One thing Dr. Jennifer Tsai is big on is taking care of your eye health. One thing she always keeps in her bag? “A pair of really good quality sunglasses,” she says.

“We’re constantly exposed to light on a daily basis—any area that has reflection, such as buildings that bounce off light; water, oceans, or pools; or if you snowboard or ski.”  

The reality is, light exposure can be very damaging. “It’s super important to protect our eye area, not just from damage to our eyes causing things like macular degeneration or cataracts,” she explains. “It can also cause the skin around our eyelid to age prematurely.”

For this reason, Dr. Tsai recommends sunglasses that can validate that it has 100% UVA and UVB protection. “And ideally, if it’s polarized as well,” she says.

That’s why her own clinic is stocked with the Barton Perreira brand. “They were the original designers of Oliver Peoples,” she shares. “It does well at our clinic, because the size and shape fits well for nearly everybody. It’s nice and very comfortable.”  

Barton Perreira glasses are handmade in Japan over the course of anywhere from six to seven weeks, undergoing a multi-stage construction and inspection process. They exclusively use high-grade Japanese titanium and zylonite, otherwise known as Japanese acetate. It’s a big factor in the price, but when it comes to eyewear, that level of quality may be worth the extra cost.

For Emily Doyle, there’s nothing worse than having to squint to see the tiny lettering on the side of a skincare bottle or box. That’s why finding a pair of readers she’d actually wear was a little bit of a revelation. 

For her, embracing readers went hand-in-hand with one of Ursa Major’s major philosophies: rejecting the idea of “anti-aging” products in general. Since eyewear maker Caddis’s MO is also all about reducing the stigma of “aging into readers” by making them super stylish, it was a brand that quite literally caught Doyle’s eye when she was looking for her first pair.

Caddis creates artsy, vibrant readers to support wearers’ eyesight and aesthetic. There’s also an element of sustainability, as the brand uses materials like biodegradable biocellulose acetate, recycled acetate, and sturdy hinges to help hold things together for the long run. 

Doyle calls them “unapologetic and fun,” thanks to Caddis’s cool styles that challenge what people may typically think readers should look like. “They do really nice styles, fun colors, and they just really celebrate like the fact that it's okay to like that you need glasses or you need readers or whatever. And it's definitely a feel-good kind of vibe,” she says. “I love what they do — I think it’s amazing.”

“I would say in the cycling world, there's a lot of great stuff out there,” says Dr. Seth Serxner. And when you're riding, “you want stuff that's good and safe.” 

That’s why he’s a big fan of ROCKBROS eyewear, which aren’t only reasonably priced, but the sunglasses are also photochromatic. They automatically adjust tint according to light conditions, while providing 100% protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays. 

“So they get dark and light 'cause a lot of cyclists start out in the morning, it's foggy and then it's not,” says Dr. Serxner. “So I really like that and then I would also say because again from a health perspective, your eyes can actually get sunburned.”

Made from durable, lightweight materials, these glasses offer lasting comfort and a secure, ergonomic fit. Their versatile design also makes them a great choice for everything from cycling to everyday wear.