If you’re the type of person who spends a lot of time outdoors engaging in activities like skiing, fishing, or golfing, one of the most important elements of your gear would be your sun glasses. But if you’re already a seasoned outdoors type of person, you should know that not just any type of sun glasses will do. You need to use polarized sun glasses, especially if the day is extra bright and sunny and you find yourself squinting because of the glare caused by sunlight.
Some people get headaches or even migraines when they are subjected to too much glare. This can be prevented by wearing polarized sun glasses, which are essential in glare reduction. Basically, glare happens when certain light waves come in contact with a reflector (like snow or water) and bounce off parallel to each other. Wearing shades whose lenses are polarized is helpful because they block these kinds of light waves but let other kinds of light waves come through, so you are able to see clearly in bright light but without having to squint and without having to deal with that the headache-causing glare.
Polarized eyewear is great for activities like fishing, playing golf, or hanging out at the beach – basically in places where light bounces off a surface and comes off as glare. If you’ve ever gone fishing and have had to stare at the water for a long time, you’ll know how unpleasant this glare can be. Even just hanging out at the beach or by a poolside on a sunny day and seeing the light playing on the water produces the same effect. So does looking at snow without the protection of sunglasses. Wearing sun glasses that have polarized lenses would help a person enjoy these activities more. Even driving a motor vehicle on a sunny day would be better if a person was wearing polarized shades; glare would be reduced and driving would become safer.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because sun glasses have dark lenses, they are automatically effective at glare reduction – they’re not. The lenses have to undergo a special process where they are given a special coating so that they filter unwanted light. And even though they prevent harmful light waves from getting to your eyes, don’t worry about having the quality of your vision compromised. Colors will still stay true and natural, and images will still be crystal clear. In addition, you will get the added benefit of protecting your eyes from harmful ultraviolet A and B rays. Constant exposure to these rays over time can cause eye diseases like photokeratitis, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
And don’t think that just because these sun glasses are so functional that they will look clunky and unattractive. On the contrary, many of the most popular makers of sun glasses, such as Oakley, Ray-Ban, and Costa del Mar, offer polarized eyewear. Browse the selections of these brands and more and you will see that they come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Manufacturers also offer specialized glare reduction sunglasses suited especially for a certain activity: fishing, motorcycling, skiing, and many others. Even high-end designers, such as Christian Dior, offer special polarized sun glasses: the lenses are detachable – you only have to remove the regular lenses, snap on the polarized lenses, and you’re good to go. Sure, they may cost quite a bit, but you’ll get quality workmanship and the guarantee that your eyes and vision will be protected from UV light and glare.
One of the pluses of wearing this type of sun glasses is that they can be worn by virtually anyone for any kind of activity that involves the outdoors and where glare reduction is desired. It doesn’t necessarily have to be sports. Like I mentioned earlier, polarized sun glasses are good even for just driving a car. You can also wear them when you leave your office building on a bright day to meet someone for lunch. And you can most definitely put them on while hanging out and sipping coffee at a sidewalk café while watching the people go by (the glare that comes off of the pavement will be reduced, making people-watching more enjoyable). So if you’re planning to go outside on a bright, sunny day, it would be best if you brought along a pair of polarized sun glasses. The day will still be bright, but you won’t get a headache because of it.