As summer approaches and you get ready to slather on the sunscreen, don't forget that your eyes need shielding too. As well as damaging skin, excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can also harm the lens and cornea of the eyes. Beyond the health factor, there's also a glamour bonus when you buy the right sunglasses — which is anything but an easy job and one that unfailingly leaves me cross-eyed. Just like finding the perfect pair of jeans, the right sunglasses should show off your best features. So when choosing sunglasses, you need to think about proportion and creating balance. Here are some eye care expert's tips for choosing the most flattering shades. - Always look for sunglasses with 99 or 100 per cent UV protection. - Look for close-fitting and wrap-around sunglasses to help prevent UV rays from getting in the sides and top of the frames. - Don't go by colour or darkness of the lens. The outer coating (which is clear) filters out the UV rays, not the colour. The colour does provide some comfort, but without a UV coating, the darker colours actually fool your eyes into opening up more and let in more harmful rays. - Put your sunglasses in a hardcover case to protect them when travelling out and about. - Most people fall into five different face shapes: Oval, square, round, long or heart shape. As a general rule, choose styles that are the opposite of your face shape:- For round faces (full cheeks, no defined angles): Go for: Wide, rectangular frames; they will balance the roundness and create the illusion of sharper facial features. Also try the gold, mirror-trimmed frames. Avoid: Round frames or coloured lenses, which exaggerate fullness. If you've got a square face (defined jaw, square chin, and a broad forehead): Go for: Round, oval or cat's-eye frames to help soften those lines, give a less angular appearance and highlight your best features. Avoid: Shapes—they emphasize an angular profile. Owl-eye frames offset the planes of a square face. For long faces (the face is longer than it is wide; narrow chin and cheeks): Go for: Oversized or wrap frames to create the illusion of a wider, shorter face. Wide, gradient frames also provide broad coverage. Avoid: Frames that are too narrow for your face. If you've got a heart-shaped face (broad forehead, round cheeks, narrow chin): Go for: Cat's-eye and round. Try bottom-heavy frames to add the illusion of width to the bottom half of your face. Wire frames will also make your forehead appear more delicate. Avoid: Overly embellished glasses. Remember, wide arms make the forehead look narrower and upswept corners give innovative twist. As for oval faces (balanced forehead, cheekbones and jaw): Go for: Any shape you like. Softly angular frames play up an oval face. Also great aviators' glasses with rich tones, nice size and polarised lenses fit your face. You have balanced proportions and you're probably a model. Avoid: Raised- bridge that emphasises cheekbones.
