Advantages of Polarized Sunglasses and Why You Need Them

Polarized sunglasses are exceptionally popular these days with everyone from kids to celebrities, such as Robert Pattinson and others, wearing them. Besides being fashionable, they’re also good for your eyes. If you’re considering buying polarized sunglasses, here are some reasons why you need them, along with a few of their many other benefits.

How They Work

Although regular sunglasses provide protection from vertical, as well as horizontal sunrays, they fail to reduce the glare that’s reflected from horizontal UV rays. However, polarized sunglasses contain a laminated filter that only allows vertical light to enter, while blocking almost all horizontal rays. This is similar to how vertical  blinds operate. In other words, these sunglasses get rid of lights that reflect off of a horizontal or flat surface, such as snow or water. As a result, glare is eliminated.

Benefits of Wearing Polarized Sunglasses

• Visual comfort—One of the main perks of polarized sunglasses is that they help in reducing eyestrain caused by the eyes needing to constantly adjust to glare from reflective surfaces. In addition to causing eye fatigue, glare can also lead to headaches.
• Enhanced visual clarity and contrast are other advantages.
• Cosmetic benefits—Polarized sunglasses are not only practical, but they’re also fashionable. You can find them in a wide range of colors that go with different facial shapes.
• They’re lightweight.
• Polarized sunglasses are exceptionally versatile—You can wear them at the beach and at a formal events.

People Who Especially Need to Wear Polarized Sunglasses

Although anyone can benefit from wearing polarized sunglasses, some people especially need them, such as boaters and anglers. When glare is reduced, it’s easier to detect fish swimming in water. What’s more, a better view of what’s in a body of water could also save your life because you can avoid dangerous underwater objects or hazardous underwater currents.

If you drive for long distances, especially on summer road trips, you should wear polarized sunglasses. This is because you want to protect your eyes from horizontal light rays that can lead to visual discomfort and eye fatigue.

People participating in activities involving rapid light changes should wear polarized sunglasses. For example, hunters who hunt in dense forests need these sunglasses for reducing glare.

Determining If Your Sunglasses Are Polarized

Perhaps you already have a pair of sunglasses but aren’t sure if they’re polarized. To determine if they are, compare your sunglasses with an actual pair of polarized sunglasses. You could ask a friend who owns a pair of polarized sunglasses to help you do this simple experiment.

• After holding up both pairs of glasses at the same time, rotate one pair approximately 60 degrees.
• If the overlapping part darkens, then both pairs of sunglasses are polarized.
• There won’t be any noticeable difference if your pair of glasses is not polarized.

Considerations and Warnings

• Even though polarized lenses are usually linked with sunglasses, you can also find regular prescription glasses that contain polarized coating. Consult your optometrist if you think you could benefit from polarized lenses.
• Some of the hottest brands this year include Spy, Wiley X, Nike, Carrera and Lacoste We offer all of these brands at our online store.
• Be cautious when selecting your polarized sunglasses, warns a recent prnewswire.com article because not all polarized sunglasses are the same. The article says a product should have a high-quality polarization filter that’s capable of blocking out almost all glare.
• Before buying a pair of sunglasses, always check the UV protection level of lenses. In most cases, this is found on the right-hand side of a pair of glasses.
• Polarized sunglasses usually cost more than normal glasses, but they’re worth it if you need polarized lenses for work or for sporting purposes.

Questions? Visit dev.rx-safety.com. We offer prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and non-prescription glasses for men, women and children at reasonable costs. Please contact us and learn more about our wide range of eyecare products.