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10 of the Best Running Sunglasses for 2021 and What You Might Want to Consider When Picking Your Running Sunglasses in 2021

What you need to Consider

Being outdoors in changeable weather conditions, sunglasses are essential for Running. When running you need to protect your eyes from debris, dirt and pollution as well as flying insects and bugs. 

As well as protection from the harsh elements throughout the day such as bright sunshine, heavy glare and rain, by reducing glare and brightness, sports sunglasses allow you to see more comfortably and relax your eyes. In addition, choosing the right tints, frame shape and type of prescription, if you have one, can really enhance your vision and enjoyment when running. 

Below we have provided advice on selecting the best sunglasses for running and our recommended top 10 sunglasses ranges for 2021 based on their excellent performance and reliability. Typically lightweight and strong, with excellent optical qualities and performance coated lenses, the brands are trusted and worn by the Pros. Only the highest standards are good enough, and you should expect the best.

Key Frame Considerations for Running Sunglasses:    

• Wrap around frame - 6 or 8 base curved frames (curved and highly curved lenses respectively) provides protection against the elements and a wide field of vision.
• Semi-rimmed frames - No obstruction when looking down at your GPS or the terrain in-front of you.
• Adjustable Nose Pads - They help to keep the frames secure on your face and prevent them from sliding down your nose.
• Anti-slip nose pads - Help stop your sunglasses sliding down your nose when you are moving your head.
• Removable headband - For added support for fit and comfort. If your favourite choice of frame doesn’t include a headband you can CLICK HERE to buy a headband.
• Frame Ventilation - Helps reduce fog or condensation.

Key Lens  Considerations for Running Sunglasses:  

• Polycarbonate/ NXT - For running only polycarbonate or the much stronger NXT lenses should be considered. Both polycarbonate and NXT lenses extremely impact resistance, light weight, durable and will not shatter upon impact. Both lens indexes are 100% UV protection.
• 100% UV protection - For protection from UV radiation. All Eyekit lenses and prescriptions are 100% UV protected.
• Include either interchangeable lenses or are photochromic - To provide accommodation for the different light conditions experienced when running. 
• Photochromic - These lenses will change colour with the light, becoming darker in bright sunlight, and lighter in an overcast sky. They avoid you having to change lenses or sunglasses in different light conditions as they will adjust to providing you with the optimum vision for the light available. Great if you running in all weather conditions.
• Anti-Reflective (AR) Lenses - Applied to the front or back surface of a lens, AR provides better visual acuity to judge distances, improves accuracy and eye comfort.
• Mirrored lens - Ideal for high level light, direct sunshine and bright condition, reduces glare and reflection of the sun especially from snow/ water helping to eliminate eye strain.
• Polarised - Polarised lenses cut glare from the highly reflective surfaces such as wet road or  and help to reduce eye fatigue. If you suffer from glare it’s a good idea to use this in conjunction with mirrored lenses and an AR coating.  
• Anti-Fog Coating – Eliminates condensation inside the lens. If this is not available for your choice of frame you can buy an anti-fog gel/ spray which will also help you. CLICK HERE to buy Anti-fog gel/ sprays.

Best Lens Colours to Consider for Running Sunglasses:     

• Grey/smoke - Block out light without losing the natural colour perception and are great for sunny weather use.
• Brown - High contrast browns and coppers will enhance the perception and provide a sharp contrast on road and track surfaces in bright light (Category 3).
• Orange/Amber - For partly sunny conditions they help increase contrast to enable you to read the terrain better.
• Yellow - Its more effective in low light conditions or overcast days. It is superior in contrast enhancement. 
• Clear - This lens is suitable for low light and dark conditions. Ideal for shielding the eyes from wind and debris without compromising vision.

Prescription Considerations for Running Sunglasses:

• Polycarbonate / NXT - We always recommend you choose an impact resistant lens material for sports. This will ensure your lenses are stronger than your usual glasses and can withstand the impact from a rocks and stick. Polycarbonate and NXT are both great options to choose. NXT is clearer, strong and has better clarity than polycarbonate but is not available for all sunglasses and high prescriptions.
• Photochromic - These lenses will change colour with the light, becoming darker in bright sunlight, and lighter in an overcast sky. They avoid you having to change lenses or sunglasses in different light conditions as they will adjust to providing you with the optimum vision for the light available. We usually recommend a photochromic lens as it can be used in more light conditions and overall even though it has a higher cost for you to initially invest in, you are more likely to get more use out of it and it makes it a much better value.
• Polarised - Polarised lenses cut glare from the highly reflective surfaces such as wet road or  and help to reduce eye fatigue. If you suffer from glare it’s a good idea to use this in conjunction with mirrored lenses and an AR coating.  
• Mirrored lens - Ideal for high level light, direct sunshine and bright condition, reduces glare and reflection of the sun especially from snow helping to eliminate eye strain making your trip more comfortable. Note, if you are getting a prescription lens with a mirrored coating the back reflectance can be more noticeable with a mirror coating so an Anti-Reflective (AR) coating on the lens is a great idea. (The difference between a full mirror and a flash mirror is when you have a flash mirror coating applied to you lens someone looking at you can still see you eyes as it is more a reflective sheen).
• Crystal Vision Coating (our most recommend coating*) - This includes our FREE anti-scratch coating and includes hydrophobic (like the wax coating on your car this will ensure rain rolls off your lenses), anti-reflective (AR) (this is coated front and back and will help decrease glare and reflection off the lens and easy clean/ oleophobic (this helps eliminate dust and smudges on your lenses making them easy to clean and less likely to get dirty in the first place) 
• Wrap sunglasses - Can select prescriptions that will fit directly into 6 base curved wrap frames or below only. For 8 base wrap frames, select one that will fit a clip-in prescription or a direct clip lens.

Tip: Anti-fog coating- This is not something we usually recommend. We only added the coating to our prescription range due to requests. Our main reason is that we do not think it off the bests value for money as our Crystal Vision as you can add an ant-fog gel but you cannot have any other coatings when you have a anti-fog coating. There are plenty of great anti-fog gels and sprays coatings CLICK HERE to choose.

(All products and brands are genuine and authentic. All prescription lenses are made in UK to EU rules and regulations and safety standards. We also check all frames and prescriptions before leaving our practice to ensure they meet your requirements.)