Written by Menswear Style in Tips & Advice on the 8th August 2017

Most of us have bought a pair of knock-off sunglasses while we’re on holiday. Whether you go to Spain, Greece, Turkey – you name it – there are fake designer sunglasses in markets and even in some shops. Some of the knock-offs are quite convincing and the prices are so small that we often just can’t resist. However, there are lots of reasons why we should resist and this article will compare the benefits and drawbacks of genuine designer sunglasses versus knock-offs.

Protection from the Sun 

Sun protection – or lack thereof – is by far the biggest difference between genuine and knock-off sunglasses. All genuine designer sunglasses will provide your eyes with total protection from the Sun’s harmful UV rays. With fake sunglasses, however, there are no guarantees and many fake sunglasses that are tested provide no UV protection for the wearer. This is because UV rays are invisible to the human eye and the darkness/shade of a pair of sunglasses has nothing to do with how much they filter out ultraviolet light. This problem is compounded with fake sunglasses because the lenses do provide shade from visible light, so the wearer’s eyes are relaxed and their pupils dilated. This allows more light into the eye, including UV light. This means that wearing sunglasses that offer no UV protection are actually much more dangerous that wearing no sunglasses at all.

To put this into perspective, consider the damage UV light can cause the human eye: Cancer of the eye, Cataracts (clouding of the lens which makes vision blurry and causes total blindness eventually), Photokeratitis (sunburn of the cornea, which is extremely painful), It contributes to macular degeneration (gradual loss of vision often associated with old age), Pinguecula (yellow, non-cancerous growths on your eyes), Pterygium (wedge-shaped growths on the eye that can feel itchy, gritty, or burny) - Read more about these eye conditions here. It’s strange how careful we often are to protect our skin from the sun whilst completely ignoring our eyes – especially given how many different eye conditions UV rays can cause. This is mainly down to education and awareness, and also due to the fact that sunburn occurs very quickly and its symptoms (pain) are very memorable. Most of the eye conditions listed above occur slowly, as a result of regular, unprotected exposure to UV light. Given how dangerous sunlight is to our eyes, it’s surprising that more isn’t done to thwart the fake-sunglasses industry.

Prescription Lenses 

Another aspect where knock-off sunglasses fall short is prescription lenses. We don’t know of a single incident where someone has been able to buy fake sunglasses with personalised prescription lenses. This is because the technology used to make prescription lenses to match the wearer’s needs is sophisticated and the people who work in the fake sunglasses industry are cutting as many corners as possible to keep their costs low. This means that anyone who needs prescription lenses in their sunglasses should avoid fake sunglasses. With real designer prescription sunglasses, however, you can buy models that perfectly match your prescription. This is especially important if you like to wear sunglasses when you drive, but it’s also important for holidays where you are often sightseeing, as there’s no point in seeing the sights if everything is a little blurry.

Quality and Cost  

The disparity of quality between fake and genuine designer sunglasses will be obvious to anyone who has ever bought one of each. At a glance, a lot of knock-off sunglasses look pretty good, but when you compare them with the genuine article, they always fall short. This is because the fake versions are always made with inferior materials and are only really made to last until someone buys them. Many people who have bought knock-off sunglasses complain that they fall apart of break before the end of their one-week holiday. But many holidaymakers dismiss this because they didn’t pay much for their fake sunglasses in the first place. However, if you were to add up all of the money you spend on fake sunglasses over the years, it might be more than if you’d bought one good pair.

Genuine designer sunglasses, however, are made to high standards by specialists, so they do not fall apart nearly as easily. They are, however, significantly more expensive. However, you really do get what you pay for and a good pair of Ray-Bans or Oakleys, for example, could last you years. However, designer eyewear isn’t as expensive as it used to be due to the advent of online sunglasses stores. Online stores have much smaller overheads than traditional stores because they don’t pay for city-centre locations, sales staff, attractive display cases, etc. They also make bulk orders from suppliers and store everything in a warehouse instead of a storefront. All of these savings help online stores significantly cut the costs of their designer sunglasses. Red Hot Sunglasses, for example, has a vast range of designer sunglasses and prescription sunglasses, all selling for less than you’d find at a high-street store. Lower prices on such luxury goods have only been possible with the increased popularity of online shopping. The price of genuine designer sunglasses will always be higher than knock-off models, but considering the quality, sun protection, and prescription lens options, we hope it’s obvious which one you should choose.

We turn the conversation to UV Lenses and Prescription Sunglasses in this article on How to Spot Knock-off Designer Sunglasses.