Block debris and peripheral UV rays from damaging your eyes with our collection of shield glasses from the top brands in eyewear. With a protective clear shield or cup on the sides of the frames, shield eyeglasses provide extra protection against flying objects on the worksite or while playing sports. Shield sunglasses use a tinted shield to reduce light and UV rays from your peripheral vision. Shop the best shield glasses from the best brands to keep your eyes safe.
Shield eyeglasses and sunglasses are eyewear made with plastic blockers that attach to the temples of the eyewear frame to prevent debris and excess light from entering the peripheral vision of the user.
Shield eyeglasses are most commonly found on the job site and used to protect the eyes from pieces of metal, wood, and stone from hitting the user’s eyes from the side (where glasses are usually open.)
Shield sunglasses are often used in strong light environments, where sunlight is reflecting off of a majority of surfaces, like sand and snow. Shield sunglasses use a tint on the shields to block excess light but also work similarly to shield eyeglasses in providing a barrier against debris.
Shield glasses are designed to protect your eyes, so it would only make sense that the best shield glasses are made of the most protective materials. For shield eyeglasses, look for a pair that meets ANSI Z87.1 standards—more commonly known as safety glasses. This will ensure that the lenses are shatterproof and that the shields will hold up to flying debris like small metal shards that could damage your eyes. The best shield eyeglasses also have shields with small vent holes which will help keep your lenses from fogging while working. Brands like Titmus and Wiley X are known for their high-quality safety glasses and offer a variety of eyeglass models with either fixed or removable shields.
While sunglasses with shields can play a similar role in protecting your eyes from physical debris, they’re often focused on using shields to block excessive sunlight that reflects off of surrounding surfaces. Because of their different uses, make sure you get the right pair of shield sunglasses for your needs. If your job requires a pair of shield sunglasses for outdoor carpentry or metalwork, then you’ll want your sunglasses to meet proper safety standards. However, if you’re looking for shield sunglasses to use while skiing or alpine climbing in the snow, or exploring in the desert, then a pair of shield sunglasses, often referred to as “glacier sunglasses,” will be all that you need. Brands like Carrera and Oakley are known for their iconic “glacier sunglasses” designs.
Not all shield sunglasses are polarized, but most sports-focused glacier sunglasses should be polarized. Since shield sunglasses are designed to block light in highly reflective environments like snow or sand (the same environment where polarized lenses excel at cutting glare), you should make sure your shield sunglasses come with polarized lenses for the best vision in sunny conditions.
Yes. Shield sunglasses are certainly in style and trending right now. With the influence of adventure sports on everyday fashion, a pair of glacier sunglasses is a popular choice among those who want to take the “mountain town look” everywhere they go. However, unlike their tinted cousins, shield eyeglasses are more function-oriented than they are fashion. Surely, shield eyeglasses are in style within some niche fashion community (think hipsters), but for the greater population, you’ll want to keep your shield eyeglasses at work.