Now Reading
The Best Aviator Sunglasses to Channel Your Inner Maverick

The Best Aviator Sunglasses to Channel Your Inner Maverick

The Best Aviator Sunglasses to Channel Your Inner Maverick


Getty Images

Aviator-style sunglasses draw in pilots and style hounds alike—so much so that new variations on the classic Ray-Bans from the 1930s pop up constantly. While the original aviator’s teardrop-shaped, oversized lens was created to allow pilots to look down at the instrument panel without losing protection from glare, it hasn’t changed (much) in the modern age, even with glass displays that outshine the sun.

Still, it’s important that your eye protection works for you on the flight deck—or wherever you might wear your frames.

Pilot vision expert Dr. Ingrid Zimmer-Galler, an ophthalmologist/retina specialist, FAA consultant, and a retired associate professor formerly at Wilmer Eye Institute/Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, emphasizes that the use of sunglasses isn’t just for looking cool—it lessens fatigue and, over the long run, can help reduce the effects of ongoing UV and other light damage to the eyes, suffered particularly by pilots flying at altitude.

“From a medical standpoint, the biggest question I get is: ‘What about UV light?’ The main scientific evidence indicates that UV light exposure over your lifetime induces earlier onset of particular kinds of cataracts,” Zimmer-Galler says. “The good news is that prevention is simple by wearing sunglasses that block UV light.”

Pilots also need to steer clear of polarized lenses, as they render glass displays impossible to read. And a prescription often precludes the use of over-the-counter models.

With that in mind, here’s a selection of sunglasses that not only evoke the aviator lifestyle but serve anyone living life at altitude.



Copyright © Lavish Life™ , All right reserved

Scroll To Top