Teens enjoy the sporting life and wearing fashionable sunwear when they're outdoors. New technologies in both frames and lenses have created a new breed of high-performance sunwear. And since this eyewear fuses fashion and performance, it meets the needs of all sports-oriented teens?those looking for style, those seeking function, and those who want both.

While the interest in sports is somewhat universal, the skill and willingness to participate is not. Nonetheless, it's considered cool to look sports savvy.

Here are some tips on what to look for in choosing the right sports eyewear:

• The use of lens tints is on the rise. This is not only a hot look, but has a function advantage as well. Where previously most lenses were colored gray, brown, or green, now performance sunwear is available in orange and yellow?colors that block out the blue light if there's no glare, haze, or fog.
• Flash mirrors on the outside are also on the rise. Frame trends include an increase in the popularity of shields and wraps.
• Comfort is a key factor to sports eyewear wearers. Frame features now on the market include more ventilated nosepads, integrated rubberized or semi-rubberized temple tips to prevent slippage, spring hinges, lightweight materials, and high mounted bridges.
• And with lenses, the variety of offerings is even greater, most notably with polarization. Other lens characteristics that are becoming more popular include polycarbonate, back AR and hydrophobic coatings, and anti-fogging.
• Sports goggles are excellent for activities that involve high-velocity objects. Unlike regular sports glasses, goggles are designed to remain in place during impact.

Lenses and Coatings

Lenses are an integral part of sports eyewear because they allow for maximum vision of the sports arena, protect against eye injury, reduce brightness, enhance contrast, guard the lenses against scratches, reduce glare?and enhance the wearer's appearance by looking cool.

Polycarbonate is the most commonly utilized lens material for sports eyewear. The exceptional impact resistance of polycarbonate lenses makes them attractive for athletic activities because they will help protect against eye injuries when they are mounted in an appropriate sports goggle or frame.

When playing sports outdoors, wearers don't want to have to worry about the changing light conditions, which makes photochromic lenses a convenient option. Photochromics come in just about every lens design and in a variety of materials, including CR-39, polycarbonate and other high index materials.

Polarized lenses eliminate glare and provide exceptional viewing comfort in bright light conditions. They also enhance contrast, which improves visual acuity. They're available in nearly all lens materials and designs.

Many sports eyewear companies incorporate anti-reflective coatings in their sunwear because they reduce reflections and improve contrast, actually helping the wearer see better through the lenses. Some manufacturers have also incorporated hydrophobic and anti-static top coats that resist water spotting as well as the adherence of dust, dirt, and minute surface debris. Today's AR coatings are also very durable, so there's little concern about their use during sports activities.

Some mirror coatings reflect light, while others reflect and absorb light, so they're more than just cosmetic options. Active people who snow or water ski, hikers, professional drivers, law enforcement officers, and others who spend a lot of time outdoors often favor mirrors. The two types of mirror coatings are opaque and translucent. The opaque mirror option makes the eyes invisible to an observer and creates a bit of drama. Translucent mirrors allow the wearer's eyes to be seen through the coating, but a hint of mirror is still visible to the observer.