Polarized Lenses Cut the Glare

Reflective surfaces such as beach sand, the ocean, lakes, snow, and that shiny new office building downtown can bombard your eyes with annoying glare that can make it difficult to see or temporarily blind you.

  • How many times have you been on your way into work only to be blinded by the sun reflecting off the shiny chrome or rear window of the car in front of you?
  • How many beach days do you labor through heavy duty squinting and shielding your eyes with your hands just so you can toss a ball around?

If you’re weary of fighting the sun at work or at play, then polarized Lenses might be exactly what you need. Polarized lenses help you battle the sun by blocking out certain light waves bouncing off smooth or reflective surfaces, reducing the glare and improving visibility.

How Polarized Lenses Work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMopCuX468

From the American Academy of Ophthalmology, here’s a quick look at how polarized lenses work:

  • Polarized lenses have a special chemical applied to them to filter light.
  • The chemical’s molecules are lined up specifically to block some of the light from passing through the lenses, meaning that only some light rays approaching your eyes actually reach them.
  • As a result, you experience less glare and better visibility.
  • While what you see with polarized lenses tends to appear a bit darker than normal, objects look crisper and clearer, and details are usually easier to see.
  • Polarized lenses are especially helpful for people who spend a lot of time on the water, boating, fishing, etc. With less glare, it’s easier to see into the water.

Don’t Forget UV Protection

While polarized lenses are great for activities at the beach, in the snow, or out on the water, the staff at Sunglass and Optical wants to remind you that polarized lenses alone do not take the place of lenses that provide ultraviolet (UV) ray protection.

Long-term exposure to UV rays can damage the eye’s surface as well as its internal structures, sometimes contributing to cataracts (clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration (breakdown of the macula). To optimize your glare protection AND to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays, be sure to look for polarized lenses that are labeled as blocking 99-100% of UVA and UVB rays.

Also be aware that polarized lenses can make seeing computer screens, smartphones, ATMs, or car dashboards—anything that uses a liquid crystal display (LCD)—more difficult.

Let Sunglass & Optical Help

With more than 60 brands and more than 7,000 frames available, Sunglass and Optical Warehouse is San Diego’s premier provider of prescription and non-prescription sunglasses, including polarized lenses and polarized Transitions Vantage lenses, which both darken and polarize upon UV exposure to deliver noticeably crisper, sharper vision, even in the brightest outdoor glare.

Contact us today for more information or drop by one of our three San Diego area locations.

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