Polarized Eyewear

The optical industry manufactures several different kinds of prescription glasses that can be turned into sunglasses, ranging from the regular plastic or poly glasses that can be tinted. Some people prefer their prescription lenses to be tinted a specific color for cosmetic reasons. However, the majority of prescription sunglasses are polarized. Polarized eyewear provides better protection for the person’s eyes than lenses that have received a tint job.

Polarized eyewear is designed to minimize the glare to an absolute minimum, allowing people to walk outside in direct sunshine and not have to squint from the glare. Other than prescription polarized eyewear, optical industries also manufacture them for non-prescription sunglasses for customers who do not need a prescription. Polarized eyewear provides protection to the wearer’s eyes from harmful UV rays from the sun.

If choosing non-prescription sunglasses in a store, you can usually tell if the lenses are polarized by taking the sunglasses and finding a reflective spot on the store floor, usually from the lights overhead. If you hold the glasses horizontally, you will see little to no glare from the light reflection on the floor. However, when you turn the glasses vertical, the glare becomes more obvious because polarized lenses only block the glare of light or UV rays at a horizontal angle. This is how you know whether the lenses are polarized or not. Many polarized lenses usually don’t have a tint job because polarized lenses are naturally dark brown or dark in color.

Polarized lenses usually are more pricey than other sunglasses, especially if prescription sunglasses. However, the amount of protection they provide for people’s eyes make the price well worth it. It has been proven that UV rays damage eyes over a prolonged period of time. Eyes cannot be easily replaced if they have been damaged by constant contact with UV rays.