Finding sunglasses for a big head is difficult enough. Finding prescription sunglasses for a big head can be considerably harder.
The problem usually isn't the prescription. It's the frame.
Most eyewear is designed around a relatively narrow range of frame sizes. If you have a wider head, you may find a pair you like only to discover that the temples bow outward, the hinges feel under constant tension, or the frame presses uncomfortably against the sides of your head.
Adding prescription lenses doesn't solve an incorrectly sized frame.
At Faded Days, we specialize in sunglasses for larger heads and wider faces, with frame widths ranging from 145 mm through 165 mm. Many of our frames can also be made with prescription lenses.
Here's what you should know before ordering.
What Makes Prescription Sunglasses for Big Heads Different?
The simplest answer is frame width.
A person with a genuinely large head needs a frame that was designed with enough overall width to fit properly. Making the temple arms longer or using flexible hinges doesn't compensate for a frame front that is simply too narrow.
Faded Days currently offers four principal width categories:
- Regular: 139 mm
- Large: 145 mm
- XL: 155 mm
- XXL: 165 mm
That 10 or 20 mm difference can completely change how a pair of sunglasses feels.
A correctly sized frame should sit naturally rather than needing to flex substantially outward to accommodate your head. The temples shouldn't dig into the sides of your head, and you shouldn't have to tolerate constant pressure simply because you need prescription lenses.
Why Frame Width Matters Even More With Prescription Sunglasses
With ordinary sunglasses, poor fit is primarily a comfort problem. With prescription eyewear, fit and optical measurements work together.
Your prescription lenses need to be manufactured according to measurements that position the optical correction appropriately in relation to your eyes. One of those measurements is your pupillary distance, or PD, which measures the distance between your pupils.
This is why buying prescription sunglasses shouldn't begin with choosing the lens color or deciding whether you want polarization.
It should begin with: Does the frame actually fit my head?
If you've spent years wearing sunglasses with the arms visibly spreading outward because the frame is too narrow, moving to a genuinely wider frame can make an enormous difference.
How Wide Should Sunglasses for a Big Head Be?
There isn't one measurement that qualifies as a "big head."
Head shape matters, facial width matters, and two people with the same head circumference can prefer different frame widths.
That's why we're reluctant to tell someone, "You have a 24-inch head, therefore you need exactly this frame."
Instead, use your existing eyewear as a reference whenever possible.
If you own a pair that fits reasonably well, measure the total width across the front of the frame. That gives you a useful starting point for comparing sizes.
At Faded Days, 145 mm is our Large size, 155 mm is XL, and our widest XXL sunglasses measure 165 mm.
If conventional XL sunglasses have always been too tight, the difference between a nominally "large" frame and a true 165 mm frame can be substantial.
Use our Faded Days sunglasses fitting guide to compare frame sizes and measurements.
Can XXL Sunglasses Take Prescription Lenses?
Yes, provided the particular frame is suitable for prescription lenses and your prescription falls within the parameters available for that frame and lens combination.
This is worth checking rather than assuming.
At Faded Days, prescription eyewear is available across selected wide and XXL frames. We offer several prescription lens options, including:
- Single-vision lenses
- Progressive lenses
- Clear prescription lenses
- Prescription sunglasses
- Polarized prescription sunglasses
- Transition lenses
- Multiple lens-index options for different prescriptions
For stronger prescriptions, lens choice becomes particularly important.
What Lens Index Should You Choose?
The lens index describes how efficiently the lens material bends light. In practical terms, higher-index materials can produce thinner lenses for stronger prescriptions.
Faded Days offers prescription lens options including 1.586, 1.67 and 1.74 index lenses.
That doesn't mean everyone should automatically buy the highest index.
For a relatively mild prescription, paying for an extremely high-index lens may provide little practical benefit. With stronger prescriptions, a higher-index material can reduce lens thickness and may produce a more attractive finished pair of glasses.
There is another consideration with very wide frames: lens dimensions.
A larger frame can require a larger lens blank, and depending on your prescription and pupillary distance, that can affect finished lens thickness. This is one reason we don't think prescription eyewear should be treated as simply choosing a frame and dropping any prescription into it.
Can Prescription Sunglasses for Big Heads Be Polarized?
Yes.
Polarization and prescription correction perform different jobs.
Your prescription corrects your vision. A polarized lens reduces glare created when light reflects from surfaces such as roads, water and car hoods.
For someone who drives frequently, fishes, boats, or spends substantial time outdoors, polarized prescription sunglasses can be particularly useful because you get vision correction and glare reduction in the same pair.
You don't, however, need polarization simply because you're buying prescription sunglasses. It is an additional lens feature rather than a requirement.
What About Progressive Prescription Sunglasses?
Having a large head doesn't prevent you from wearing progressive sunglasses.
Progressive lenses incorporate multiple viewing zones into one lens, typically allowing distance, intermediate and near vision without a visible bifocal line.
The important issue is making sure the frame and lens combination provides appropriate space for the progressive design and that the required measurements are accurate.
If you wear progressives already, don't assume that buying a much wider frame means you need to abandon them. The frame simply needs to be suitable for your prescription and progressive lens design.
Are Prescription Sunglasses for Big Heads Just for Men?
Absolutely not.
Head size isn't gendered.
One of the problems with the traditional eyewear market is that genuinely large frames are often styled and marketed primarily toward men. But women can have wider faces and larger heads too, and they run into exactly the same sizing problem.
Rather than dividing our sizing into arbitrary "men's" and "women's" widths, we think the more useful question is:
What width fits your face and head?
Style comes after fit.
If a 155 mm or 165 mm frame fits you properly and you like how it looks, that's far more useful than whether somebody put "men's" or "women's" on the product description.
Don't Confuse Oversized Sunglasses With Wide Sunglasses
This distinction causes a surprising amount of confusion.
Oversized sunglasses and wide sunglasses aren't necessarily the same thing.
"Oversized" often describes the visual style, particularly large lenses or a dramatic frame shape. A pair can look enormous from the front and still be too narrow across the temples for someone with a large head.
If fit is your problem, look at the actual measurements.
Total frame width, bridge dimensions and temple length tell you far more than words such as oversized, large or XL on their own.
This is also why we publish actual measurements for our frames. "XXL" is useful shorthand, but 165 mm tells you what you're actually buying.
What Information Do You Need to Order Prescription Sunglasses Online?
You'll normally need a current eyeglass prescription containing the information required to manufacture your lenses.
You'll also need your pupillary distance (PD).
PD isn't always printed on the prescription you receive from your eye doctor, so check before ordering. If it's missing, you may need to obtain it separately.
For progressive or more complex prescriptions, additional measurements or information may be required.
The important thing is not to guess.
Prescription eyewear is manufactured specifically for you, so accurate information matters considerably more than it does when ordering ordinary sunglasses.
The Biggest Mistake We See With Sunglasses for Large Heads
It's surprisingly simple:
People concentrate on lens size instead of total frame width.
The little numbers printed inside conventional glasses usually include measurements such as lens width and bridge width. Those measurements are useful, but they don't always tell you the total outside width of the frame.
And total width is often the measurement someone with a large head actually cares about.
We've specialized in wide sunglasses long enough to know that "XL" isn't a standardized promise. One company's XL can fit very differently from another company's.
That's why we would rather tell you a frame is 155 mm or 165 mm wide than simply tell you it's "extra large."
Frequently Asked Questions About Prescription Sunglasses for Big Heads
What size sunglasses are best for a big head?
There isn't one universal size. Faded Days offers Large frames at 145 mm, XL at 155 mm and XXL at 165 mm. Comparing those measurements with a pair you already own is usually more useful than relying on an XL or XXL label alone.
Can I get 165 mm XXL sunglasses with prescription lenses?
Selected Faded Days XXL frames can be ordered with prescription lenses, subject to the particular frame, prescription and lens options available.
Can prescription sunglasses be polarized?
Yes. Prescription lenses correct your vision while polarization reduces reflected glare. The two can be combined in polarized prescription sunglasses.
Can I get progressive lenses in extra-wide sunglasses?
Yes, where the frame and prescription are suitable. Progressive lenses require appropriate measurements and enough usable lens area for the progressive design.
Do you make reading glasses for people with big heads?
Yes. Selected Faded Days wide and XXL prescription frames can be made with single-vision near lenses for customers who need reading glasses for a larger head or wider face. Rather than squeezing into standard-size readers, you can choose a wider frame and have the lenses made to your reading prescription.
Do stronger prescriptions need high-index lenses?
Not necessarily, but higher-index lenses can reduce thickness in stronger prescriptions. Faded Days offers different lens-index options, so the appropriate choice depends on the individual prescription rather than simply choosing the highest number.
Are oversized sunglasses good for big heads?
Not automatically. Oversized describes appearance more than fit. A visually oversized frame can still be narrow. Check the actual total frame width if you have a larger head or wide face.
Prescription Sunglasses That Actually Fit
If you've spent years accepting uncomfortable eyewear because you need prescription lenses, the prescription isn't a reason to settle for a frame that's too small.
Start with fit.
Find the appropriate frame width. Check the actual measurements rather than trusting an XL label. Then choose the prescription lens, tint, polarization and other options that suit how you'll use the sunglasses.
That's essentially the philosophy behind Faded Days.
We didn't start with prescription eyewear and then try to make it wider. We started by specializing in sunglasses for people who couldn't find frames wide enough, and prescription eyewear became another way to solve the same problem.
Check out our prescription glasses for large heads.
```