Polarization and UV protection of sunglasses

Choose only quality sunwear

Some people wonder whether using inferior sunglasses with poor UV protection is more damaging than wearing no sunglasses at all. Although there are no confirming cases, it is to some extent reasonable to say that low-quality sunglasses are more harmful. Customers should always select quality sunglasses for best comfort and vision as well as eye protection. Besides sunglasses, large hats are also helpful in offering sunlight protection outdoors.

Different materials offer varying degrees of UV protection

Sunglasses with CR-39R plastic can absorb about 88% of UV light and this number for polycarbonate lenses is 100%. However, sunglass lenses made of triacetate only absorb approximately 40% of UV rays. Lenses made from other acrylic materials have varying UV absorption abilities. Sunwear buyers are highly encouraged to check the degree of UV protection with the seller. For children and people who need protective eyewear, polycarbonate lenses are the perfect choice, because its 100% UV protection is inherent. To gain 100% UV protection, it is quite necessary to get sunglasses from trustful sources such as reputable companies, specialty sunglass stores or optical professionals.

Optional lens colors

UV absorption capability deserves the top priority during sunglasses selection. But lens color is also an important factor for some customers. Some colors such as neutral density gray will darken the surrounding environment but will not affect the wearer’s color perception. Some lens colors may change color perception. Remember that lens color does not only determine lens darkness. For example, orange lenses are lighter than brown lenses. Most lens tints are still closely related to optical features or properties. Some lens tints can help heighten contrast in certain conditions, while some others preserve normal light perception.

Polarized sunwear lenses

Polarized sunglass lenses block horizontal light and allow vertical rays, which is helpful during outdoor activities such as fishing, driving and so on. This type of lenses reduces glare by blocking light reflection from smooth surfaces. The principle is that polarized lenses are able to filter out those horizontally reflected rays, which are the major source of glare perceived by people. Unlike anti-reflective coatings that can be applied to lenses for both outdoor and indoor uses, polarization is always added only to sunglass lenses for use outdoors.