Looking for a Solution to Bright Sunny Days?
Does the intensity of sunlight ever disrupt your vision? If you are a frequent summer driver or a winter skier, the sun’s rays can become a dedicated enemy to quick and easy navigation. Most of us just grab a pair of sunglasses. But while any pair of sunglasses reduces the brightness of sun light, that comes with the side effect of reducing vision in general.
Sometimes your sunglasses might not even reduce glare. If you’ve ever driven in the summer with typical sunglasses on, you’ve probably noticed this. Many times the sun reflects off an object, and even with sunglasses on, the glare disrupts your vision. This is because most sunglasses use tinted lenses rather than the more effective polarized lens. The best solution to improving visibility during a bright day while still reducing glare is polarized lenses.
Tinted Sunglasses vs. Polarized Sunglasses
Traditional sunglasses are tinted glass. The common method for making tinted sunglasses involves simply dying the glass with a darker color, usually grey, gold, or amber. While this reduces the impact of direct sunlight, it also reduces overall visibility and does not effectively reduce glare from the sunlight reflecting.
Many tints also offer color distortion, so if any accurate color vision is needed, then most tinted glasses will not work. Polarized lenses avoid many of the problems associated with tinting.
Benefits of Polarized Sunglasses
One of the major problems with bright sunlight comes not from the direct sunlight itself, but from the reflection of the sunlight off of another surface. This reflection creates a focused light ray that can be very inhibiting to vision. We call this “effect glare.” Most tinted sunglasses do not effectively reduce glare. Due to the dying process, they reduce the intensity of the sunlight but glare can still be a problem. Polarized lenses are designed to specifically filter out glare without reducing your visibility.
Are Polarized Sunglasses Right for You?
Popular for years with outdoor enthusiasts-such as boaters, fisherman, and skiers-polarized lenses reduce the glare from the sun without reducing visibility. They also offer more accurate color perception. Studies have shown that when driving, polarized sunglasses do not reduce driving visibility as much as tinted lenses. However, there are still some concerns if you are considering polarized lenses.
One side effect of the filter to reduce glare is that it makes viewing LCD screens such as your smart phone more difficult. So if you need to be constantly checking your smart phone while in bright sunlight, polarized lenses may not be right for you. But if your phone is not a concern then polarized lenses could be the perfect ally for your outdoor adventures.
[Photo Via: BaronEye]