# Where do you put your sunglasses when inside?



## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

This has been a dilemma for me for years. There are so many choices:
- on top of your head
- resting backwards on your neck
- croakies
- breast pocket of jacket (with or without one side of the frame clipped to the outside of the pocket), provided you're not wearing a pocket square
- inside pocket of jacket
- in your hand
- in your shirt pocket (with or without one side of the frame clipped to the outside of the pocket)
- on your shirt, provided you're not wearing a tie

What do you prefer? Is there a "proper" place to put them? The inside jacket pocket seems like the best choice, but it's not comfortable and I'm always worried I'll accidentally lean and bend them, or take my jacket off and lean on them.

I'd like to know if you have opinions on the best placement for a few different types of clothes, such as when wearing (1) a jacket and tie (2) a jacket and button-down without tie (3) a button-down with no jacket and no tie (4) a polo or t-shirt with no jacket. Thoughts?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

My views, in order, based on availability:

1. Jacket pocket (inside or breast are fine), if you're wearing one.
2. Shirt pocket, if there is one.
3. On shirt with open collar.
4. In hand.

On top of your head is fine for 10-30 seconds, but no longer; it's an intermitent storage location, not a long-term solution. Croakies are fine if you are boating or wading, but not otherwise. I can't even speak about wearing them backwards on your neck.

If a jacket pocket is not comfortable, that suggests to me that either your jacket is too tight, or you're wearing highly-countoured/curved shades that are bulky when folded. Those are OK if you're playing a sport, or if you're an operator in Afghanistan, but otherwise more classic frames are a better choice. And the ability to put them in a pocket is just one reason why.


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

When not wearing a jacket, I use a nylon neck cord (the Croakie option but not so obtrusive). (EDIT: CuffDaddy, if I were less clumsy I could carry them in a shirt pocket. But when I'm casually dressed I inevitably adopt casual postures, such as quickly bending down to pick something up--and then the glasses fall out. Neck strap is good for me for same reason a sippy cup is good for a toddler.)

With a jacket, they go in the outside breast pocket. I carry a folded handkerchief there but don't care whether it shows or not. It is mainly for handing to ladies who need one, and for show only if it happens to peek out.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Well, we have all have to make our own concessions to stylishness. A dignified cord, rather than a fat strip of the same material used to make beer cozies, seems like a reasonable compromise, Kurt.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

Walking around: shades go in the case; case goes in the briefcase. Driving: shades stay in the car.

AD


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## caktaylor (Sep 3, 2009)

Kurt N said:


> quickly bending down to pick something up--and then the glasses fall out.


You should bend at the knees. You will stay upright, and your glasses won't fall out. Oh, and you won't destroy your back.


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## caktaylor (Sep 3, 2009)

I didn't see the obvious choice. Don't take them off when you are inside. That's how people know you are cool.


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

^^ Yes, I know! And when I'm wearing a jacket and tie I seem to remember this. But casual dress somehow short-circuits that part of my brain.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

If I'm in a casual shirt and it doesn't have a pocket, I just hang them at the V of the neck. If I'm in a jacket, I put them in either the inside or outside breast pocket. Except nowadays, when I'm in a jacket, I'm usually with my wife (I'm retired) so I give them to her. She has a divided eyeglass case that holds two pairs, so she puts them in with hers.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

As an overweight male with mild obesity-related gynecomastia, I do not like to put anything thicker than paper in an inside breast pocket, period. If I'm with my wife, I put my sunglasses in a case which then goes in her purse. If I'm alone, I hang them from the outside breast pocket, lenses out, one arm in the pocket.


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## CRMW (Nov 7, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> My views, in order, based on availability:
> 
> 1. Jacket pocket (inside or breast are fine), if you're wearing one.
> 2. Shirt pocket, if there is one.
> ...


CuffDaddy nailed it.


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## Apatheticviews (Mar 21, 2010)

Glasses case. Front trouser pocket.


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

my sunglasses stay in my car. When I have to wear them out I normally have my regular glasses with me in a shirt pocket or jacket pocket. I don't like hooking them into my shirt because they can hit the ground. There is no good way to handle this problem frankly.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Solution: Photochromic contact lenses.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm with Cuff on 1&2, but I'm unclear on three. If he means folded up and hung from the neck of a t-shirt or polo, then I agree that is also an acceptable option.

In terms of utility, on the head is horrible, your hair (unless you have none) will get oil all over the lenses and thats unpleasant. In the hand is inconvenient and takes up your hand.

Basically, there are incredibly few stylish and utilitarian options. Leave them in the car if you can is what I say. If you have a bag, also a good option. If no jacket or shirt pocket, I don't like the shirt collar or top of head option. So, right now I'm experimenting with sticking an earloop in my waistband. So far its working, but prob. looks weird.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

I believe that every pair of sunglasses I've ever lost was hung from the neck opening of a polo shirt and then put down so I could try on a sportcoat in a shop.

When wearing a sportcoat, even with a pocket square, I'll put my glasses in the top pocket. I fold my squares loosely so it doesn't really mess it up.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

As mentioned by deanayer, my sunglasses are worn primarily when driving and are regularly left in my vehicle.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

JJR512 said:


> As an overweight male with mild obesity-related gynecomastia, I do not like to put anything thicker than paper in an inside breast pocket, period. If I'm with my wife, I put my sunglasses in a case which then goes in her purse. If I'm alone, I hang them from the outside breast pocket, lenses out, one arm in the pocket.


I just tuck mine in my cleavage!!


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## sowilson (Jul 27, 2009)

Transition lenses. When I go outside my lenses go dark, inside they're clear. Glasses stay on all the time unless I'm asleep or enjoying some horizontal refreshment


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## gordgekko (Nov 12, 2004)

I pay homeless people to walk alongside me to carry things like my sunglasses and cellphone. It's a win for us both.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

deanayer said:


> my sunglasses stay in my car. When I have to wear them out I normally have my regular glasses with me in a shirt pocket or jacket pocket. I don't like hooking them into my shirt because they can hit the ground. There is no good way to handle this problem frankly.


Exactly. One doesn't need sunglasses for normal walking around, unless one has an eye problem, no matter how bright the sun is. For reading and driving they may be necessary, so keep them in your car for driving, and in your briefcase, or whatever you keep your reading material in.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Chouan said:


> Exactly. One doesn't need sunglasses for normal walking around, unless one has an eye problem, no matter how bright the sun is. For reading and driving they may be necessary, so keep them in your car for driving, and in your briefcase, or whatever you keep your reading material in.


There is some evidence that excessive eye exposure to sunlight can be a cause of macular degeneration, and sunglasses prevent this. If you're "walking around" for a few minutes, you're right, but if you're outside for an extended period, sunglasses are protective of the eyes.

Also, where does an Englishman get off telling a guy from Texas about whether the sun is bright enough to require glasses? If he were asking about umbrellas, I'd be more deferential.


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## KennethB (Jul 29, 2009)

I was in line for coffee behind a young man with sunglasses on the back of his head supported by the brim of a backwards baseball hat. Horrible look (unless you are employed as a sniper). Hanging backwards from a strap cord is equally tool bag-ish.

Short term: pushed up on head. Gives a Jean-Luc Godard, devil may care flair.
Bit longer: Shirt pocket or hanging from top button.
Long term. Cased in jacket pocket or man bag.


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## bluesman (Aug 17, 2009)

Chouan said:


> Exactly. One doesn't need sunglasses for normal walking around, unless one has an eye problem, no matter how bright the sun is.


Ummm.........that's not really true. There's enough evidence that UV exposure increases the rate of cataract formation for NIH to advocate the use of UV-blocking eyewear on its website about cataracts (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001001.htm). Squinting in response to sunlight clearly causes lines, wrinkles and bags around the eyes (I'm a facial plastic surgeon), and effective sunglasses slow the rate of development and progression of the changes of aging in the skin of the lids and surrounding area.

Good sunglasses also produce improvement in those lines and wrinkles already formed when sun protection is adopted, because those folds caused by squinting are not permanent until the skin loses its elasticity. BTW, UV also causes breakdown of elastin (a skin protein that's literally elastic, i.e. it will resume its original contour after mechanical deformation).

Further, basal cell cancer and melanoma occur with some frequency on the eyelids (especially the lower) and immediately adjacent areas. UV-blocking sunglasses almost certainly provide significant protection from this - there simply isn't enough research money to fund any studies because it's so obvious.

The bottom line is that wearing high-quality UV-blocking sunglasses will help you look better and see better much longer.


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## Wildblue (Oct 11, 2009)

Whenever possible, I put it in its hard case.

Short-term situations, I'll hang it by one arm from the front center of my collar.

Every night, I leave my sunglasses in my car so they're available the next time I drive.

As a pilot, I'm very protective of my eyesight, and rarely go outside without my shades. I NEVER fly during the day without them, as there's even less atmospheric UV protection at higher altitudes.


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## Ahheck01 (Nov 19, 2008)

alphadelta said:


> Walking around: shades go in the case; case goes in the briefcase. Driving: shades stay in the car.
> 
> AD


 This.


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## NotAMUser (Oct 1, 2009)

At the risk of style heresy, I usually leave them on my head. I care about my future eyesight too much to risk forgetting my sunglasses in an office or at home and 'toughing it out.'

With that said, if its business meeting or something along a formal or etiquette driven line, I generally take them off and either put them in my inside breast pocket or conference table, etc.


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

Is it really bad for your eyes to be outside for an extended period of time without sunglasses? I had honestly never heard of this until this thread. What exactly will it do to you and is it permanent or something that can be corrected if need be (by lasik or something else)?


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## NotAMUser (Oct 1, 2009)

a!!!!1 said:


> Is it really bad for your eyes to be outside for an extended period of time without sunglasses? I had honestly never heard of this until this thread. What exactly will it do to you and is it permanent or something that can be corrected if need be (by lasik or something else)?


Yes, it is bad for extended periods of time. Some things can be corrected, like cornea damage, but others can't like retina damage. And if you're like me and have a hereditary history of macular degeneration, its worth being extra cautious. Tons of information online re: this stuff too.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> There is some evidence that excessive eye exposure to sunlight can be a cause of macular degeneration, and sunglasses prevent this. If you're "walking around" for a few minutes, you're right, but if you're outside for an extended period, sunglasses are protective of the eyes.
> 
> Also, where does an Englishman get off telling a guy from Texas about whether the sun is bright enough to require glasses? If he were asking about umbrellas, I'd be more deferential.


So the sun never shines in the UK? In any case, does my avatar look as if I was being photographed in the UK? Do British people never live or work anywhere sunny? India, Persian Gulf, East Africa, North Africa, the Arabian peninsula, for example, or even Texas?


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

NotAMUser said:


> Yes, it is bad for extended periods of time. Some things can be corrected, like cornea damage, but others can't like retina damage. And if you're like me and have a hereditary history of macular degeneration, its worth being extra cautious. Tons of information online re: this stuff too.


Hats and caps with peaks shade the eyes, thus protecting them from excessive glare. I did suggest that they're unnecessary *unless *you have an eye problem.


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## vatoemperor (Jun 15, 2008)

Hanging from the collar, shirt pocket, or, in shirt and tie, I will hang them from a belt loop.


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## DocVenture (Sep 30, 2010)

Belt loop sounds interesting. I'm a "glasses in case, case in bag" kind of guy.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Chouan, your joke detector is miscalibrated. 

Also, see the good doctor's subsequent post for excellent reasons to wear sunglasses. Hats are an improvement over nothing, but are no help when the sun is low on the horizon, or where there is significant reflection/glare from eye-level surfaces. 

If you don't like sunglasses, that's fine, but it's demonstrably false that there is no reason to wear them beyond driving.


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## bluesman (Aug 17, 2009)

NotAMUser said:


> Yes, it is bad for extended periods of time. Some things can be corrected, like cornea damage, but others can't like retina damage.


Um....ah...this isn't true either, unless you consider a corneal transplant to be a correction. Not only is UV directly injurious to the cornea (which is epithelium, as is skin - so the spectrum of UV damage is similar for both), but it takes less trauma to physically injure a cornea with heavy UV exposure than it does to damage a normal one. A minor brush that wouldn't cause injury to a normal cornea can damage one with significant UV exposure.

Not protecting eyes against UV exposure is no less foolish than not protecting skin against UV exposure. I can't condemn it completely, as the consequences sent my kids to college :icon_scratch: - but you have to be a little daft to significantly increase your own risks of illness and injury.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> Chouan, your joke detector is miscalibrated.
> 
> Also, see the good doctor's subsequent post for excellent reasons to wear sunglasses. Hats are an improvement over nothing, but are no help when the sun is low on the horizon, or where there is significant reflection/glare from eye-level surfaces.
> 
> If you don't like sunglasses, that's fine, but it's demonstrably false that there is no reason to wear them beyond driving.


Oh. It was a joke. You mean a racially, or culturally, or nationally, or regionally stereotyping sort of a joke? At the expense of the stereotyped rather than at the expense of the stereotyper? Thanks for letting me know.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Ah, yes, the poor Englishman, victim of oppression all over the world. 

Give me a break. It's a joke about the English weather. I get the feeling that you're just harping on it because the qualified medical experts have told you that you sunglasses are indeed a very good thing, and you're trying to find something to be right about.


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## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

When I have a jacket on, I put them in my inner jacket pocket. When I don't, I typically put them in my pant pocket or collar of my shirt until I get where I am going where I set them down. This is typically my desk or my car.

Haha, wearing them on the back of your head brings to mind a certain host on the Food network.

https://www.guyfieri.com/


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