LOL, kinda like my mom says about a horse with a pretty face, “I might not ride the head or ride every day, but since I have to go feed it every morning I might as well like what greets me.”
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I have Wiley-x P-17s with my prescription. Love them.
I wear contacts when I ride, progressive glasses when I don’t (I can read my phone with my glasses but not with my contacts…). I’ve wanted to try adding sunglasses to the mix (non-prescription) but I do have to take into account the dork factor, especially since I have a tiny head.
Would it be inappropriate to go into a sunglasses shop wearing my contacts AND my helmet so that I can actually see what the combination looks like?
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Not at all. I once brought my riding helmet to a hair salon so I could show the stylist what my hair needed to do at home and at shows.
Would also be a great way to check out how the glasses feel with a helmet.
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Since my eyes are light-sensitive, I always have to wear sunglasses outside. I favor the larger lenses to keep out as much sun as possible, and have taken a helmet to go try on sunglasses to make sure they fit. Different reason than you, but why not?
I like Maui Jim or Costa.
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Do some research before you make incorrect statements.
If “plastic near the eyes is a serious risk” then why do companies require employees to wear safety eyeglasses for certain trades?
All eyeglasses, including “street sunglasses” are required to meet ANSI standards. Safety eyeglasses are upheld to a higher safety standard than streetwear.
Should I, for example, crash headfirst into a jump coming off a horse, I would much rather my polycarbonate lenses take the hit instead of my eyelid and eyeball as they would likely PREVENT my eyes from serious injury.
*Edited to correct typo.
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I myself wear Maui Jim sunglasses strictly for riding. They are super lightweight and fit great under my helmet, and excellent safety index with the polycarbonate lenses.
I don’t have an English/jumping picture on hand of my sunglasses but these are what my sunglasses look like.
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That plastic in the safety glasses is different than your average sunglasses
And that statement is made in the context of horseback riding, which should be pretty obvious considering the venue here…
I’m in an industry where safety glasses are required and I’ll tell you what they’re not designed for - going headfirst into a jump.
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Ah yes, safety glasses, which can handle chunks of wood or metal flying into an eyeball and not break but falling headfirst into a jump is the breaking point.
I theoretically understand where endlessclimb is coming from but, candidly, as someone who has ridden horses most of her life and grew up in a woodshop with a professional wood- and metal-working father, your take is wildly misinformed.
And if those professions aren’t enough for you, I’d ask you to look at professional cyclists or mountain bikers who are equally at risk of crashing into unbreakable things and yet still wear sunglasses when needed because, well, they need to see.
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Guys. Relax. I’m not saying don’t wear them. I’m saying they pose a RISK and that a “fashionable” pair should be a very low priority. At the very least make sure they’re rated for ballistics.
Again, I have piercings that I don’t remove for riding. That is also a RISK.
@coffeehag the tests they do to deflect debris do NOT translate to 150lb + momentum of weight impacting squarely on the glasses. It is not even remotely the same testing done.
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It might be the exact same plastic. And depending on the brand, might have the exact same safety standards (Wiley X is one example).
Over-the-counter sunglasses can absolutely have polycarbonate lenses, just like safety eyeglasses. That is the name of the plastic they are made of. So it’s not “different”.
The only difference is the safety pair must withstand a higher impact from the drop ball test per ANSI standards, which is achieved by altering lens thickness (not the material) and changing how the lens is mounted in the frame for stability, among other things. However, the street pair is still also required to meet certain standards of that drop ball test. They are just not as high as the safety rated pair. And some companies (like Wiley X) go above and beyond for all of their lenses and frames, even if you are purchasing non-prescription (plano).
It is possible that OTC sunglasses might have CR-39 lenses, but they are still required to meet drop ball test standards. Our world is regulated by regulations and if you are going to put glasses on your face, there are standards they need to be made to for safety reasons.
Now, if you are ordering a pair of eyeglasses off Zenni (don’t get me started there), then all bets are off because they aren’t required to follow ANSI standards because they aren’t based in the United States. And they can pretty much use whatever garbage material they want.
There’s no difference in a person wearing Wiley X plano sunglasses (which you can buy over-the-counter) for their horseback riding which have the exact same safety rating as a safety pair of eyeglasses (because Wiley X does that a lot). Or even wearing an Oakley plano sunglass with a polycarbonate lens (which most of them have) that would have an excellent safety profile.
I would much rather my polycarbonate sunglasses take the brunt impact first, any day of the week.
Heck, even my farrier had his eye “saved” when a horse kneed him in the face. But he’s smart and wears safety eyeglasses for his trade.
Which he got from me.
Because I’m an optometrist.
Trust me: I know a little bit about glasses.
*Edited to correct typo.
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I have to wear sunglasses or I can’t see when it is bright out, like many others who have chimed in. I do the jumpers but even if I still rode hunters I would wear sunglasses. I had a very spendy pair I loved that finally bit the dust when I landed on my face after a miscommunication with my poor horse to an oxer. I almost broke my nose but the glasses did no damage to me!
I have been mourning that pair ever since I broke them. They made me look like a Matrix-wannabe but they fit well on my face and under my helmet and never slipped. Since then I’ve been collecting cheap ones until I find another nicer pair that fits my pinhead. Any suggestions for sunnies for small faces? I have tried on humpty-billion pairs of sport glasses and so on and nothing really fits. 
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I use titanium wire frames that screw directly to the lenses, only two ear pieces and one over the nose with two little transparent silicone pads.
Minimal stuff, is what many in the trades use, they are indestructible.
Mine are years old and have made it thru all kinds of accidents and still keep on kicking.
The glasses are thick with corrections and are transition lenses, that work as sun glasses outside.
The only time they have been damaged some is when welding and some spark slips inside the welding hood and melts spots on the lenses.
Mine are something similar to these:
Now you’ve gone into way more specifics than the op, who was asking “which ones look the best”. I think I look great in Ray Ban aviators, but I would NEVER wear them riding because I’ve almost ripped my tear duct out with the pad just wearing them around town.
If you want to add all the safety recommendations, then I’m all ears. But my comment was that your average sunglasses (because face it, the ones rated highly for safety are not often fashionable as the OP requested) can.pose an additional risk should you come off. Which they do.
I’ll tell you my safety glasses are not rated to take what is effectively a sledgehammer to the face. Neither are the majority of sunglasses.
We all have to decide what risks are worth it and acceptable - nothing is without that decision making process.
Note you don’t see bronc riders wearing sunglasses - at least I haven’t, would be glad to be proven wrong.
I have never heard of “ANZI standards”. Nor has Google.
Do you mean “ANSI standards” (as in American National Standards Institute")?
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Yes I did. Because you dived into the safety discussion, with some incorrect information that I feel needed to be addressed. (Particularly the type of plastic.)
The majority of the bronc riders don’t even wear helmets so I don’t suspect they are worried about their sunglasses.
Yes, sorry, I will go back and fix my typoes as it will drive me crazy! Thank you.
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You don’t see many bronc riders wearing helmets.
I wouldn’t hold them up as some paragons of workplace safety.
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Yeah but they are all about appearances. So looking cool would rank higher to them than a purported safety risk, yet they still don’t wear them. It’s just interesting, a guy whose job is to get bucked off doesn’t ever wear them…
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I’ve been wearing glasses since I was in 6th grade, and I’ve been riding all of that time. That is close to half a century. The only problem I ever had riding w/vision correction involved the two years or so that I wore contacts 
Until I get the inevitable cataract surgery (and it looks like it may be sooner than later – ugh) I’m gonna just keep on keepin’ on.
This thread is so odd, since I know many people with low vision or who are mildly visually impaired and need to wear sunglasses for medical reasons, to, you know, see. As well as the fact some people can’t wear contacts (fortunately I can).
I mean, technically glasses ARE always a potential risk if you fall, even while walking or running. But unless we limit riding only to people with 20/20 vision or vision that can only be corrected with surgery or contacts, from a cost-benefit analysis, not seeing is a far greater risk.
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