lenses are glass, and they do specific lenses for sailing; used to be nautilux, now called blue polar or the really cool blue polar Lynx which has a darker strip top and bottom.

Not having had a pair for some years; the quality of the lenses is so far ahead of anything else on the market I forgot how good they were.

As long as they make them, I won't buy anything else. Bought mine at vision net; good price and quick delivery.
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Maui Jim lenses are glass too. Makes them a bit on the heavy side for my liking.
 
Some people don't think uv is an issue:

post 19 onwards: from here: Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...removing-properties/page3#ojYUX3SjuQuuXEbC.99

andygc

If you had any knowledge of this subject you would be aware that UV radiation is attenuated by passing through most transparent and translucent media. That includes clouds, glass sextant lenses, plastic sextant filters, and your cheap sunglasses. That attenuation is a consequence of the properties of such media - they absorb UV. The makers of cheap sunglasses don't need to put any effort into making them absorb some UV - the plastics that lenses are made of do that anyway.


In plain English, exposure to normal sunlight creates no significant risk of ocular damage from UV radiation. People exposed to a high solar load probably have an increased incidence of cataract: that is, people working out of doors in areas between the tropics where there is usually little cloud cover. Not 50-something degrees North with partial cloud cover for most of the year.
Sun beds and UV lasers are, of course, a completely different matter.
Last edited by andygc; 09-11-14 at 09:50.

oldvarnish's Avatar oldvarnish

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I was wondering why this was a non-issue, and you've explained it nicely.

And andygc has 'explained it very nicely' once again. Good night
 
Boat441 said:
All I can say is thanks god vuarnets are back. Absolutely brilliant sunglasses. Lenses are glass, and they do specific lenses for sailing; used to be nautilux, now called blue polar or the really cool blue polar Lynx which has a darker strip top and bottom.

Not having had a pair for some years; the quality of the lenses is so far ahead of anything else on the market I forgot how good they were.

As long as they make them, I won't buy anything else. Bought mine at vision net; good price and quick delivery.
Click to expand...

They're back!
Right, that's my next purchase sorted...
 
Ravi said:
Yes, I have also been wearing (and losing) Gill sunglasses, ashore, for years. Luckily, they float or I would have lost more.
My grumble is that the new 'classic' design is not as good as the original (but obviously not classic enough) design that it replaced. For a start, they don't fold flat and are awkward for a shirt pocket. Very comfortable to wear, though.
Click to expand...

As a result of this thread I've just bought a pair of Gill "Edge" for £20. Having never had "wrap-around" before, isn't it inevitable that they don't fold flat?

Mike.
 
Sailingsaves said:
In plain English, exposure to normal sunlight creates no significant risk of ocular damage from UV radiation. People exposed to a high solar load probably have an increased incidence of cataract: that is, people working out of doors in areas between the tropics where there is usually little cloud cover. Not 50-something degrees North with partial cloud cover for most of the year.
Sun beds and UV lasers are, of course, a completely different matter.
Last edited by andygc; 09-11-14 at 09:50.
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Thats not what my optician and the NHS say. I have dry macular deterioration in one eye and the message I get is that UV exposure will make it worse faster.
 
birdseye said:
Dismal visit to the opticians this morning - I have some dry macular degeneration and early stage cataracts in one eye. Strong recommendation to use sunglasses with a UV 400 filter when out sailing and the young man dealing with me, sniffing commission maybe, got out the Maui Jim brochure. £200 a pop to sit on / lose / break! And to a Yorkshireman used to buying sunglasses for £5 at the local market ............

So what do others do? What make of serious sunglasses , optically serious that is not a fashion statement, do you use? Where do I get them cheap. And how do you avoid sitting on them / losing them overboard etc?
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Cheap ones are worse than useless; they dilate the pupil allowing even more unfiltered light to enter.
 
flaming said:
That bit's easy. You pay £200 for them. Then you're so paranoid about them that they never come off.

Personally I wear Oakleys. Polarized for sailing. Not cheap (though not £200) but I only have one pair of eyes so I intend to look after them.
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I use Oakleys as well had them for probably 10 years. Very solid case and a soft bag came with them. Not polarised and cannot remember why i chose non polarised. Mine have prescription lenses and 400uv block. They are wrap round style and close to cheek at the bottom so keeps the side wind out of you eyes and stops unfiltered light getting around sides as well. You do need to take care to look around carefully when on watch because you cannot see so well out the sides compared to some frames. I once sat on them heavily which resulted in a side arm popping off it's mounts but it clipped back on problem. To read charts and mobile phones they seem to rest firmly angled up so I can see under them. The straight arms mean I can slot them into position easily when wearing tight hoods and hats. When fitted a retainer strap does not fall off. The rubber sleeves on the arms holds them firmly on your ears. If I lost them I would buy another pair the same.
 
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