Before discussing the benefits of polarized sunglasses, how about understanding what they are?
Polarization is when light comes directly from a source. Note that light travels vertically, horizontally, and in all sorts of angles in between. A polarized lens reduces the glare of this light by filtering out the “raw” light. It then allows only vertical waves to pass through your prescribed sunglasses.
Wearing prescription sunglasses can make one feel like they’re living in an Instagram picture. That’s because polarized sunglasses with prescription act like a hidden editing tool. They constantly reduce glare, intense reflected sunlight that can strain your eyes. This serves to ensure that everything around you is more vibrant.
Polarized lenses provide clarity that perfects your vision. The protection that sunglasses offer is very important. It ensures that your eyes are safe from harmful ultraviolet rays. Thus, you must always remember that proper eyewear is as important as skincare.
Polarized vs. Non-Polarized Sunglasses
It’s undeniable that a pair of polarized sunglasses is beneficial for certain activities. That’s considering that the lenses are usually coated with a thin chemical film. This helps us to eliminate the harsh light that reflects off water and highway surfaces on a sunny day. The thin chemical film also helps to decrease the amount of reflections from the sunlight that your eyes can see.
Non-polarized sunglasses on the other hand treat all sunlight equally. They serve to reduce the overall intensity and offer protection to the eyes. They, however, cannot tackle shimmer and sparkle if you’re around water, snow, or glass. They can also protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.
Non-polarized sunglasses are a good choice if you want to see the world around you as it is. But for the purpose of this article, let’s now focus on the benefits of polarized lenses, which also have the ability to filter ambient light.
- Daytime Driving
Imagine sunlight hitting the curves of your windshield or the reflective surface of the car mirror when driving. This light then spreads out into a distracting glare or even a bright shine.
Wearing a pair of cool prescription sunglasses with polarized lenses will help to block the reflective effects. This will leave you free to enjoy your drive without any glare getting in the way.
If you’ve ever driven on a sunny day, you must have seen a reflective patch of the road up ahead looking like shimmering water. It could also be that you’ve seen actual water or even snow by the roadside and it looked shinier than normal. Such occurrences are usually a result of the distracting sun glare.
Having polarized sunglasses helps to ensure that your eyes are protected. Remember that driving is safer if you focus on the road instead of adjusting your view. You shouldn’t be struggling to shield your eyes from the bright streaks of light.
- Reduced Glare
Glare is an enemy to having a safe and wonderful time, especially on a sunny day. It doesn’t matter whether you’re carving down a ski slope at full speed or fishing on a lake. Glare can temporarily blind you and give you a double black diamond-sized headache.
The vision impairment that it causes also makes it difficult to distinguish between colors and even “whiting out” your vision. As a natural response, the eyes usually squint, which prevents damage.
Polarized sunglasses counteract glare because of the special chemical film on the lenses. The thin chemical film is what blocks horizontal light. By blocking this light, polarized sunglasses significantly reduce the harsh characteristics of light.
- Increase Color Contrast
In blinding bright light, everything in the environment becomes shrouded in a blizzard of white light. This can make it difficult to tell the difference between snow, the color of vanilla ice cream, and branches tinged with dirt and debris.
By banishing glare to the ski lodge, polarized prescribed sunglasses make it easier to preserve color distinctions. This places you in a position where you can easily shred the good stuff and keep harmful obstacles out of your way.
- Minimized Color Distortion
Just like color contrast, color distortions can cause you to wipe out. This means that color distortion or chromatic aberration happens when a lens can no longer follow all colors to the same point.
Consequently, that bad news branch is likely to appear in multiple places at once. It may also seem larger or smaller than it actually is. Whatever the case, this is a scenario that spells trouble.
Polarized prescription sunglasses help to focus all colors on the same point. This makes it easier to tell where an object begins and ends. With overall reduced glare, you’ll be able to shred down the mountain with clearer vision.
- Fishing and Boating
Water is one of the most reflective surfaces and as such, it can cause challenges when fishing or boat riding. It can be difficult to safely steer your boat or pick out spots where fish are gathered if you can’t see clearly. That’s why polarized sunglasses come in handy, as they serve to improve the quality of your day out.
The lenses reduce glare, hence, creating richer colors and transforming the water to be almost grass-like. This will provide you with a full view of all the fish and everything under the water. This can turn any boat ride or fishing expedition into a pretty great experience.
Tips for Choosing the Best Polarized Sunglasses
Investing in a quality pair of polarized sunglasses is important if you plan to have a fun day out.
Sunglasses can make life quite convenient. They are stylish, comfortable, and provide protection from UV rays. Overexposure to the sun’s rays can damage the eye’s surface. It can also increase the risk of contracting eye diseases such as cataract and skin cancer around the eyelids. Here is a chart that shows how dangerous exposure to UV rays can be to your eyes according to different ages.
The data in the line chart above is a clear indication of why it’s important that you use polarized sunglasses to protect your eyes. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the best sunglasses:
- Lens quality: This is an important factor that must be looked into when buying online sunglasses. Note that tint and quality are vital. Thus, it’s important that you go for a uniform tint on your lenses.
You can also hold the sunglasses at arm’s length, in a straight line, then look through the lenses at a distance. This will help you notice possible imperfections. Good quality sunglasses are necessary because the cheap ones will not protect you from UV rays.
- Oversized sunglasses: The more coverage you get when wearing your glasses, the better! So when shopping, look for wraparound or oversized sunglasses. This will help limit the amount of ultraviolet rays entering your eyes.
- Lens color: There are a lot of lens colors on the market. From solid tints to gradients in colors like gray, green, and even brown. Admittedly, lens color may not play a great role in protecting your eyes from UV rays, for instance. It can, however, help you in terms of contrast.
- Frame styles: Apart from being worn for protection, sunglasses are also a stylish accessory. They can elevate an outfit and improve a fashion statement. Of course, they also help protect your eyes. But, you also need a pair that looks good on you and helps boost your confidence.
- Price: Expensive sunglasses are not always the best. Some may be affordable and still be of good quality. But that’s not to say that you shouldn’t look at your options and go for cheap sunglasses without UV protection. You can always find good quality prescription sunglasses at an affordable rate in online stores.
Final Thoughts
So, are polarized prescription sunglasses a better choice?
Well, they can block distracting glare and reduce reflections. They can also make a sunny day look like it belongs on a postcard, so yes, they are a good choice. You must, however, note that there are cases when polarized lenses don’t work very well. That’s the reason why some people own a pair of both polarized and non-polarized sunglasses for certain activities.
5 Benefits of Polarized Sunglasses for UV Protection