July 7, 2025, 6:28 am | Read time: 2 minutes
In summer, you can never have enough of them: sunglasses in various colors, shapes, and with different levels of tinted lenses. Unfortunately, the stylish brand models are usually quite expensive. Alternatively, you could opt for cheaper sunglasses, which are widely available on vacation at the beach, in fast-fashion stores, or even at drugstores. But do these affordable sunglasses protect our eyes just as well?
With professional advice from the optical stores Abele Optik and Studio Optik Steffen in Frankfurt am Main
Beware of Cheap Sunglasses
With a cheap pair of sunglasses, the lenses are crucial. The tricky part about poor-quality sunglass lenses: They protect against brightness but not against harmful UV rays from sunlight. The reason: The darkness disables a natural protective mechanism of the eye, specifically the constriction of the pupils in bright light. With dark lenses in front of the eyes, the pupils dilate—allowing harmful rays to enter the eye, potentially damaging the retina and leading to acute or chronic impairments.
Sunglasses Under 50 Euros
Cheap Sunglasses Aren’t Necessarily Bad
With extremely cheap bargain offers at flea markets or sales stands, you’re generally taking a risk. This means the models might provide your eyes with the necessary protection—or they might not. Don’t be fooled by the CE marking! The quality seal, which promises UV protection for light with a wavelength up to 380 nanometers, is mandatory in Germany and throughout Europe, but it is not checked by any authority. Any manufacturer can apply it to their model without any oversight.
It’s different at the optician, where you can also find glasses for under ten euros. Whether these cheap sunglasses meet the necessary quality standards can not only be assured by the specialist seller or proven by supposed quality seals but also verified. Authorized stores have technical devices that can test the UV protection of lenses.
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Darker Isn’t Always Better
Many eyewear buyers believe that the darker the lenses, the better they protect against eye damage. In reality, the exact opposite can be true, as (as mentioned above) the pupils open more in apparent darkness. This can be disastrous with questionable lens quality. Interestingly, even light lenses can sometimes offer good protection against UV rays.