Should i get polarised

A: UV rays can affect your eyes both in the short and long term. Erwin explains. When shopping for sunglasses, he says, take the time to ensure you are purchasing a pair that are stylish, comfortable and offer the best protection from the sun. Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Related Articles. Although polarized lenses will tackle the discomfort caused by intense sources of light, they perform the same as non-polarized lenses when it comes to filtering out harmful UV light.

If your lifestyle regularly takes you outdoors, both polarized and non-polarized sunglasses will give you essential UV protection. If you need the extra ability to see colors or contours accurately, however, polarized lenses will help.

Likewise, polarized lenses make it harder to distinguish shiny patches of ice for those out walking, skiing, or driving after a snowfall, even if they do reduce overall glare. Polarized lenses can significantly reduce eye strain, eliminate reflection, and improve performance in circumstances where the level of sunlight is overwhelming.

If conditions are simply cloudy or overcast, a standard pair of non-polarized sunglasses should be sufficient to give your eyes that all-important UV protection. Goods See More "Close Cart". Extras See More "Close Cart". Knockaround Mobile Menu Button. Shop By Style. Fort Knocks. Paso Robles.

Pacific Palisades. Torrey Pines. Fast Lanes. Mai Tais. Certain orientations of reflected light can still penetrate the vertically aligned molecules within a polarised sunglasses lenes. However, compared to regular lenses, polarised lenses will still diminish most glare to give you far more consistent visual clarity.

You might not consider this to be a disadvantage but another side effect of polarised lenses is how they can reduce visible contrast. As sunlight is absorbed by rough surfaces and reflected by shiny ones, this makes it difficult to detect slippery surfaces such as oil spills or patches of ice. For obvious reasons, motorcyclists require as much visual connection with the road as possible. Similarly, skiers and snowboarders need to see oncoming undulations and changes in oncoming terrain.

Reduced contrast can be a hindrance or even hazardous if you require immediate detection of surface changeability. In fact, this is the whole point of polarised sunglasses as they give a far more consistent view, free from extreme high and low points of contrast.

For the extra money, deciding on polarised sunglasses will largely depend on your budget, lifestyle and frequency of wearing them. Putting this into context, research by travel agency sunshineholiday. At the other end of the year, low-level winter sun and reflected glare from ground-frost can make commuting significantly more strenuous. As the sun is lower in the sky, harshly condensed sunlight is much more likely which gives you another reason to wear a pair of polarised sunglasses.

Apparently, according to the Telegraph , the average Briton spends three years of their life behind the wheel. Long term exposure to bonnet and road-glare can lead to visual fatigue as you strain to focus on the road.

By wearing sunglasses with polarised lenses, you can minimise the amount of strain that's placed on your eyes when you're behind the wheel. Upgrading to polarised lenses can prolong your visual focus and can make your driving experience that bit more comfortable on those sunny journeys. For more information, you can check out my other article about the best polarised sunglasses for driving. For the extra money, your budget, lifestyle and frequency of wearing sunglasses will largely determine your decision.

In winter, low-level sun can bounce off ground frost or wet roads meaning more of that annoyingly bright glare. But what are the benefits of polarised sunglasses and are they worth the extra money? This way, you can decide