Polarized Lenses
Why do people need polarized sunglasses?
Every day over 6,000 automobile accidents in the United States are caused by the sun glare and light related distractions. In addition, the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UVA, UVB) have been linked to eye disease such as macular degeneration and cataracts. In order to reduce the risk of accidents caused by glare and prevent eye disease we recommend that children and adults wear a good pair of polarized sunglasses.
What are polarized lenses?
Polarized sunglasses contain special color lenses that block 99% of the harmful UVA and UVB light rays and reduce the harmful effects of glare.
Unfortunately, regular sunglasses only decrease the light intensity of everything by the same amount and do nothing to reduce glare.
Polarized sunglasses are the only lenses that reduce glare while at the same time allowing more light through resulting in images that are sharper, crisper and more colorful.
What are direct and reflective glare?
There are two types of glare. Direct glare is the glare outside from the sun, which is 25 times brighter than the light inside. Reflective glare is the concentrated light that bounces off of shiny surfaces, such as sunlight bouncing off a lake, a wet road or the snow.
What symptoms make glare detrimental to your vision?
Glare is harmful because it reduces contrast, it strains the eyes, impairs vision and makes colors less vibrant. The effects of glare often result in squinting, eye strain, headaches and fatigue.
Polarized lens colors for specialized activities:
Polarized lenses come in a variety of colors, each suited to a unique lifestyle activity. Our opticians will provide you with the appropriate polarized lenses to suit your hobbies, work environment and driving needs. Here are examples of recommended colors for different activities:
| Color | Activities | Benefits |
Grey/Green, Grey |
driving, sports, water activities |
gives a natural color contrast |
Neutral Grey, Neutral Brown |
computer work |
reduces eye strain from artificial (indoor) light |
Brown |
driving, sports, water activities, golf |
filters more blue light, improves visual acuity, sharper definition golfing |
Apple green, Yellow |
shooting, fishing, hi-contrast for early morning, late evening and cloudy days |
provides excellent depth perception and contrast |
Blue |
fashion |
fashion |
(Some of the information on this page obtained from Kbco Polarized Lenses)
