every time i go flying i get a eye and a head ach, so i bought better sunglasses that were tinted as dark as i could get. i went flying yesterday and the same thing happend!!! Does anybody know were to get a really dark pair of glasses, cuz this sun is just killer.

Are your glasses polarized?

Are they 100% UVA and 100% UVB?

The darkenss of the shading is only a small part of what makes quality eyeware for flying. Polarized glasses make a HUGE difference, and UV protection should be a no-brainer, with out it, you run an increased risk of developing cataracts.

Yellow or brown tints often help sharpen what you see a little as well.

Also, if it's been as hot there as it has here, are you drinking lots of water at the field? How about food? I get more of a headache at the field when I forget to eat or drink enough than I do from the sun in the eyes these days.

Lok into those Zurich Sunglasses. I saw them at the toledo Show, and I was really impressed. They are pricy, but they are excellent.

All good advice.

Might want to have an eye exam done and/or consultant a doctor in addition to posting here? Just a thought

Definetly get your eyes checked if you can. Zurich sun glasses are the best I've come across. Been using them for a number of years. Well worth the price. They also have a high saftey rating. There customer service has been excellent as well.
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Also be sure and drink plenty of water. Headache is the first sign of dehydration.

Avoid the cheap sunglasses. The quality of the lenses on the cheap ones will just make everything harder to see. I've also heard that you shouldn't use lenses that are too dark because your pupil opens up too much for the amount of UV out there...and cheap sunglasses aren't all that great at blocking UV. Definitely drink water if its hot, and an eye exam wouldn't hurt either if you haven't had one lately. Much less painful than seeing a dentist.... When i got my glasses I got a second pair and had them tinted dark brown...much easier on the eyes when outside now.

I just had my i checked an had new contacts and glasses made so i know its not that, but thankks for advising anyway. An you are right, i did purchase those cr@ppy sunglasses. So i guess i will be buying good ones.

quit flying right in the sun!

Could be more than that too. I am color blind and if I use a blue blocker sunglass, I get a headache that will floor me for hours!

Could be straining your eyes too.


Get an eye exam.

If the doctor says your eyes are OK, try the following:

Wear a hat. The sun will do a number on a bare head.

Make sure you drink plenty of water.

Use UV protected sunglasses. DO NOT GET CHEAP ONES, they will cause more problems than they help. If you want a SOLID color, look at some Gargoyles. Rayban PHOTO REACTIVE are also good (they get darker in direct proportion to the amount of UV you are exposed to).

But first and foremost get your eyes checked (and a physical is also a good idea). The eye and headache MAY be symptoms of something else.

What constitutes "Cheap Glasses"?

Are the $10 panama jack sunglasses from walmart considered cheap?

Do you have to spead upwards of $100 for a pair of Oakleys?

This is a sincere question. I bought a pair of Oakleys once and paid $150. They were nice, but I ended up sitting on them and broke them in half.

Even since I dont speed more than $15.

So.... What is considered cheap?


Wings

Ask yourself how much is your eyesight is worth,i agree oakleys are way too much for a pair of sunglasses but i think you should be able to get good sunglasses for 15 bucks.

I wear sunglasses, when i fly, it was also really hot yesterday and i had no hat on, and i had nothing to eat, and it was bright as all hell outside. should start to go flying in the morning when its less sunny. o an what other problems are you hinting at wihtmy eyes i just had them checked last week there fine.

There was a segment on the local news here a year ago about what glasses were best. It was a consumer awareness thing they have every so often and what they found, or said they found was that the cheap sunglasses you get at the gas station were just as effective as high dollar glasses at filtering UV rays. I have to use the lightest tint I can because I can't distinguish color very well with those dark glasses. I've lost orientation several times with a dark pair and replaced them with a lighter pair.

"I have to use the lightest tint I can because I can't distinguish color very well with those dark glasses. I've lost orientation several times with a dark pair and replaced them with a lighter pair. "

zetor ,i never thought of that but it happened to me once this year,while circling around,the plane was a light and dark gray,almost like black primer,i couldn't tell what was what but my glasses turn dark in the sun,the brighter the sun the darker they get,i might pick up a pair of just sunglasses and see if it makes any difference.
Thanks

You don't need to spend a lot of money, but you do need 2 things, and I strongly urge you to get the 3rd.

100% UVA and 100% UVB are MANDITORY. You CAN find this in $15 sunglasses at walmart, but not all sunglasses in any price range have this. Make sure the glasses are labeled as 100% for both. If it's not labeled that way, don't buy it. I don't know if it's still true, but years ago, there were 3 categories of sunglasses, "cosmetic", "outdoor", and something else that I don't recall. Those ratings were based on the UV protection. Cosmetic only had like 50-60%, not good. The ones rated for extended outdoor use were 100%.

The last thing that's optional, but I find really helps is polarization. This greatly reduces glare, maks it possible to fly nearer to the sun (or not loose site of your plane quite as far away from the sun), improves depth perception, and frankly makes it easier to see. I find myself squinting with out polarized lenses, but since I've started wearing polarized glasses, I'm much more comfortable outside for a long period of time. (fwiw, I think I'm paying about $50 for a pair of glasses. Not as cheap as possible, but not really expensive either. And they came with a hard case that keeps me from breaking them when I don't have them on)

A couple of other features that are worth looking at:

- color of lenses. I have two pair of glasses, one is a dark gray for bright days, and the other is a lighter brown for clouds. (I'd like it to be lighter, almost yellow, but brown was what was available when I was ordering). Lighter tint glasses give you the UV and polarization benifits on cloudy days while still giving you good color and depth perception. The UV and glare is still present though clouds, so it's worth having around.

- optical purity. If you take a pair of cheap glasses and hold them away from your face and look at something like a tile floor (lots of long straight lines), you will sometimes see the lines become non-straight at the edges of the lenses. Quality glasses should have absolutly no distortion anywhere on the lens. For flying this may or may not matter to you.

- field of view. The larger the lens and the location of the lens affects how much you can see to the sides and how easy it is to get the sun-from-the-side problems

- safety glass. Having something that protects your eyes from bits of broken prop or fuel accidently squirted is really nice. I've lost count of hte number of times I've gotten squirted in the face by fuel. It sucks a lot less when wearing glasses, but some don't protect as well as others, I wouldn't count on cheap glasses to stop much of anything other than liquids.

I flew for years without glasses at all. Now, I can't even go out in the sun without a pair. I keep one in each car, one in the plane, one on the counter just in case. It really sux.

Don't let this happen. Protect your eyes now.

I just got a nice pair from costco. They are polarized and comfortable, well built. They were about $90. The ones in the truck and plane are ray ban aviators. They are very good at cutting the light and great for flying with. You can get them on ebay new for about $40 to 60 if you look, or sporties for a bit more.

A good pair of glasses is worth a lot. Pay a bit more, take care of them, get a hard case and don't sit on them! I keep a good pair for a long time. The pair in the plane has been there for years. Worse thing in the world is to leave your glasses in the truck because it is raining, and then pop out the tops of the clouds and not be able to see.

I have to wear glasses now since i have abused my eyes in younger days or is it i'm just older ?,the only thing i need them for is close up stuff but i wear them all the time which is a better place to keep up with them,i also get the no-line bifocal with the tint,now i'm wondering if it is a approved type tint but they feel good anyway.