Aviator Sunglasses

One of pilots’ most important sensory assets are their eyes, and that means that a quality pair of pilot sunglasses are essential in a cockpit environment to optimize visual performance. The best pilot aviator sunglasses are designed to reduce the effects of harsh sunlight, decrease eye fatigue, and protect ocular tissue from damage due to harmful UVA/UVB/UVC solar radiation. The American Optometric Association recommends wearing a pair of non-polarized aviator sunglasses that provide 99-100% UVA/UVB protection. Fortunately, UVC, the most harmful form of UV radiation, is absorbed by the atmosphere’s ozone layer before reaching the Earth’s surface.

Radiation from the sun can damage skin and eyes when exposure is excessive or too intense. Airline pilots are well aware of this issue, and they know they have to contend with the increased danger of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Cockpit windscreens will block UVB well, however, harmful UVA radiation is allowed to pass through. UV radiation can cause eye damage which can lead to severe, long-term conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer. For example, just one hour at 30,000 feet can expose a pilot’s head and face to as much UVA radiation as a 20-minute tanning session.

The four most common lens materials in use today are glass, polycarbonate, polyamide (nylon), and monomer plastic (CR-39®). The way to evaluate the quality of a particular lens material being used in sunglasses for flying is to start with the lens’ Abbe value. Abbe value measures the light dispersion in lens materials, quantifying the degree to which light splits into its component spectral colors as it passes through a lens. A higher Abbe value indicates sharper vision, fewer chromatic aberrations, and better color accuracy. Lower Abbe Values lead to chromatic aberration, where colors fringe
around objects. The natural Abbe value of the human eye is 55 to 50. Ideally, FAA approved sunglasses should not have an Abbe value significantly lower than that of the eye.

For example, the Abbe value of glass is 59, for polycarbonate 31, for polyamide 52, and for CR-39® it is 58. The Abbe value indicates the clarity of the lens, or the crispness, sharpness, and accuracy of vision provided by the lens. Higher clarity reduces eye strain and enhances detail, often defined by a high Abbe value. So, for the best non polarized sunglasses for pilots you should look first at aviation eyewear that has glass lenses.

Premium aviator sunglasses that we offer in our store that sell aviation sunglasses with glass lenses are AO Original Pilot Sunglasses, Method Seven Sunglasses, and Scheyden Pilot Sunglasses.