More Sunglass Wearers Choose Polarized Lenses

A growing number of sunglass wearers are choosing polarized lenses, which offer benefits to a wide variety of people. They are recommended for anyone who:

Drives more than a few minutes a day
Wears contact lenses
Drives a truck or bus for a living
Has an outdoors job, such as construction workers and landscapers
Has an outdoors hobby, such as gardening
Spends time near the water, including boaters, anglers, and water skiiers (when wearing polarized lenses, you can see much more deeply into the water.)
Spends time near snow, such as skiiers and snowmobilers
Hunts or target shoots

Polarized lenses reduce glare reflected from surfaces. Glare can cause problems ranging from discomfort to serious visual impairment. For most of us, the biggest threat is glare from road surfaces, oncoming windshields, and/or the hood of your car. The elimination of glare improves your comfort and visual acuity.

Polarized lenses offer the most protection for your eyes. All polarized lenses come with a filter that protects your eyes from direct UV light, and another filter that blocks reflected UV light. UV radiation can contribute to age-related cataract and other problems.

Polarized lenses work by blocking reflected light while allowing direct light to come through. Direct light waves vibrate in all directions, but reflected light waves vibrate in the same direction. This is what creates glare. Bright, flat surfaces such as water or pavement are the primary sources of polarized glare.

Polarized lenses work by blocking the light reflected off surfaces like water, wet roads, the hood of your car, and oncoming windshields. The polarized lens contains a special filter that blocks reflected light with a molecular “fence.”

Judith Lee