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Polarized Sunglasses — What Are Polarized Sunglasses?

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The sun has many benefits for those who enjoy the outdoors, but glare isn’t one of them. Polarized sunglasses are an excellent solution for protecting your eyes from blinding glare that can impact your vision when the sun is brightest.

Polarized sunglasses are specialized eyewear that can protect your eyes by filtering out intense refractive light that may bounce horizontally off of flat surfaces, like water, glass, or concrete pavement. Polarized glasses are useful for seeing clearly and avoiding potential hazards on bright days, which is particularly helpful while engaging in things such as sports and driving.

How Do Polarized Sunglasses Work?

Polarized sunglasses work because they have a particular chemical applied to them to allow mostly vertically oriented light. The chemical molecules are arranged to block and filter out horizontally oriented light from passing through the lens. Polarized sunglasses lenses are also available in many different colors, with darker colors providing higher degrees of polarization.

Why Are Polarized Sunglasses Better?

There are many reasons for why polarized sunglasses are better than standard sunglasses, though some high-quality pairs of sunglasses include polarized lenses. A polarized lens offers the following advantages of polarized vs. non-polarized sunglasses:

  • Enhanced eye comfort and reduces strain
  • Boosted contrast and visual clarity
  • Enhanced perception of colors
  • Reduced reflections and eliminates glare

No matter if you have prescription sunglasses or standard sunglasses, the good news is that most modern sunglasses can be modified with polarization to reduce light glare and improve vision and safety in the sun. You can speak with your optometrist about polarized sunglasses to determine if they would be right for you at your next eye exam. Of course, you can call our opticians to learn more about polarized sunglasses options or book an appointment to try on new collections. Contact us today!

Written by Dr. Ronald Nicholas Strohan

Dr. Strohan has been an integrative optometrist in the Milton, Ontario area for over 40 years and has always stayed true to his philosophy of focusing on excellent patient eye care. He has studied behavioural optometry for more than 4 decades and is passionate about providing clear vision for patients of all ages. He takes pride in offering the latest eye care products and advancements in vision therapy.
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