Sunglasses VS Polarized: What’s The Best Choice For You?

Sunglasses VS Polarized: What’s The Best Choice For You?

Health
30 Jun 2021

Sunglasses make us look cool, but they also help our eyes feel comfortable in all types of light conditions and more importantly, they protect our eyes from harmful UV rays emitted by the sun!

Any pair of sunglasses is better than no sunglasses at all, but it’s important to know your options before you buy. For example, polarized lenses are better at blocking glare, which is better for driving and outdoor sports. However, regular sunglasses have some advantages as well.

Polarized: What Does It Mean Anyway?

A special process in the lab makes a lens “polarized”. The lenses are treated with a special coating that increases the anti-blur and anti-haze properties, to ensure the wearer’s vision is crystal clear in all weather conditions. As you read further, you’ll soon see why polarized lenses are preferred by athletes, hikers and people who spend a lot of time on the road.

Polarized Sunglasses Explained

As we already mentioned, polarized lenses are great at blocking glare. This is because they are designed to filter out horizontal light. Everyone experiences glare differently. For some, it causes minor irritation, but for others, it can be completely debilitating and stop you from enjoying your favourite outdoor activities. That’s why polarization is the best choice for people living with extra light sensitivity. You can fight the glare with the bonus of full protection from UVA and UVB rays.

Polarized Sunglasses VS Non-Polarized

Regular sunglasses work by reducing the brightness of all light entering your eyes. Again, they will make it easier to see outside, but they won’t tackle the glare issue. If you’re outside wearing your sunglasses, but you’re still squinting, you probably need to look at a pair of polarized sunglasses.

The Benefits of Polarized

Do you love outdoor sports or do you work outside all day long in the hot sun? If so, then you are the perfect candidate for a new pair of polarized sunglasses. Glare happens when the sun’s rays bounce off various surfaces into your eyes. This is particularly troublesome and dangerous for drivers. However, polarized sunglasses can be your saviour! Not only will they give your eyes some relief, but some lenses can get rid of glare entirely.

The Downside of Polarized

Okay, I know we’re making it sound like polarized sunglasses are the answer to all of life’s problems, and yeah, they’re pretty great, but there are some downsides we need to discuss. Polarized lenses make it difficult for your eyes to view content on digital devices. You probably won’t be able to work comfortably outside on your laptop or search a restaurant’s menu on your phone as you stand on the sidewalk. Even pilots are strongly discouraged from wearing polarized sunnies because it’s too hard to read their instruments. Also, skiers take warning! Polarized lenses are so good at reducing glare that they can make it difficult to distinguish between different types of snow or ice, an integral part of swooshing down the slopes.

Discover great UV protection options from Eyetician, Canada’s favourite choice for affordable eyewear.