I always look forward to the cooler weather and watching the leaves change this time of year. But something I usually don’t expect is having to reach for my sunglasses more and more often. However, as the season has changed, you also may have noticed your day getting shorter and the sun setting earlier (especially on your evening drive home).
Hopefully like me, you have some polarized sunglasses you can rely on to reduce glare when you are driving, for a safe and comfortable ride home.
Most light reflected from surfaces such as a flat road or smooth water is generally horizontally polarized, meaning that this light is traveling in a horizontally oriented direction. Polarized lenses have a filter within them that blocks this reflected light and thus reduces glare.
Polarized lens technology has been popular with fishermen for years due to their ability to help eliminate the reflected glare off the water. Today many other outdoor enthusiasts have discovered the benefits of polarized sunglasses as well; including golfers, skiers, bikers, joggers, and more. Of particular benefit, these lenses can reduce eyestrain and fatigue from squinting on the golf course for enhanced sports performance. Also, when driving these lenses can help reduce glare off the hood of your car and the surface of the road.
When choosing a Polarized sunglass lens it is important to choose a lens that blocks glare from every angle, effectively manages blue light, and enhances colors for the best optical clarity available. For more information on polarized sunglases check out this article and link.
The prices on polarized glasses seem to really range from $50 to a few hundred. Is it just brand and style that create the price differences or is there a big difference in polarization. How much difference is there between anti glare and polarized?
ReplyDeleteHi Josh,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. As you have noticed there is definately a range in the price of different polarized sunglasses. In general any polarized lens will reduce glare better than any regular pair of sunglasses without polarization. However, not all polarized lens technology is the same.
In my opinion Maui Jim lenses offer the best polarized lens technology in their patented Polarized Plus 2 lenses. This lens has antireflective coatings on the front and back surface of the lenses which also helps block reflected glare as seen at http://www.mauijim.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TechnologyView?storeId=10001&catalogId=11601&langId=-1
Due to this technology, I find their polarized sunglass lenses to be unmatched in visual comfort and the ability to make colors more vibrant for outdoor enjoyment.
Higher end brands of sunglasses will often be priced higher due to the brand's style and reputation for quality. However, this usually has more to due with the frames then the lens technology. Thanks again for your comment, and I am in no way paid to endorse any frame or sunglass vendor as a disclosure.