Polarized sunglasses have been around for many years, but until recently, their popularity has remained mainly with professionals who are out on water all day, such as boaters and fisherman. However, polarized lenses offer huge advantages to anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors, particularly those who participate in sports such as jogging, biking, and golfing. They are also useful for driving, as they reduce glare from surfaces such as the hood of the car and the surface of the road.
Polarized shades can even be useful indoors, especially for people who suffer from light sensitivity, are recovering from cataract surgery, or spend time near a window in direct sunlight. In other words, anyone who is looking to reduce glare to improve vision may be able to benefit for polarized lenses.
How Polarized Lenses Work
Sunlight normally bounces in all directions; however, when it reflects off smooth surfaces, such as water or paved ground, light moves horizontally, which increases its intensity and forms glare. Polarized lenses feature a filter that blocks this reflected light and significantly reduces glare.
When to Opt for Regular Sunglasses
Although polarized lenses are ideal for most sports and activities, there are some situations when it may be better to choose non-polarized shades, advises All About Vision:
- Downhill skiing. Reflected light tells you where icy patches lie in the snow.
- Driving, if polarized shades make seeing LCDs or LEDs on the dashboard challenging. Similarly, polarized lenses may also cause you difficulty in reading ATMs, self-service gas pumps, cellphones, and GPS devices.
- Boating or flying. Although some manufacturers have changed the LCDs on their instrument panels to make it possible to see displays through polarized lenses, it is important to confirm this before setting off to ensure you will be able to navigate safely.
Active kids can also benefit from polarized sunglasses. Our P2 Lens Technology offers superior optical comfort by reducing glare by 99 percent, while still providing kids with shatterproof and impact-resistant lenses. You can find P2 polarized lenses from Real Kids in selected styles for Toddler, Kid, Youth, and Tween.