Planning to buy stylish shades? Here's your guide to buying perfect sunglasses

Pic Courtesy: Thinkstock images (For representational purpose only)

New Delhi: During the scorching summer, it is important to protect one's eyes from the heat and the glare. The sun's glare is strong enough to cause permanent retinal damage to the eyes which makes it extremely important for one to pick up sunglasses that have the ability to filter out the harmful UV rays, says an expert.

Narendra Kumar, creative director, Amazon Fashion, India, has listed a few steps to buy sunglasses. 

* UV Protection: Do not confuse the shade of the lenses with their ability to filter rays. Polycarbonate lenses that provide comfort as well as optical clarity are 100 percent UV absorbent. They make a great choice to protect your eyes from the harsh UV rays this summer. 

* Fit: Face fit as per the face shape is an equally important criteria while looking for a pair of sunglasses. If the sunglass does not cover the eyes appropriately and does not fit properly on the face, the rays can enter the eyes from different angles. 

* Polarised lenses: A polarised lens allows only vertical light to pass through, versus regular sunglasses that filter all light that may be scattered and from different directions, either vertically or horizontally. Polarised sunglasses provide the highest level of visual clarity, and significantly reduce glare. These reduce glare at the beach, in the snow, or out on the water.

* Mirrored: These are lenses that have a reflective coating, also called ‘flash coating’ that makes the surface appear like a mirror. Mirrored sunglasses reduce the passage of light to a large extent.

Right frame for your face shape: If we look at different celebrities and their choices, that might help you decide which ones are meant for your face type. 

* Round face: Usually equal in width and length forming a circular shape without prominent features. Men and women with this face cut should aim at rectangular or square frames like Wayfarer and Square to add dimension and structure.

Celebrities to watch out for - Priety Zinta

* Square face: This shape has edgier angles. Square faces are usually equal in length and width but with evident cheekbones and jawlines. With this face cut, aim at drawing away the attention from your jawline and try softening your angles with curved, thin or barely there frames like oval and round frames.

Celebrities to watch out for - Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan

* Oval face: Rejoice! You are in luck because most sunglasses look great on you. You have the power to experiment with different styles, frames and colors of sunglasses like Clubmaster and Butterfly.

Celebrities to watch out for - Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra

* Heart Face: This face shape has a slightly wider cheek area with a larger forehead and a pointed chin. People with this face shape should aim at flattering your face with thinner, slightly curved sunglasses such as Cat Eye and Aviator.

Celebrity to watch out for - Sonakshi Sinha

Avoid fake sunglasses: While buying sunglasses, one needs to be sure of the quality and whether the product is genuine or not. The market is flooded with cheap and fake quality of sunglasses that promise 100 percent UV protection or polarisation. Therefore, it is important to buy branded products to ensure that you are protecting your eyes against the harmful rays. 

Also ensure that you read customer reviews below products, read seller details, and also look for brand details like warranty, etc. Examine the label and logo well, check for the model numbers as worldwide model numbers of products remain the same, and look for authorised sellers.