[luv2swm]

You mean that there are other sunglass companies other than Oakley?! No, seriously, I have been sporting Oakleys since they came out in the late 80's. There are other cheaper alternatives like Bolle, etc. But a good comfortable pair of Oakleys is the best bet. They have lead the industry in ANSI rated eye protection, and have many patents on eye protection systems. They have had some interesting tangents but always produce a product to appeals to the masses. They do unavoidably scratch, nobody has developed a completely scratch resistant lens, not ones that will block certain wavelengths of light, yet. The best for limited scratches is the plain or normal lens, also the cheapest. The anodized (iridium) lenses are the most susceptible to scratching, but they look the coolest, so higher cost. Don't go cheap and get knock-offs, you won't get the guaranteed protection ratings. Just protect them when they aren't on your face and clean them with the protective microfire cloth (bag), esp the iridium. You can use a clean cotton t-shirt for the normal lenses. Be careful to replace scratched lenses, your eyes will unconsciously focus on the scratches and over a long period of time damage your eyesight.