Sad but true, I’m too careless with my specs to fork over mondo bucks for prescription sunglasses.  But the affordable and cool-looking eco sun-readers from ICU Eyewear caught my eye, so I had to give them a try.

Always struggling to read while trying to relax at the beach, I used to layer my eyewear — prescription specs followed by sunglasses, really.  Now, reading while lounging in the sun just got a whole lot better.  Available as full frame magnifiers, bi-focals or two-tone readers, there are plenty of choices. So, what makes these off-the-shelf sun-readers eco friendly?  They’re made from recycled or reclaimed materials.

ICU’s line of eco frames comes either with or without sun protection, and in a nice array of styles: cat-eye, oval and rectangle. They’re all made from reclaimed plastic (discards from their factory floor), recycled metal (straight from the trash) or bamboo grown in sustainable forests in Asia (bamboo meets EU/CE standards and does not contain formaldehyde); and they’re manufactured in Taiwan.

Magnifiers range from 1.25 to 2.50, and retail starting at a mere $21.95.

Socially responsible, ICU also offers a recycling program whereby you can send back your used or broken reading glasses, and they donate the reading glasses that are in good condition to those in need or try to recycle the plastic from those that don’t get passed along.

Note — at this point in time, not all of the company’s frames are eco friendly, but Patricia Kesten, ICU Eyewear founder and president has her sights set and is “dedicated to making ICU’s entire collection eco-friendly” (in the not too distant future).  more @ ICUeyewear.com