If you live or spend a lot of time in a consistently sunny climate, there are some extra precautions one needs to consider. Sunscreen is always a priority, followed by keeping a worthy pair of sunglasses. While UV lenses can help protect against ultraviolet light that can damage your eyes and the skin around them, they do not address the glare that is associated with a bright day. Polarized lenses are well known among those that frequent the water but can also be incredibly useful for everyday use.
When light beams across a flat surface, it is reflected horizontally, becoming polarized, causing what we know as glare. Regardless of the surface, either flat or uneven, the resulting effect can be distracting and disarming, causing reduced visibility.
The amount of horizontally polarized light coming into your eyes is greatly decreased by specially formulated lenses, such as polarized sunglasses. Such lenses are coated with a chemically polarized film that allows light waves to travel vertically in one direction, thus blocking out the horizontally polarizing light and shielding eyes from the lightwave. You can reduce or remove distracting and harmful glare by wearing polarized glasses. Specialized, specially formulated lenses, such as polarized sunglasses, significantly minimize the amount of times horizontally polarized light passes into the eye so that blinding or harmful bright light can be removed or minimized when wearing them. Polarized lenses in sunglasses are set at an angle which allows penetration of only vertically polarizing light. You will free your vision from the blinding sunlight that is reflected from the surface if you polarize your sunglasses. You will find that when you change the viewing angle, the light from the surface brightens.
A non-polarized pair of sunglasses simply decreases the amount of light that comes through the lenses, whereas polarized lenses shield the eyes from UV light and are a good option for outdoor vision. UV security protects the eyes from the sun’s harmful rays while polarized sunglasses reduce glare. Polarized glasses have greater image quality, but lack maximum UV protection.
Polarized lenses feature a patented chemical film coating designed specifically to reduce the glare from extreme reflected light that can hinder vision. They are designed to promote clear vision in bright light, and operate by reducing glare on reflective surfaces in the brightest light and increasing the contrast slightly. Polarization can also make the screen easier to see than regular tinted lenses, but the downside is that polarized lenses are less likely to protect the eyes from bright light-which increases glare.
If light is mirrored by oncoming traffic, it appears in the eyes as a flashing light, creating glare that can be momentarily blinding. At best, such glare is distracting and at worst dangerous-all of a sudden you see nothing. Some tints respond differently on the windscreen than others, which means that driving is not always the best option without polarized lenses.
For tips or a consultation about polarized lenses and to schedule an appointment contact us today at 561-798-0244.